HOW IT STARTED

I've had the privilege of climbing some of the highest mountains in the world and the communities that surround these natural wonders have left a lasting impact on me.​ Unfortunately, I've also seen the impact that climate change and overtourism are leaving on these mountains and communities, heightening the risk profile of an already risk-ridden sport.​

 

I found myself witnessing first-hand the dangers of high-altitude climbing and struggling to reconcile how, in other contexts, we manage similar problems very differently. For example, my first consulting project was an oil and gas digital transformation where we leveraged emerging technology to make work more efficient, effective, and safer. Instead of putting engineers in risky situations to conduct refinery maintenance, we started sending drones and using internet of things to fix machinery before it broke down.​ In contrast, sherpas and guides risk their lives every year by going blind into the most dangerous parts of the south face to map and maintain routes.

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The deficit of tech solutions, infrastructure, and adoption in mountaineering puts lives at risk. So we asked ourselves, 'what if we did something about it?'

 

Shortly after, Safest Summit was born, a tech startup making high-altitude climbing safer through digital innovation. Since then, we've been climbing high, thinking big, and helping people like you reach your safest summit.

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But as any mountaineer will know, the journey is often more impactful than the destination. While saving lives is our priority, we’re passionate about doing so in a way that helps countries in the Himalayas and beyond stabilize their economic growth by developing new capabilities and infrastructure.

 

Read more about our 10 in 10 goals here.​

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Trevor Thomas, Founder & Executive Director