In the new lists department, American Rob Lea says he has become the first person to swim the Oceans Seven — seven notoriously difficult channel crossings around the world — and climb the Seven Summits. Well, almost the Seven Summits.
The project has taken the former triathlete 17 years. This week, he completed his last swim by crossing Japan’s Tsuguru Strait, the 40-45km channel between Honshu and Hokkaido. Fighting cold water, strong currents, and distance, Lea’s impressive swim took him 11 hours and 44 minutes.
Lea after his swim across the Tsugura Strait. Marathon swimmers can’t wear wetsuits but often coat themselves with lanolin for a little cold-water insulation. Photo: Caroline Gleich
As in all his previous swims, Lea did not wear a wetsuit, which — unlike in triathlons — is not permitted in marathon swimming. Dealing with cold is considered part of the challenge. Many marathon swimmers fatten up to insulate themselves against water temperatures that can dip to 16˚C or colder. Lea himself deliberately packed on nine kilos for cold-water resistance. Olympic swimmers may be faster, but can’t handle such temperatures.
Former triathlete
Lea had hoped to become a professional triathlete — he was an age group record holder for the half Ironman — when a series of injuries in 2012 cut short his running career. By then, he had already summited Aconcagua and Denali. Looking for new challenges, he devised his own triathlon in 2019: swimming the English Channel, climbing Everest, and cycling across the United States, all within six months.
Lea trains for Everest. Photo: Caroline Gleich
Lea contacted ExplorersWeb about his current project two months ago, pointing out he had done all the swims except the Tsugura Strait and all the peaks except one, Elbrus. Since it lies in Russia, he said, it is difficult for a U.S. climber in the current political climate, and he mentioned that he was considering doing Mont Blanc instead.
“Given the current security situation for American citizens in Russia (State Department Level 4 advisory, explicit warning against climbing Elbrus), I’m evaluating whether to complete the project with Mont Blanc…or delay until Elbrus is feasible…for an American climber,” he wrote us.
A stretch
Mont Blanc is the highest peak in Western Europe but it is a stretch to try to make a case that it is the highest in Europe. But that seems to be what he has decided to do.
“We recognize Mont Blanc over Elbrus for several reasons,” wrote his partner, Caroline Gleich, on Instagram earlier this year, “the biggest one being that under the Kuma-Manych geographical convention, the Caucasus actually sits in Asia…”
If you look up “Seven Summits” on Wikipedia, you can find seven versions of the highest peak on each continent to choose from. Dick Bass, arguably recognized as the first to complete the Seven Summits, chose Kosciuszko, the highest peak on the Australian mainland. Nowadays, Carstenz Pyramid/Puncak Jaya, the highest peak in Oceania and the only technical climb among the Seven Summits, is almost always considered the seventh. Lea, in fact, did do Puncak Jaya, so he chose the harder one. Likewise, few of the hundreds of Seven Summiters do Mont Blanc instead of Elbrus.
It’s too bad that they have decided to make this Mont Blanc claim, because the swims (and Everest) were by far the hardest part. Three years ago, when we last covered the Oceans Seven challenge, a mere 24 people had completed all the swims. Presumably, no competitor is nipping at Lea’s heels to become the first to complete this so-called Double Seven.
Elbrus not off limits
Most importantly, Elbrus — a walk-up, involving a ski lift partway — is not as off-limits as Lea feared in his email to us. Westerners are, in fact, still climbing the mountain. Madison Mountaineering led a party of Americans to the summit a few days ago.
“It’s okay for Americans to travel here, as long as we are in compliance with local Russian regulations and the sanctions that the U.S. has imposed on us,” Garrett Madison told ExplorersWeb. According to the Madison Mountaineering website, their next climb of Elbrus is in July 2027.
Sometimes politics does come in the way of adventure, especially if you are doing lists. Those who are working on the 14×8,000’ers can’t finish until China reopens Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma. Many long-distance journeys have gaps because of closed borders or conflict zones. Puncak Jaya itself is in a politically unstable area, and would-be Seven Summiters can’t go on their own as they did in the 1980s; they must operate through a local outfitter and fly both to and from the mountain to avoid potential trouble.
We reached out to Lea earlier this week to ask whether he has any plans for Elbrus in the future. So far, we have not heard back.
