Lopez Island Library presents its fourth program in its series “Beyond Limits” when Seattle-based trekking company Mountain Madness takes the stage on Saturday, April 22, at Lopez Center.

Mark Gunlogson, CEO of Mountain Madness will share his company’s incredible history of climbing and trekking, leading people to some of the wildest, remote and beautiful places in the world. This program features Mountain Madness but images on the LCCA’s big screen of the highest mountains in the world will steal the show.

Thirty-two years ago Mountain Madness was founded by renowned climber Scott Fischer who had summited the world’s most challenging peaks. He successfully summited without supplemental oxygen both Mt. Everest and K2 (Fischer and Ed Viesturs were the first Americans to summit K2 without supplemental oxygen) and was the first American to summit Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world.

In May of 1996, Fischer, along with seven other climbers, lost his life on Everest in a rogue storm. All people on his team summited and survived but Fischer died on his way down. The story was featured in Jon Krakauer’s best-selling book “Into Thin Air” read by many of the Lopez community.

Climber Christine Boskoff then became the owner and CEO of the company. Along with Fischer, she was among the elite of high altitude climbers around the world, a female minority in a male dominated sport. She successfully climbed six of the world’s fourteen 8,000 meter peaks. Under her management, the company continued to grow but in 2006 she and well-known climber Charlie Fowler died in an avalanche.

Today, CEO Mark Gunlogson manages the company continuing the legacy of these two original CEO’s, including the company’s well-known support of non-profits. For this Earth Day library event, Gunlogson will highlight their outreach programs which have included Himalayan and Tanzanian educational opportunities, Nepal Earthquake Relief, Preservation of the Sherpa Culture, Pack for a Purpose, Porter Assistance Project, Room to Read, CARE Kilimanjaro, Climb for Care, the Seattle Parks O2 program, Camp Long which provides climbing opportunities to under-served kids in the city and much much more.

Join the library as we welcome Mountain Madness and share the adventures of its climbing community and the majesty of this planet’s magnificent mountains. This program and the Beyond Limits series are generously presented by Friends of the Lopez Library and the Ramsey Shirk Fund. For more information contact Jen Krajack at the Lopez Library at 468-2265.