User:GuoLuoZhin/Héctor Ponce de León

Héctor Ponce de León (Mexico City, b. 19??), is a climber, mountain guide, and expeditionary.

History
He has been mountaineering since he was 10 years old (first ascent to Popocatepetl at the age of 12) and climbing since he was 16.

He has participated in expeditions to the most important mountain ranges in the world: the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile; the Himalayas in Tibet and Nepal; the Karakorum in Pakistan and China; the Rocky Mountains in Canada; the Alps in Switzerland, France and Italy; and the Atlas in Morocco.

He has reached the summits of several mountains in these ranges. Among others are: Everest (3 times), Aconcagua (25 times), Ama Dablam (3 times), Gasherbrum I and II, Broad Peak, Cho Oyu, Alpamayo, Huayna Potosi, Illimani, Cotopaxi volcano, Chimborazo volcano, Huascaran, Artesonraju, El Nevado Pisco, Tocllaraju, Imja Tse, Kilimanjaro (5 times), among others.

As a mountain guide he has worked for world renowned companies (Mountain Madness, Jagged Globe, Altitude Junkies) guiding in Mexico, the Andes, the Himalayas and the Karakorum. In 2002 he became the first and only Mexican to successfully guide on Everest.

He has also worked as a cameraman in the recording of documentaries for various media.

He is a pioneer of ascents with a cause in Mexico, through his company Ponce de León Expediciones para Fundaciones. These projects have resulted in the production of documentaries in Mexico, "Un paso una Cumbre" with breast cancer survivors, "Descubre tus Sentidos" with Fundación Ojos que Sienten, leading the ascent of Iztaccihuatl for blind people and "Asciende Kilimanjaro" raising funds for the reconstruction of a poor woman with Fundación Alma.

Hector continues to be a high performance athlete and a world-class mountaineer. Among his latest great achievements are: "Desde Cero" a world first, making it from sea level to the 5,700 masl summit of Pico de Orizaba in 15 hours and 22 minutes of continuous effort; the opening of a new route ("No Somos Nada") of 500 meters on the south face of Pico Oeste, in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru.

Finally, through his company he offers motivational conferences and leadership programs capitalizing this unique perspective that he has developed in problem solving, decision making and high performance standing out as a world class mountaineer, high performance athlete and facing high risk situations.