2025 EVEREST PILOT
WHAT?
In partnership with Furtenbach Expeditions, Safest Summit will join a guided Everest expedition in April to test 2 of our IoT prototypes: connected ladders and smart oxygen tanks.
WHY?
We're not leaving Nepal until we achieve three outcomes:
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Data collected on solution fidelity
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Insights gleaned to inform product roadmaps and go-to-market plans
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Acute risk reduction for 2025 Everest climbers on south face
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Life-long memories and friends made along the way
...ok, maybe four outcomes.
HOW?
It all starts with the ice falls.
THE PLAN
Nearly 60% of all sherpa deaths on Everest happened in the Khumbu Ice Falls, the most dangerous segment of the south route. The ground shifts 1-5 meters a day here, making falling rock and ice a constant threat. It’s critical for everyone to make good decisions and move quickly for this reason. However, this instability also frequently compromises ladder systems and climbing infrastructure, unbeknownst to climbing groups until they are well into their trek. Our solution equips the ladder systems with IoT sensors that notify guides and sherpas of route fidelity so they can proactively maintain climbing infrastructure and fix things before they break.
In April, we're going to set up at least three of our connected ladders in the ice falls. But that's not all. After the ice falls, we've got our sights set on camp 3 and the summit.
Upon interviewing several leading expedition outfits, we heard that poor oxygen logistics account for nearly 90% of deaths in our “controllables” category. Further discussions revealed two main causes: first, leaky tanks.
The only way to check tank fullness today is by attaching a regulator with a manual pressure gage – not a problem if you've only got a handful of tanks, but very time consuming when you're managing 800+. The second cause, believe it or not, is theft. One guide shared how, on one of the final mornings before his team's summit push, he woke up to discover 100 of his group's oxygen tanks went missing in the night. Our solution uses IoT sensors to report oxygen tank location and pressure to guides in real-time through the Safest Summit app. There's even a one-click feature to notify authorities at EBC if a tank goes missing.
We're asking a group of early adopters download and use the Safest Summit app this April as we equip a sample of oxygen systems with our smart tank solution to see how it all comes together.
But what exactly does that mean?
WHAT ARE WE TESTING?
Easy – it's two things, really.
First, we're testing how well the solution architecture achieves our target outcomes.
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Hardware Durability: Do the sensors, gateways, batteries, and supporting installation frameworks withstand the harsh weather on the mountain?
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Sensor Fidelity: Do our A/B tests suggest one manufacturer or design over another?
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Analytics Accuracy & Precision: Do our algorithms consistently crunch the numbers right or are there opportunities to improve?
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Connectivity Strength: How well do our gateways and signal aggregators offer an internet connection to our devices?
WHAT'S NEXT?
The 2025 Everest Pilot will inform our product development roadmaps for the rest of the calendar year and help us to go to market with a small handful of solutions in 2026.
Buckle up!