He is the first American, and 12th person overall, to summit all fourteen mountains over 8000m (collectively known as the Eight-thousanders), and the 6th climber to do it without bottled oxygen. Viesturs also has summitted Mount Everest six times, a feat that, excluding sherpas, has only been surpassed by Pete Athans.

Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Viesturs moved to Seattle, Washington in 1977 to attend the University of Washington. It was here that he began his mountaineering career on the slopes of Mount Rainier. He eventually became a guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. and later obtained a degree in veterinary science from Washington State University.

Ed Viesturs was in the IMAX team during the 1996 Everest Disaster. Viesturs was the star of the Everest IMAX movie. Filming was delayed as the blizzard struck and the IMAX team postponed shooting to aid the stranded climbers; however, the IMAX team continued on, and they summited on May 23, 1996.

His interest in the Himalaya was sparked in high school by reading Maurice Herzog's account of the first climb of Annapurna. After climbing Kanchenjunga in 1989, Mount Everest in 1990, and K2 in 1992, Viesturs was able to become an international mountain guide and obtain sponsorship for full-time mountaineering. He continued climbing in the Himalaya, with his most recent climbs being Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat in 2003 and Mount Everest (sixth time) in 2004. He guides expeditions for New Zealand-based Adventure Consultants and currently resides in Bainbridge Island, Washington, just across Puget Sound from Seattle, Washington.