Richard Daniel "Dick" Bass (December 21, 1929 – July 26, 2015) was an American businessman, rancher and mountaineer. He was the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah and the first man to climb the "Seven Summits", the tallest mountain on each continent. In 1985, he became the oldest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, aged 55. He climbed with David Breashears and Nepalese sherpa Ang Phurba, surpassing the record by five years set in April of that year by Englishman Chris Bonington. Bass's record stood until 1993 when it was broken by 60-year-old Ramon Blanco. Early life Richard Bass was born on December 21, 1929, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, Harry W. Bass, Sr., was a co-founder of the Goliad Corporation and the Goliad Oil and Gas Corporation. He had a brother, Harry W. Bass, Jr. Bass moved with his family to Texas in 1932. Bass was educated at Texas Country Day School and then the Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas. He enrolled at Yale University at 16 and graduated in 1950 with a degree in geology. After completing some graduate work at the University of Texas, Bass served two years with the U.S. Navy on board the aircraft carrier during the Korean War. Career Bass returned to Texas in 1953 to join in the running of the family oil and gas business and ranching operations. He was the owner of ranches in Central Texas. During the 1960s, Bass invested $10,000 in the development of the ski resort in Vail, Colorado. He also built the largest private residence in Vail, later inviting President Gerald Ford to winter there with his family. The home became the Winter White House during his Presidency. He served on the Board of Directors of Vail Associates, Inc. from 1966 to 1971. Bass opened the Snowbird ski resort in Utah with investor Ted Johnson in 1971; he was its sole proprietor until he sold his stake in May 2014. Mountaineering Together with Frank Wells, future president of The Walt Disney Company, Bass decided to pursue the adventure challenge of summiting the highest mountain on each of the seven continents: Denali (Mount McKinley, at the time), North America; Aconcagua, South America; Mount Elbrus, Europe; Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa; Vinson Massif, Antarctica; Mount Kosciuszko, Australia; and Mount Everest, Asia. This became known as the Seven Summits Challenge. The pair successfully completed all but Everest,