On top of the world

From the jagged cliffs of the East Coast Trail to the 3,000-metre Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, John Furneaux, 28, has continually pushed his limits by climbing rock faces, skiing remote hills, and trekking for days in places few people can even get to.

On Sunday, the St. John's native who now calls Squamish, B.C., home ran out of higher mountains to chase when he reached the top of Everest after days of climbing.

His mother, Karen Murphy of St. John's, couldn't help but smile as she talked about her son Tuesday. Furneaux, who is still out of reach of communication in the mountains, had been driven to take on some of the most daunting features in nature since he was a young boy, she said.

That he would eventually summit Everest isn't a shock for her.

"We used to climb White Hills every week," she said. "John just loved it."

She taught him to ski at an early age, she said. That progressed to water skiing, with Furneaux falling repeatedly at first.

It was then that her son showed glimpses of the dogged determination it took to climb Everest, she said.

"He would always try it again and he'd be in tears, basically. And finally, he'd get it," she said.

When Furneaux was 16, he left for Squamish and the Rockies to make outdoor guiding his life.

There, he developed as a mountain climber earning a certificates and a reputation that led him to co-guiding the recent Everest expedition with Brian Jones, owner of Canada West Mountain School, and their team.

"Squamish is the place for anybody who is involved in this kind of a lifestyle," said Murphy.

While she admitted her son's career choice is one that can cause a mother some worry, she said she just puts the risk involved out of her mind.

"In what he wants to do there's definitely a risk factor," she said.

"A lot of people would say, 'My God, you're not going to make it.' But I said 'John, it's your dream. You'll do it.'"

Sometimes, when Furneaux is on a remote climb or adventure skiing in B.C., all she'll get is a short e-mail, simply saying "Mom, I'm all right." That's enough to ease her mind, she said.

While Murphy was celebrating her son's achievement, so were two noted former local politicians - Furneaux's grandfather, former St. John's mayor John Murphy, and Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie, whose wife is related to Furneaux.

"We're elated," said John Murphy. "He really always had his eye on the highest (peak)," he said.

Murphy said even the preparation is rigorous, with Furneaux doing multiple climbs to get used to low oxygen levels and building muscle before the expedition.

"This has been his lifelong ambition," he said.

"And, of course, it has been a good career. He's made a career of it, he has a licence and he's well-known leader in mountain climbing."

Murphy said he hasn't yet heard from Furneaux, but when he finally sees him at home for a visit, it'll be a cause for a celebration.

"When he gets settled away and comes home here, we'll certainly have a party with him."

Crosbie said the news of Furneaux's success has him on a high.

"He's a terrific outdoor athlete," he said.

Furneaux and his team were expected back at the Everest base camp Tuesday.

emclean@thetelegram.com

pamela: - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:33:43

This young man is to be commended, as this is indeed quite a feat, to say the least!! His family must be very proud !!

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Bruce: - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:23:50

A Newfoundlander reaches the highest place on Earth, Congratulations a job well done! You make us all proud. There something about Newfoundlanders that make them suited to extreme conditions. I wonder does our weather have anything to do with that.
Cheers!

heather: - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:22:35

this is a fantastic achievement by this young man i hope we have a big celebration when he comes home to see his family.

TA: - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:21:34

I wrote earlier today to congratulate John Furneaux on his accomplishment of standing on the highest place on earth. It takes years of dedication to stand on top of the world. And some luck of course. Al Hancock (whose name I misspelled in my earlier post was climbing on my team last year, and I believe became the first Newfoundlander to summit Mount Everest. What feats-we've had Newfoundlanders summit the world's highest mountain, two years running...whose knows for 2009!

RON: - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:13:01

Congratulations John on your reaching
the summit.All your hard work has paid off.Most of us can only dream of acheiving something like that.Being born on the rock i know how proud you must be.We are a special breed,no matter what we do we can be sucessful.take care.RON

Ken: - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:09:48

Excellent for him to scale the heights! It's a fantastic accomplishment. T. A. Loeffler came close last year; now John Furneaux has made it. Well done.