Always an outdoorsman, Martin M. Frey (BS ’83) grew up fishing with his dad. At age 10, with money earned from recycling newspaper, he bought a little sailboat—an interest that later became a passion. Following a successful business career, Frey signed up for Ironman triathlons and other adventure races before turning his attention to mountain climbing. While scaling Mt. Denali he made a goal of climbing the Seven Summits—comprising each continent’s highest peak. Once he’d accomplished that, Frey—with wife, Kym, and daughter, Lily—bought a yacht and began sailing the Seven Seas. On April 17, 2016, after 11 years, he became a world-record holder as the first person to conquer both feats.
Edit: Martin didn’t stop there. As of April 20, 2017, he and a small crew traversed a narrow ice bridge and crossed the last degree of the North Pole, joining the 56 athletes worldwide who have conquered the Seven Summits and reached both poles—the “Explorers Grand Slam.” Check out his Facebook page for the most recent updates.
