As reported in USA Today, Kit DesLauriers began her journey to fulfill her dream of skiing the seven summits in 2004. In May that year she climbed Alaska's Mount McKinley and valiantly earned the distinction of being the first American woman (2nd woman ever) to ski from North America's highest peak (20,320 feet).

Subsequently she skied Russia's Mount Elbrus; Australia's Mount Kosciusko; Argentina's Aconcagua Polish Glacier; Antarctica's Vinson Massif; and Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro.

On October 18, 2006 DesLauriers realized her dream when she skillfully navigated her way down from the summit of Nepal's Mount Everest (29,029 feet), oxygen mask on her face and skis on her feet. Amid the subzero temperatures and unpredictable winds, the steep terrain was the most challenging she had ever encountered.

Accompanying DesLauriers were her husband, Rob DesLauriers; expedition leader Wally Berg; physician Bryce Brown; Everest mountaineering expert Dave Hahn; photographer Jimmy Chin; and nine Sherpas. In the world of high altitude mountaineering, "Sherpa" refers to locals of Nepal, usually men, who are employed as porters and guides in climbing treks throughout the Himalayas.

Sherpas are known for their endurance, as well as their expertise and selflessness in assisting others in navigating and surviving the often- perilous, high-altitude expeditions.

The journey down from the summit of Mount Everest included the treacherous scaling of a cliff named Hillary Step for Sir Edmund Hillary. (He died January 2008.) In 1953, Hillary and Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, were the first to reach the top of the elusive Mount Everest. Ironically, the point bearing Hillary's name is not exactly a place of congratulatory welcome; it's a 40-foot cliff of solid rock in a part of the descent referred to as "the death zone." DesLauriers and her team rappelled the Step with their skis on.

Later in the descent, the team reached Lhotse Face, a 5,000-foot vertical drop. The team skied down much of the Face in groups of three, but each had to remain intently focused on the task at hand.

Kit DesLauriers attributes much of her accomplishment to the power of her mind and her ability to control and squelch any indication of fear.

Kit explained in USA Today: "Fear is paralyzing. It's one thing to be scared, but once you allow fear in your life, it is debilitating. When you experience fear, the next thing out of people's minds is 'I can't.' We are in control of our minds."      ---By Peter Brandt