Skip to main content

2009 KilimanjaroRongai

By No Comments

Kilimanjaro (5,895m)

Tanzania, Africa

September 18 – September  29, 2009 | Summit Date : September 27, 2009 | Rongai Route

YPO International Expedition Team : Leader Tony van Marken

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic mountain in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

The Rongai route ascends Kilimanjaro from the north-eastern side of the mountain, along the border between Tanzania and Kenya. This route retains a sense of unspoilt wilderness and offers a different perspective on Kilimanjaro by approaching it from the north.

2005 Everest

By No Comments

Everest (8,850m)

Himalayas, Nepal, Asia

March 28 – June 13, 2005 | Summit Date : June 2nd, 2005

Expedition Team : Vernon Tejas, David Morton, Willie Prittie, Jose Luis Peralvo, Tony an Marken, Esther Colwill, David Liano, Danielle Fisher, Lakpa Rita Sherpa

Mount Everest, also known in Nepal as Sagarmāthā and in Tibet as Chomolungma, is the Earth’s highest mountain. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas and forms part of the seven continental summits. 

2004 Vinson Massif

By No Comments

Vinson Massif (4,892m)

Antartica

January 2 – 24, 2004 | Summit Date : January 14, 2004

Alpine Ascents International Expedition Team

Vinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, which stand above the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. Vinson Massif forms part of the seven continental summits.

2003 Kilimanjaro Umbwe

By No Comments

Kilimanjaro (5,895m)

Tanzania, Africa
October 13 – October 21, 2002  |  Summit Date : October 16 and 17, 2002 | Umbwe Route

Climbing Team : Tony van Marken, Dennis Bennie

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic mountain in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

 

2003 Denali

By No Comments

Mount McKinley (Denali) (6,168m)

Alaska, North America
June 1 – June 21, 2003  |  Summit Date : June 16, 2003 (via West Buttress)

Mount McKinley (native name Denali) is the highest mountain peak in North America and forms part of the seven continental summits. At some 5,500m the base to peak rise is considered the highest of any mountain situated entirely above sea level.

 

2003 Kosciusko

By No Comments

Kosciuszko (2,228m)

Australia
November  24 – 25, 2003  |  Summit Date : November 25, 2003 | Long Route via Charlotte’s Pass

Climbing Team : Tony van Marken

Mount Kosciuszko is located in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. It is the highest mountain on the continent of Australia and forms part of the seven continental summits.

 

HOME

By No Comments
 

Kilimanjaro (5,895)m

Tanzania: 16 June 2007…view of Mawenzi from summit of Kilimanjaro

 

Vinson Massif

Ellsworth Mountains... Antarctica... moving to high camp...

 

Everest (8,850)m

Himalayas, Nepal: 31 May 2005…climbing towards Geneva Spur...

 

Denali (6,168m)

Mount McKinley Alaska...June 17, 2003...moving up to Camp 2...

 

Simien Mountains Ethiopia

View from summit of Imet Gogo

 

Cho Oyu (8,201m)

Himalayas, Tibet: 21 September 2004… summit day…

 

Everest (8,850)m

Himalayas, Nepal: 16 April 2005…traversing Khumbu Icefall on the way to Camp 1...

 

Kilimanjaro (5,895m)

Tanzania: 2 July 2013…crossing saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo Hut on Rongai Route

 

Cho Oyu (8,201m)

Himalayas, Tibet: 21 September 2004…descending from summit to Camp 2

 

Everest (8,850)m

Himalayas, Nepal: 31 May 2005…climbing Lhotse Face on the way to South Col...

 

Everest (8,850)m

Himalayas, Nepal: 31 May 2005…climbing Lhotse Face on the way to South Col

 

Mount Shinn (4,660m)

Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica: 16 January 2004…summit of Mount Shinn, 3rd highest peak in Antarctica

 

Kilimanjaro (5,895)m

Tanzania: 21 September 2008…view of glaciers of Kilimanjaro early on summit day

 

Everest (8,850)m

Himalayas, Nepal: 2nd June 2005…below south summit…

 

Cho Oyu (8,201m)

Himalayas, Tibet: 21 September 2004…view of Camp 2...

 

Ol Doinyo Lengai (3,188m)

Rift Valley, Tanzania: 1 October 2009…Sean Disney ascending to summit

 

Mount Meru (4,565)m

Tanzania: 11 October 2003…view of Kilimanjaro from Mount Meru

 

Ol Doinyo Lengai (3,188m)

Rift Valley, Tanzania: 1 October 2009…Matthew van Marken traversing crater rim of Africa’s only active volcano

 

Chimborazo (6,268)m

Ecuador: 6 July 2008…view on final ascent of Chimborazo

 

Ol Doinyo Lengai (3,188m)

Rift Valley, Tanzania: 1 October 2009…Sean Disney descending from summit...

 

Aconcagua (6962m)

Andes Mountains, Argentina : February 2003…moving up to Camp 1

 

La Leyenda del Dorado 2016

1
1

Introduction – Tony van Marken

Tony van Marken is a successful businessman and avid adventurer and has established a reputation as an outstanding motivational speaker. He has led or participated in over 40 high-altitude mountaineering expeditions on seven continents with over 80 summits around the world. He reached the summit of Everest via the South Col route on June 2nd, 2005, to complete his quest to become the first South African to climb the original Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each of the world’s seven continents.

Read More

Upcoming Expeditions

Mount Kenya 2025

Mount Kilimanjaro 2025

SPEAKING

By No Comments
 

Professional Speaking

Tony van Marken has established a reputation as an entertaining and inspiring motivational speaker. He uses unique video footage and photographs from over 30 expeditions to provide audiences with a powerful and inspiring audiovisual experience.

He uses his experiences on major climbing expeditions combined with his business acumen as an award winning entrepreneur, to discuss the common challenges in setting and exceeding extraordinary goals in business and in life. His presentations, “Everest Unplugged™” and “Leadership on the Edge™” are extremely popular with all audiences.

Everest Unplugged™” provides a unique audio-visual experience as Tony shares with audiences his journey to the summit during the 2005 Spring season on the South side of Everest. This presentation includes video and still footage of the largest avalanche seen on Everest in 50 years, ladder crossings in the Khumbu Icefall, traversing the Western Cwm, climbing the Lhotse face, life at the South Col and the final ascent of the South Summit, Hillary Step and true summit.

Tony shares his battle with the mountain, poor health and the worst weather seen on Everest for decades as he finally succeeds in summitting on June 2, 2005, at the time, the latest summit date in history for the pre-monsoon, climbing season on the south side of Everest.

Leadership on the Edge™”, leverages Tony’s experience as an award winning entrepreneur with the challenges of tackling large scale high altitude expedition climbing. Using powerful images and experiences from over 30 high altitude expeditions on seven continents, Tony looks at the lessons learned on the world’s great mountains and how they can be applied in a business context.

Tony has presented to audiences around the world including amongst others :

Assent Compliance, Investec Bank, Sanlam Investments (Glacier), Barnard Jacobs Mellett (BJM), Red Cross Children’s Hospital, Vox Telecom, DataPro, Liberty Life, Moores Rowland, Mondi Packaging, Pragma, Tiger Brands, Due South, Boschendal, Metier, African Bank, YPO (Cape Town Chapter), YPO University 2007 (Kyoto, Japan), Wilderness Safaris, The Walsingham Fund, TierOne OSS, Mvelaphanda Group, IQ Business Group, MoneyWeb Holdings, Ellerines, Chevron, Protea Hotel Group, Jurgens, IBN, PriMedia Group, the European Union (EU Brussells), the YPO President’s University 2011 (South Africa), Wyzetalk, Integr8it, Audi SA, Etisalat, BPeSA (BPO South Africa), Hubba, JibeStream, ScribbleLive, Acetech Ontario, Duke University, Sime Darby, Canadian ISP Summit, Yelp, Q4 Inc, ThinkData Works, Barometer Asset Management, Viafoura, RubiKloud, Extreme Venture Partners, Nuco Global and the Aga Kahn Time to Grow Conference (2019).

Tony van Marken has also served as a lecturer on Strategic Leadership in conjunction with the following business schools:

Oxford SAID Business School, United Kingdom
Duke University, USA
Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa

ABOUT

By No Comments
 

Background –  Tony van Marken

Tony van Marken is a successful businessman and avid adventurer and has established a reputation as an outstanding motivational speaker. He has led or participated in over 40 high-altitude mountaineering expeditions on seven continents and has climbed numerous classic peaks around the world with over 80 successful high altitude summits. He reached the summit of Everest via the South Col route on June 2nd, 2005, to complete his quest to become the first South African to climb the original Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each of the world’s seven continents.

In 2002, at the age of 37, Tony van Marken climbed Kilimanjaro, which ignited a passion to climb some of the world’s great mountains. In less than three years, on his first attempt, he climbed each of the world’s seven continental summits, namely; Everest (8,850m) in Asia, Vinson Massif (4,897m) in Antarctica, Mount McKinley (6,194m) in North America, Kilimanjaro (5,895m) in Africa, Mount Elbrus (5,642m) in Europe, Kosciusko  (2,228m) in Australia and Aconcagua (6,962m) in South America.

He has climbed sixteen 4,000m peaks in Europe including the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc (3x). He completed the first, South African ascent of Mount Shinn, the 3rd highest peak in Antarctica, and completed back-to-back ascents of Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring in New Zealand, a feat rarely achieved. He has also climbed the world’s sixth highest peak, Cho Oyu in Tibet at 8,201m.

Tony van Marken is a member of the American Alpine Club (AAC), Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA), Alpine Club of Canada, Himalayan Club and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).

Tony van Marken is also a marathon runner, road cyclist, mountain biker and certified open water diver (PADI). He has completed numerous standard and ultra marathons (2 x Two Oceans Ultra Marathon Finisher), as well as international road and mountain bike stage races including the Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race x2 (regarded as the Tour de France of mountain biking), the TransAndes Challenge (Patagonia, Chile) and the Legend of El Dorado (Colombia) x2, widely regarded as the “Everest of Mountain Biking”.

Tony van Marken has had a successful career as a venture capitalist, high-tech entrepreneur and management consultant, having worked in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and France.

Recognized as a leader in his field, Tony van Marken was honoured in 1998 as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and was awarded the 1996 Canadian Venture Capital Association’s (CVCA) Entrepreneur of the Year Award.