After Dinner SpeakersKenton Cool is one of the world’s foremost high-altitude climbers. A professional mountain leader, a performance coach, and a highly engaging speaker.
Kenton holds the record for non-Sherpa summits of Everest, having summited the world’s highest mountain an astonishing 18 times.
He has climbed extensively worldwide, establishing new routes and making first ascents on peaks in Alaska, Europe, and India.
His 18th summit in May 2024 confirmed Kenton’s status as the world’s most successful high-altitude mountaineer and elite IFMGA mountain guide.
It marks a far cry from Kenton’s early climbing career, which was jeopardised when he “failed to defy gravity” during a climbing accident in Wales, which broke both his heels and legs.
Kenton says of the accident: “I was in hospital for four weeks, then spent four months in a wheelchair. The doctor told me I would never walk again without using a cane and certainly wouldn’t climb. I didn’t want to stop being part of the climbing community; I was determined to prove him wrong. So, I learned to walk again – I was so scared of failure, having purpose and being part of something felt far more significant than resigning myself to the prognosis.”
Kenton Cool mountaineer achievements include:
- Record holder for non-sherpa summits of Everest, having summited the mountain 18 times between 2004 and 2024.
- The first person in history to complete the ‘Everest Triple Crown’ – the peaks of Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse in one continuous push from Everest base camp.
- The first non-Asian to summit Everest twice in one week.
- The only Briton to have skied two 8,000m mountains.
- The first British IFMGA guide to lead a client to the summit of K2.
Furthermore, Lord Sebastian Coe credited Kenton for ‘single-handedly kicking off the 2012 Olympics’ when Kenton fulfilled an 88-year-old pledge to take a Gold medal from the 1924 Olympic games to the top of Everest.
Broadcaster and adventurer Ben Fogle (guided by Kenton to the summit of Everest in 2018) adds: “Kenton Cool is one of the all-time greats. His climbing record speaks volumes about his ability, dedication, and skill. I couldn’t have climbed Everest without him. To climb Everest once was a trial – to climb it 18 times is simply heroic.”
Kenton Cool Everest Speaker
Kenton is an energetic keynote speaker, making him the perfect choice to inspire during a kick-off meeting, entertain as an after-dinner speaker, or motivate during a conference.
Known as ‘The Everest Leader’, with survival as the ultimate goal, Kenton Cool calls the shots, making time and safety-critical decisions that others are unwilling or unable to make. Alongside this, as the person aiming to fulfil the lifelong summit dreams of others, he is the consummate service provider – “It’s far easier to take risks and succeed if you have a safety net. Kenton is that safety net”. A strong advocate of elevating safety levels via a bold and collaborative approach to an ascent, Kenton’s unique style on the mountain has seen unrivalled summit and commercial successes for more than 15 years.
“Stepping into dangerous environments compels us to change the lens through which we view our existence and our survival. We think more broadly and creatively, we operate with more confidence and certainty, we don’t waste time. Crucially, it allows us to develop pathways and approaches that previously were unfamiliar to us. This invaluable mindset should not solely live at the top of a mountain; the far-reaching gains translate to other operational environments”.
Kenton has the rare ability to encourage individuals and teams to move beyond their perceived ‘tolerance level’, whether in a storm on the higher reaches of Mount Everest, testing their very survival, or in a professional environment where the goal might be streamlined productivity, results-driven collaboration, or elevated commercial success.
For Kenton, the setting is simply the context, and success comes from ‘flawless execution’. His motivation is relentless, and Kenton’s ability to push boundaries in mountaineering is legendary. Now, he is pushing others to achieve their own new levels.
Popular speaking themes include:
- Overcoming adversity in hostile environments.
- Striving to attain a goal.
- Critical decision-making in the ‘death zone’
- Teamwork
- Leadership under pressure
Kenton draws on his lived experience in the mountains and aligns it with relatable challenges we face every day.
Kenton Cool lives with his wife, Jazz, and two children in the Cotswolds, UK. He follows a plant-based diet and is carbon neutral, underlining his commitment to the future of our planet.
