Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Gordon Woodworth, Chronicle News Editor
Hudson Falls native and world-class mountain climber Laurie (Combs) Normandeau is in Nepal, hiking to Mount Everest base camp to raise money for a trip next year when she hopes to reach the summit of the planet’s highest mountain.
Ms. Normandeau, 54, is a 1979 Hudson Falls High School graduate. Since 2004, she has climbed the highest peaks on five of the seven continents, all to raise money for cancer research in honor of friends and family.
She has raised more in excess of $70,000 for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, and hopes to raise $100,000 through her final two climbs: Mount Everest and Mount Vinson in Antarctica.
Climbing all seven summits is a rare feat. The website www.7summits.com says that only 347 people have ever done it. Of those, 108 are Americans, and 18 are American women.
“And none of them have ever done it for a goal like mine,” Ms. Normandeau said.
“Everest is unsettled right now due to last year’s tragedy,” she said before leaving for Nepal. She referred to a February 2014 avalanche that killed 19 Sherpa guides.
“Permitting, social and emotional tensions are high,” she said. “I’m climbing with a Sherpa company and they want to wait another year.
“This ‘Good Karma Trek’ is a fund-raiser for me,” she said, adding that she’ll need at least $65,000 for personal expedition expenses for her “Everest Climb to Fight Breast Cancer.”
On this trip, she said “I’ll be assistant lead for 12 others on a 21-day loop that goes to Everest Base Camp. I’ll get to view Mount Everest and get to know the area better.”
Honors Luzerne’s Hunter Scofield
Ms. Normanedeau will carry a “Hunter Forever” T-shirt with her to base camp, in memory of Hunter Scofield of Lake Luzerne, who was killed in a tragic rafting-bus accident last summer. A “Hoops for Hunter” scholarship fund has been started, and on Saturday, May 16 there will be a “Hike for Hunter” up Hadley Mountain.
“Gina Kipp, a teaching assistant at Hadley-Luzerne Central School, contacted me and said it would mean a lot to the kids if I could take a ‘Hoops for Hunter’ T-shirt to Everest with me. She told me Hunter was a huge part of the community and loved by so many…and so, I will!
“And to the students and basketball players at Hadley-Luzerne…thanks for the honor!”
Contacted for comment, Ms. Kipp said, “We hope to have business sponsors for the event, and individuals who will sponsor hikers,” she said. “We will hike to the summit and take a photo. Laurie will bring a ‘Hoops for Hunter’ T-shirt to Mount Everest and take a photo.
“Half of the proceeds will go to support Laurie’s climb, and the other half will go to the ‘Hoops for Hunter’ scholarship fund. The basketball team, the junior class at Hadley-Luzerne, and the faculty are all working together to make this happen.”
Ms. Normandeau is an outdoor recreation specialist for the City of Lakewood, Colorado. Her stepmother Jean Combs lives in Hudson Falls.
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