Pete Athans
Alpine Climber
Pete’s name has been synonymous with the exploration of Mt. Everest for nearly three decades. He’s led numerous expeditions on the world’s highest mountain and has summited a record-setting seven times. However, Everest is just one of Pete’s many accomplishments.
He’s a strong advocate of Sherpa culture and has documented their talents in books, periodicals, films and presentations. As the Director of the Khumbu Climbing Center, he works to improve the competence, safety and professionalism of all Nepalese high-altitude climbers. He’s also a board member of the Himalayan Cataract Project, which treats cataract patients in Nepal. Pete and his family helped establish the “Magic Yeti Library” project to support bi-lingual libraries in six villages of the Everest region and in the restricted, mythical Kingdom of Upper Mustang in North Western Nepal. Currently, he’s working to rebuild Nepal after the devastating earthquakes in 2015 and the Nepalese government awarded him “Good Will Ambassador” status for his post-earthquake efforts.
- 16 expeditions in 18 years to the Mt. Everest massif; seven summits of the peak
- Speed ascent Mt. Ama Dablam, Nepal
- Alpine Style ascent of Cho Oyu, Nepal
- First snowboarding descent of Pumori Peak, Nepal
- Awarded National Science Foundation recognition and funding for continuing research in Nepal’s remote and fascinating region of Mustang in 2015.
- Philanthropist with several projects in Nepal including The Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation, The Khumbu Climbing Center, The Juniper Fund, and the Himalayan Cataract Project.