With 19 successful summits of Mount Everest and a remarkable record of global mountaineering achievements, Kenton Cool is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading high-altitude guides. As a member of the elite IFMGA-certified mountain guides, Kenton offers an unparalleled level of expertise and personalized service. He works exclusively with individuals or in very small groups, delivering bespoke, high-end experiences that ensure both exceptional safety and unforgettable adventure.
Beyond the mountains, Kenton is a captivating keynote speaker, drawing on over two decades of leadership in some of the planet’s most extreme environments. His talks offer powerful insights into mindset, leadership, and building high-performing teams-lessons forged in the crucible of risk and resilience. Audiences leave his sessions inspired, motivated, and equipped to tackle their own challenges with confidence and clarity.
Kenton Cool is one of the world’s most accomplished high-altitude climbers, known for a series of historic firsts in mountaineering. He made history as the first person ever to complete the ‘Everest Triple Crown’-summiting Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse in one continuous push from base camp. He was also the first European to summit Everest 15 times and the first non-Asian climber to reach its peak twice in a single week. In 2012, Kenton was selected to fulfill a century-old Olympic promise, placing a 1924 Olympic Gold Medal on the summit of Everest just weeks before the London Games opened. He remains the only Briton to have skied down two 8,000-meter peaks and was nominated for the prestigious Piolet d’Or for a new route on Annapurna III.
Kenton’s passion for mountaineering was sparked by reading about the 1953 Everest ascent by Hillary and Norgay. While studying at university, he developed an obsession with rock climbing that eventually led him to Sheffield to pursue it more seriously. In 1996, a severe fall shattered both his heel bones. After a year of surgeries and rehabilitation, Kenton joined the British Mountain Guides scheme, determined to return stronger than ever.
Since then, he has climbed extensively around the globe, establishing new routes and completing first ascents in regions such as Alaska, France, and India. Today, Kenton lives in Gloucestershire with his wife, Jazz, and their two children, Saffron and Willoughby.
