Esteban 'Topo' Mena

Black Diamond Global Athlete

ESTEBAN 'TOPO' MENA

Passionate mountaineer. Topo discovered climbing in the Andes of Ecuador where he was born. At age 14 as a disciplinary measure in school he was punished by having to participate in the activities organized by the school´s mountaineering club. The punishment quickly became an obsession, and all the struggles in the big mountains transformed into the masters that have shaped Topo´s life. Since the beginning of his career, high altitude has set the pulse of his path in the sport. Certified Internationally as a Mountain Guide, Topo has led expeditions to the highest summits; in his personal climbing life he has participated in grade VI first ascents in the Himalayas and in the Tien Shan, unsupported ascents without supplementary oxygen of 8000m peaks (including Mount Everest in 2013 at age 23 during his first expedition to the mountain), and numerous ascents pursuing difficulty or speed in his beloved Andes, or in the Himalayas, Karakorum, Alps, Tien Shan, Pamirs and Antarctica.

I have given everything to the mountains, and in return, they taught me that service to others is the path to self revolution

—Esteban Topo Mena

TOPO'S GEAR PICKS

MOUNTAINEERING ESSENTIALS

Topo's essential gear and apparel

No Color

Z4 Camalot
€95,00 - €100,00
€95,00 EUR €95,00
Black
Black
White
Octane
Envy Green
Pewter

Vapor Helmet
€130,00 EUR
€130,00 EUR €130,00
No Color

Ultralight Ice Screw
€90,00 - €93,00
€90,00 EUR €90,00
No Color
No Color

White Gold Loose Chalk 200 g
€10,00 EUR
€10,00 EUR €10,00
Black
Black
Astral Blue

Crag Gloves
€25,00 EUR
€25,00 EUR €25,00
No Color
No Color

Vaporlock Screwgate Carabiner
€16,00 EUR
€16,00 EUR €16,00
Beeswax
Best Seller
Beeswax
Black

Guide Gloves
€160,00 EUR
€160,00 EUR €160,00

TOPO IN THE NEWS

National Geographic: She’s reached the highest peaks on Earth. Now, mountaineer Carla Pérez wants to empower everyone.

Climbing, she says, allows for an “exploration of your body, of your limits, of the possibilities that you have.” She’s working to ensure people with disabilities have the chance to experience it.

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Carla Perez: ‘Altitude Stops the Moment You Switch on the O2’

The Ecuadorian admits that she only begins to struggle on no-O2 climbs above 8,300m — which is why she wants to do all five peaks above that altitude.

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Men's Journal: Carla Perez on Becoming the First Woman From the Americas to Climb Everest and K2 Without Supplemental Oxygen

When Carla Perez stood on K2’s 28,251-foot summit, she became the first woman from the Americas to climb both K2 and Everest without supplemental oxygen.

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