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About Kenton

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About Kenton Cool

With 18 Everest summits and a list of global mountaineering achievements, Kenton has built a reputation as one of the world’s most sought-after mountain guides. Being one of the global elite IFMGA guides, Kenton provides a guiding service that is second to none. Working largely on a one-to-one basis, or in very small groups, Kenton provides exclusive, high-end experiences to his clients. This means that you benefit from the full breadth of his expertise, and have his undivided focus to keep you as safe as possible. Find out more.

“His track record on Everest is the best of any leader”

Motivational Speaker

Kenton is a highly engaging and experienced keynote speaker. Drawing on over 20 years of leadership experience in some of the most hostile environments on earth, Kenton is able to speak with authority on topics such as Mindset, Leadership and Building High Performing Teams. Kenton leaves his audiences entertained and inspired to take on challenges with a positive mindset. Find out more about booking Kenton to speak at your event!

“Kenton can literally and metaphorically get your team to climb to new heights! An outstanding motivational speaker”

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Guiding Experience

  1. Guided Sir Ranulph Fiennes to the summit of Mount Everest and up the North Face of the Eiger (raising over £5m for Marie Curie Cancer Care & generating the most hits ever for their website).
  2. Guided Ben Fogle to the summit of Mount Everest.
  3. Guided Sam Branson as part of Virgin Strive Challenge.
  4. First British guide to successfully lead a client to the summit of K2.
  5. Successfully completed more than 44 expeditions.

Brand Campaign Experience

  1. Proved 3G is on the summit of Mt Everest for Samsung, and made the first 3G call and sent the first tweet from the summit of Mt Everest.
  2. In partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, launched the brand new Defender with the launch video shot in Kazakhstan.
  3. Delivered a successful ‘highest beer in the world’ campaign with Heineken.
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Mountaineering Experience

  1. First person in history to complete the ‘Everest Triple Crown’, the peaks of Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse in one continuous push from base camp.
  2. First European mountaineer to summit Mount Everest fifteen times.
  3. First non-Asian to summit Everest twice in one week.
  4. Selected to fulfil ‘The Olympic Games Pledge’ in 2012 (whereby a century-old promise made by Great Britain to Baron Pierre de Coubertin to place a 1924 Olympic Gold Medal on the Everest summit was completed four weeks before the London 2012 Opening Ceremony)
  5. Only Briton to have ever skied down two 8,000m mountains
  6. Nominated for the Piolet D’or (the climbing Oscars) for a route on Annapurna III

Background

Kenton was first introduced to mountaineering when he read about Hillary and Norgay’s 1953 ascent of Mount Everest. An obsession with rock climbing developed at university and, on graduating, Kenton moved to Sheffield to pursue this further.

In 1996 he suffered a fall from a rock face and shattered both heel bones. A year of surgery and therapy saw him become determined to regain his climbing form and he joined the British Mountain Guides scheme.

Since then, Kenton hasn’t looked back. He has climbed extensively all over the world – establishing new routes and first ascents on peaks in Alaska, France and India. In 2003, he was nominated for a Piolet d’Or award (the equivalent of the Oscars for mountaineers) for a route on Annapurna III.

Kenton lives in Gloucestershire with his wife Jazz and children Saffron and Willoughby.

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The core of Kenton’s mantra centres on the inspiration to achieve, and to summit. In everything Kenton has ever done he has always attempted to push himself to the very limits of what can be realised. From climbing Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse – the peaks that make up the Everest horseshoe – in one single continuous climb, to his 18 successful ascents of Everest, Kenton has always strived to place himself at that unique nexus where the rocks runs out and all that’s left ahead is boundless empty space. His motivation is relentless – he trains every day to fulfil his life’s potential in this way.

Kenton has always retained a love for the places around him and the many people he’s met along the road. The friendships he’s formed with Sherpas and clients have lasted decades; he considers many now his closest friends. On Everest, a mountain so completely steeped in the history of such a singleminded pursuit, the summit, Kenton has tried above all else to gaze wider and find his place amongst the great valleys and amongst the mountain people – to stretch out and connect with a world so immutably linked to the peak he loves.