Climber and adventurer David Liano didn't forget about his favorite football team when he summited Mount Everest for the sixth time.
Whether climbing mountains, piloting paragliders or sailing, one thing David Liano says he always takes with him is his love of the Seattle Seahawks.
The 36-year-old said he has at times found himself listening to Seahawks games while sailing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
On a most fitting date, May 12, Liano found the most creative way yet to express his enthusiasm for the team, proudly pulling out a Seahawks’ 12th man flag for a quick picture after summiting Mount Everest for the sixth time.
“It was something I’d been wanting to do for a long time,” said Liano, who lives in West Seattle when not out on various adventures (he works in the finance industry).
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Born in Mexico City, Liano said he first came to Seattle 12 years ago “to climb in the North Cascades. On that trip I fell in love with this city and I kept coming back often for climbing other peaks in the Cascades and Mount Rainier. Six years ago I decided to start spending more time in Seattle and I became a part-time resident.”
And, he says, a fulltime Seahawks fan.
He counts as his greatest Seahawks moment being in attendance for the NFC title game win over Green Bay in 2015.
“Definitely the most exciting game I’ve ever been to,” he said. “I feel very lucky to have been there. That’s my favorite Seahawks memory.”
Liano is well-known in the climbing community, having become in 2013 the first to double summit on Mount Everest — from Nepal and China — in the same season (actually doing so within eight days).
Liano’s attempt to climb Everest last year without supplemental oxygen was cancelled after the April 25 earthquake.
He said he went back this year in partnership with The Live Love Laugh Foundation based in India, to raise awareness about depression and mental health issues. The foundation was launched last year by Deepika Padukone, a famous Bollywood actress that went through depression and Liano said “this is a cause that I feel a personal connection with because it runs in my family. I summited again this year on May 12 and decided to use oxygen during the summit push to make sure I brought the Foundation’s banner all the way to the summit. That became my priority. But I also brought with me the 12th Man flag.”
You can learn more about Liano here.