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Janesville native reaches summit of Everest

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Lori Schneider

Lori Schneider has climbed the tallest mountain in the world.

Schneider, 52, is a Janesville native who lives in Bayfield. She was trying to do what no one with multiple sclerosis has ever done before: Climb the highest peaks on seven continents. She had conquered six.

Now, it’s seven.

Schneider called her father, Neal Schneider of Janesville, from a satellite phone from the top of Mount Everest.

The connection was sporadic, but “I could tell by tone of her voice that she was really excited,” her father said about 10:15 Friday night.

“I just told her I’m happy and I’m glad she’s safe, and now we gotta get down. That’s not as easy as everybody thinks,” he added.

Schneider was his daughter’s climbing partner when they reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, in 1993.

Lori Schneider started climbing from the base camp in the middle of the night, which was Friday morning Central Daylight Time. It appears from initial reports that she reached the summit about 9:45 p.m. CDT.

Fewer than 25 percent of climbers reach the summit on their first attempt, according to a news release sent out by Schneider’s representative in Bayfield.

Schneider had been trying to reach the summit as close as possible to World MS Day, which is Wednesday.

“Schneider plans to continue her work as a motivational speaker, raising awareness of MS and helping people move beyond the fear and feelings of being limited,” according to a news release from her company, Empowerment Through Adventure.