Richard Bass facts for kids

Richard Daniel "Dick" Bass (born December 21, 1929 – died July 26, 2015) was an American businessman, rancher, and mountaineer. He owned the Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah. He was also the first person to climb the "Seven Summits". These are the tallest mountains on each of the world's seven continents.

In 1985, at age 55, he successfully climbed Mount Everest. This made him the oldest person at that time to reach the top of Everest. He climbed with David Breashears and a Nepalese sherpa named Ang Phurba. His record was later broken in 1993.

Early Life and Education

Richard Bass was born on December 21, 1929, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, Harry W. Bass, Sr., was a co-founder of successful oil and gas companies. Richard moved with his family to Texas in 1932.

Bass went to Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas. At 16, he started studying at Yale University. He graduated in 1950 with a degree in geology. After more studies at the University of Texas, Bass served two years in the U.S. Navy. He was on an aircraft carrier called the USS Essex during the Korean War.

His Business Career

After his time in the Navy, Bass returned to Texas in 1953. He joined his family's oil and gas businesses and helped manage their ranches. He owned several ranches in Central Texas.

In the 1960s, Bass invested in the Vail ski resort in Vail, Colorado. He also built a very large private home there. Later, he invited President Gerald Ford and his family to stay there. This home became known as the "Winter White House" during Ford's time as president.

In 1971, Bass opened the Snowbird ski resort in Utah with another investor, Ted Johnson. Bass was the only owner of Snowbird until he sold his share in 2014.

Mountaineering Adventures

Richard Bass and his friend Frank Wells (who later became president of The Walt Disney Company) decided to take on a huge challenge. They wanted to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. This became known as the Seven Summits Challenge.

The mountains they aimed to climb were:

• Denali (in North America)
• Aconcagua (in South America)
• Mount Elbrus (in Europe)
• Mount Kilimanjaro (in Africa)
• Vinson Massif (in Antarctica)
• Mount Kosciuszko (in Australia)
• Mount Everest (in Asia)

Bass and Wells successfully climbed all but Mount Everest on their first tries. On his third attempt, Bass reached the top of Everest on April 30, 1985. This meant he had completed the Seven Summits feat! Frank Wells decided not to try Everest again.

Bass later wrote a book called Seven Summits about his amazing achievement. The list of mountains Bass climbed is known as the "Bass List." There is another common list called the "Messner List," which names Carstensz Pyramid as the highest peak in Oceania instead of Kosciuszko.

Some people, like author Jon Krakauer, believe that Bass's climb of Mount Everest helped start a new era for climbing. This was a time when guided trips became very popular. It allowed people with less climbing experience to pay a lot of money to try and climb Everest.

Personal Life

Richard Bass was married three times. His first marriage was to Rita Crocker Clements. After they divorced, he married Marian Martin, and that marriage also ended. He then married Alice Worsham. He had two sons, Jim and Richard Jr. (also known as Dan), and twin daughters, Bonnie Bass Smith and Barbara Bass Moroney.

Death

Richard Bass passed away on July 26, 2015, in Dallas, Texas. He died from a lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. His funeral was held in Dallas on July 31, 2015.

See also

In Spanish: Richard Bass para niños