Ellen Miller, Woman Climbs Two Routes on Everest in One Year, Climbing Everest on MountainZone.com

Editor's Note: With no fanfare or media hype, Colorado-based climber Ellen Miller last spring achieved something quite rare: A second Everest summit within the span of one year, and by a new route — her previous summit, in May 2001, was reached via the Northeast Ridge via Tibet. Her remarkable story is one of focus and effort.

When Ellen Miller reached the summit of Everest last spring for the second time in a single year— by two different routes— her amazing accomplishment went virtually unnoticed. But for Miller, whose style tends to be more focused on effort than on media hype, that's just fine.

"I didn't seek publicity before I left for Everest," Miller told MountainZone.com, "even though I was confident I would make a strong effort. I just didn't want to set myself up for falling short. I know it's easy to make a mistake on Everest; I know many things are out of my control. So my style, when I get to a mountain, is to keep my head down, stay focused, and try to reach the goal at hand — the summit."

The 43-year-old Miller, who lives in Vail, Colorado, is a living inspiration for everyone who seeks a more interesting life. During the past five years, Miller has finished in the money in some of the world's toughest adventure races, set the previous women's world record for a high-altitude ski descent in the Himalaya (on Mustagh Ata), climbed in the Alps, the Himalaya, Alaska and South America, and reached the summit of Everest twice. Not bad for a former grocery story manager.

"I quit my job so I could start living and stop working," said Miller, who resigned her grocery store position in 1997. She had pursued mountaineering and adventure racing as a hobby for years before that milestone, but it was only after she focused primarily on those activities could she reach her goals.

"I wanted to start living more and working less, and I was able to leave full-time work because I know how to live simply," said Miller, who now gets by teaching at a local athletic club. "My lifestyle is manageable. And I knew I would have to leave my 'real' job if I wanted to excel in the areas that appealed to me."

Since then, Miller has participated in two Eco-Challenge races, many high-altitude marathons, and spent almost as much time in the mountains as she she has at home. But, from an impressive roster of accomplishments, her achievement on Everest last spring stands out.

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— Peter Potterfield, MountainZone.com Staff