Dick Bass, the co-founder of Snowbird Ski Resort and the first man to complete the 7 Summits, has died at age 85. “In 1971, Bass opened the Snowbird Ski Resort. He became prominent in the industry due to his self-proclaimed “blanket curiosity, nonstop verbosity and hyper-enthusiasm.”
On April 30, 1985 Bass became the first man in the world to summit each of the highest mountains on all seven continents. At the time, he was also the oldest person to have climbed Mt. Everest.
Press Release Courtesy of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
Snowbird, Utah – Richard Daniel “Dick” Bass, the first person to climb the highest point on each of the seven continents, passed away Sunday, July 26, 2015 at the age of 85 surrounded by family in Dallas, Texas.
Born Dec. 21, 1929 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bass completed the “Seven Summits” at age 55 in 1985 when he summited Mt. Everest on his fourth attempt with guide and lifelong friend David Breashears. Bass co-founded Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in 1971 with Ted Johnson and maintained sole ownership of the Utah resort for four decades until the Bass family sold majority interest in Snowbird to Ian Cumming in May 2014. Bass suffered from pulmonary fibrosis.
“The Snowbird family is mourning the loss of a great man who changed so many of our lives for the better,” said Snowbird President Bob Bonar, who worked for Bass since before the resort opened
Bass is survived by wife Alice, four children and 13 grandchildren as well as five stephchildren and 11 step grandchildren.
