First full ascent of Mauna Kea

The first people to scale the world's tallest mountain – Mauna Kea in Hawaii, USA – from seabed to summit are Victor Vescovo and marine scientist Dr Clifford Kapono (both USA) on 1–3 February 2021. Over the course of three days, the pair travelled by deep-sea submersible, canoe, bicycle and foot, ascending a total vertical elevation of 9,323 m (30,587 ft).

The journey started at 7.21 a.m. on 1 February when Vescovo and Dr Kapono descended to the bottom of Mauna Kea where its flank meets the surrounding seafloor, at a depth of 5,116 m (16,785 ft) in the deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor. They resurfaced at 11.48 a.m. at which point the pair briefly returned to the support vessel DSSVPressure Drop before transferring to a three-person outrigger canoe, coxed by Chad Cabral. After rowing 43 km (27 mi), their canoe touched land at Wailoa harbour in Hilo, Hawaii, at 5.45 p.m. where the crew then walked to their hotel. The next morning on 2 February, at approximately 8 a.m., Vescovo and Kapono set out on bicycles to cycle 60 km (37 mi) up Mauna Kea, riding as far as roads would allow before hiking the rest of the way to the Onizuka Visitor Center, located at 9,200 ft (2,804 m) asl; they reached here at 4.50 p.m. and lodged at this site for the night. On the final day, 3 February, the pair set out from the visitor centre on foot at 8.10 a.m. to walk the 9.6-km (6-mi) Humu'ula Trail to the mountain's observatory, then finally on to the snow-covered summit (approx. 100 ft, or 30 m higher up), which they reached at 1.55 p.m.

While Mount Everest in the Himalayas is the highest mountain in the world, rising to 8,848.8 m (29,031 ft) above sea level, Mauna Kea is the world's tallest from top to bottom, even though most of it lies concealed underwater. Estimates vary depending on what you consider the true base (this is contested), but some geologists suggest it could be as tall as 10,211 m (33,500 ft). While precise figures for its depth vary, everyone concurs it is taller than Everest. For the purposes of this record it was agreed that a "full ascent" does not require the total elevation to be scaled, much the same as for Everest, where mountaineers do not start their ascent at sea level, but rather at Basecamp, already 5,364 m (17,600 ft) or 5,150 m (16,900 ft) a.s.l. in Nepal or Tibet, China, respectively.

Former US Navy officer Vescovo is no stranger to pushing the limits of exploration on our planet. He has been to the deepest point in the ocean, the 10,934-m (35,872-ft) Challenger Deep in the Pacific, eight times, more than any other individual. He is also the first person to have been to Earth's highest and lowest points, as well as the first person to have dived to the deepest point in all five of Earth's oceans. He has also travelled to the North and South Poles (Last Degrees). To mark his many pioneering feats of exploration, Vescovo was awarded the Explorers' Club Medal in 2020.