FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 28, 2021 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
Forest Hills resident hopes to make
history hiking world’s tallest mountains
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Patricia Alcivar of Forest Hills
is a professional boxer, runner
and athlete who fell in love with
the mountains and is now looking
to set a new world record:
becoming the fi rst Latina from
Queens to conquer the seven
summits, which are the highest
peaks in each of the world’s continents.
Alcivar has already reached the
top of three major mountains:
Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet
above sea level) in Tanzania;
Mount Elbrus (18,510 feet) in
Russia; and Argentina’s Mount
Aconcagua (22,841 feet).
In June, she’s looking forward
to scaling Mount Denali
(20,310 feet) in Alaska. Th en,
she will set her sights on Mount
Vinson (16,056) in Antarctica;
Carstensz Pyramid (16,024 feet)
in Indonesia; and the legendary
Mount Everest (29,029 feet) in
the Himalayas.
According to Alcivar, Denali
National Parks grants 1,000 permits
per climbing season, and
only 1 percent of permits are
given to women.
“I have fi ve months left of
training and am going to do my
absolute best,” Alcivar said. “So
very little women go to Denali
— it’s one of the mountains in
the world where you have to
carry and pull your own equipment.
I will be pulling about 50
to 70 pounds on the sled and
another 60 to 70 pounds in my
backpack, pulling more than my
body weight.”
If Alcivar, the daughter of
Colombian immigrants, completes
this goal, she will be the
fi rst Queens resident and fi rst
Latina to have climbed all of the
peaks, also known as “Hitting
the Explorers Grand Slam,”
which is considered to be hiking’s
biggest achievement.
About 350 people have topped
the seven summits. Th e fi rst person
to complete this major challenge
was Richard Bass, who
owned Utah’s Snowbird resort,
in April 1985.
In 2016, Alcivar signed up for
her very fi rst mountain expedition
in Ecuador aft er successfully
summiting Mount Superior in
Utah, her fi rst introduction to
alpine climbing.
“My self confi dence was boosted
and everything in the past
didn’t matter at the moment. I
was defi nitely a little nervous
and a little winded since it was
my fi rst time being in a high
altitude, but we did it,” Alcivar
said. “It wasn’t easy, but through
the challenge and beauty of the
mountain, that defi nitely helped
motivate me to go to the very
end.”
Aft er experiencing an amazing
feeling and a rush of adrenaline
during her fi rst climb, Alcivar
decided to take it to the highest
level possible aft er researching
the seven summits and launched
her project, Climbing for a
Dream of Seven Summits.
Aside from mountaineering,
Alcivar practices martial arts,
runs marathons, completes triathlons,
competes in adventure
races, stars in fi tness commercials
and works as an EMT.
“To me, my whole life has been
a huge challenge. Th e things I’ve
accomplished so far are things
I’m not supposed to,” said
Alcivar, who has been on her
own since the age of 15.
At the age of 10, Alcivar’s
father was removed from their
home. Feeling as though she
was drowning from the memories
of her father, Alcivar decided
to leave home, although her
mother did her best to support
her four daughters. Alcivar had
struggled to stand out and fi t
in amongst her sisters and family.
She was living in a small
rented room in someone’s home,
working aft er school at a sneaker
store.
However, Alcivar’s fears, challenges,
dreams and faith kept her
strong and safe on the right path
to graduating high school with
honors. She ran her fi rst marathon
at the age of 16 and though
it was a wonderful accomplishment,
she felt there was so much
more to do.
Aft er completing her fi rst marathon,
Alcivar was committed to
running every year in remembrance
of her struggles and
everything she endured during
her fi rst run. So far, she has completed
27 marathons, including
two Boston Marathons.
During her youth, the twotime
Golden Gloves champion
boxed fi rst as an amateur
and then professionally with the
nickname “Boom Boom.” Her
record as a pro is 8-4 with three
knockouts in the Flyweight and
Super Flyweight categories.
Alcivar is the fi rst female athlete
to win Athlete of the Year
by the USA Olympic Boxing
Committee aft er winning the
fi rst USA Women’s Boxing
Nationals in 1997. As a former
professional boxer, she won
her fi rst New York state title in
2013.
Part of her attraction to
extreme sports is related to boxing,
said Alcivar, who works as
a bilingual program coordinator
for LatinaSHARE, a national
organization dedicated to helping
women aff ected by breast,
ovarian or uterine cancer.
“In both cases, it’s you against
a tough opponent, and you have
to fi nd your inner strength to
survive. I’m not a millionaire or
super athlete, but I believe that I
was blessed with an indomitable
spirit, and I love the challenge,”
Alcivar said. “Plus, I really want
to inspire other women to chase
their dreams.”
In preparation for her upcoming
hike in June, Alcivar wakes
up at 4 a.m. seven days a week
training in her backyard and
at Forest Park at the Olympicsized
track and fi eld, hiking trails
and steps. On the weekends,
she continues her training in
the Catskills and Adirondacks,
wearing heavy duty equipment
as she hikes eight to 12 hours.
“I train really hard and people
ask, ‘what’s my incentive?’
Completing this goal is my
incentive,’” Alcivar said.
Aft er the completion of her
seven summit project, Alcivar
says she hopes to build a foundation
for women of all ages
and to help educate them about
the beauty and healing powers
of nature.
“Th at’s part of the reason why
I climb. Th e mountains are pure
and for someone like me going
through a rough background,
the mountains are challenging,
healing and beautiful and
it brings out the absolute best in
me,” Alcivar said.
While the trips are expensive,
Alcivar is hoping that a
Queens-based business will
sponsor her to defray the costs.
Mountaineers usually reserve a
spot on their targeted mountains
at least a year in advance.
For Alcivar, it would be an
honor to represent Queens.
“It totally defi es the odds
for someone living at sea level
and climbing these mountains
and I defi nitely need the support,”
Alcivar said. “Just to climb
Mount Everest is super expensive,
and I can’t do it on my own.”
To help Alcivar reach her
goal, email climbingforadream@
gmail.com.
buzz
Courtesy of Patricia Alcivar
Forest Hills resident Patricia Alcivar at the top of Mount Elbrus in Russia.
Courtesy of Alcivar
Alcivar is the fi rst female athlete to win Athlete of the Year by the USA Olympic
Boxing Committee after winning the fi rst USA Women’s Boxing Nationals in
1997.
/gmail.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
