Kenton Cool : Only Foreigner With 19 Summits of Mt. Everest
Some people find their calling in boardrooms or classrooms. Kenton Cool found his at 29,000 feet above sea level, where the air is thin and the margin for error is thinner.
Born in 1973 in Slough, England about as far from the world’s highest peaks as you can get Cool has become one of world most accomplished mountaineers, holding the record for most Everest summits by a non-Nepali climber with 19 ascents.
But his story isn’t just about numbers. It’s about a man who turned a childhood love of the outdoors into a life-defining passion, who overcame career-threatening injuries, and who has used his platform to advocate for the mountains and people he holds dear.
The Humble Beginning
Cool’s journey began in the most ordinary way possible. As a teenager in London, he joined the Scouts and was introduced to hillwalking. “I grew up in London where there are no mountains at all,” he reflects, “which just goes to show that you don’t necessarily need an ace gene or have amazing circumstances to do amazing things.”
Those weekend Scout trips set off something in the young Cool. He found himself drawn to the steepest trails and most challenging routes, always pushing a little further than his peers.
At university in Leeds, where he studied geology, this fascination transformed into an obsession with rock climbing. The academic knowledge of how mountains formed combined with the physical challenge of scaling them created a perfect storm of passion.
His first real taste of expedition climbing came at 19, when he and some friends scraped together £550 each for a seven-week trip to Pakistan.
The expedition was a masterclass in Murphy’s Lawalmost everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Cool was sick for most of the trip, they failed on their main objective, and their shoestring budget meant constant improvisation.
Yet they managed two new routes and repeated a third, spending time with local goat herders and experiencing a culture vastly different from their own.
“It was amazing and set me up well for future trips,” Cool says of that formative experience. The expedition taught him that the mountains weren’t just about the climbing they were about the people, the culture, and the profound connection between human ambition and natural grandeur.
When Everything Changed
In 1996, Cool’s mountaineering career nearly ended before it truly began. A serious fall shattered both his heel bones, and doctors weren’t sure he’d ever walk normally again, let alone climb. For a year, he endured surgery after surgery, followed by grueling rehabilitation.
But adversity often reveals character, and Cool’s response to this setback defined the rest of his career. Instead of accepting limitations, he used the forced break to join the British Mountain Guides scheme. When he returned to climbing, it was with a deeper appreciation for the risks involved and a more professional approach to managing them.
The injury taught him something critical every day on the mountain is a gift, not a guarantee. This perspective would later influence not just how he climbed, but how he guided others and advocated for responsible mountaineering.
Finding Home on Everest
Cool first summited Everest in 2004, and something clicked. It wasn’t just the achievement though standing on top of the world certainly provided an indescribable rush. It was Nepal itself: the people, the culture, the entire ecosystem that makes high-altitude climbing possible.
“I first went there for commercial reasons,” he admits, “and while I still operate as a guide on the mountain, my love for the place has grown through personal reasons. Missing a season would be a very hard thing to do. It’s not so much Everest, rather Nepal as a whole country. I really do think I’m totally in love with the people, culture and country.”
Kenton Cool
This love affair with Nepal and its mountains has taken Cool to Everest’s summit 19 times, most recently in May 2025. Each trip deepens his connection to the place and its people, particularly the Sherpa community who make expeditions possible.
The Sherpa Connection
Cool’s relationship with the Sherpa community goes far beyond the typical client-guide relationship. He speaks with genuine reverence about their abilities and generosity
“As a westerner, I can’t compete with Sherpas. They are so special, they are so strong, they are so loving and generous. To spend time in mess tent, eat dal bhat, to chat with them, to be part of the Sherpa community that’s probably my favorite part of the Mount Everest expedition.”
When asked about chasing records set by Sherpa climbers like Kamirita, who has summited 31 times, Cool is quick to put things in perspective “Kamirita is not stopping anytime soon. He is gonna hit 35-36. As a westerner, I can’t compete with Sherpas.”
This humility and respect have earned Cool genuine friendships that have lasted decades. Many of the Sherpas he first climbed with are now among his closest friends, and these relationships have given him insights into mountain culture that few Western climbers achieve.
Beyond the Summit
Cool’s mountaineering resume extends far beyond Everest. In 2013, he achieved what many considered impossible: the “Everest Triple Crown,” climbing Nuptse, Everest, and Lhotse in a single continuous push without returning to base camp. The feat required extraordinary physical and mental strength at extreme altitude.
He’s also the only Briton to ski down two 8,000-meter peaks, has completed the Seven Summits, and has established new routes around the world. In 2003, his work on Annapurna III’s southwest ridge earned him a nomination for the Piolet d’Or—the climbing world’s equivalent of an Oscar.
When asked about his most memorable expedition, Cool doesn’t choose one of his record-breaking achievements. Instead, he points to that same Annapurna III climb: “It was simple, successful and life changing.”
His guiding work has been equally impressive. He led Sir Ranulph Fiennes to the summit of Everest and became the first British guide to successfully lead a client up the Eiger’s North Face. He’s guided Ben Fogle and Sam Branson, and was the first British guide to lead a client to the summit of K2.
The Changing Mountains
Cool’s multiple visits to the same peaks have given him a front-row seat to climate change’s impact on high-altitude environments. The changes he’s witnessed are both dramatic and disturbing.
“In Everest, when I first summited in 2004, the icefall has changed a lot. We now climb on dry rocks which I never did before. There is a lot of running water, which a few years ago would be frozen,” he explains. “In Camp 2, there are rivers and streams now which were never seen 20 years ago. The mountain unfortunately is changing, but not in the good way.”
Kenton Cool
The Khumbu glacier is retreating at an alarming rate, and Cool doesn’t mince words about what he’s seeing: “I am sad, it’s really shocking. The mountain is changing but not in the good way.”
In the Alps, the situation is even more dire. “Global warming is in full swing in the Alps. While the global temperature is already up beyond 1.5 degrees, there are studies showing the Alps are already up by more than 4 degrees,” he warns.
A Voice for the Mountains
These observations have transformed Cool into a passionate advocate for environmental responsibility. He’s committed to carbon neutrality, follows a plant-based diet, and uses his platform to promote sustainable mountaineering practices.
His message is both urgent and practical “For those who will comment this is the normal process and not man-made, you overlook that a change process also has the factor of speed. And studies clearly show that the speed today is crazy compared to climate change processes in the past. And if you don’t believe studies, get your butt off the couch and explore the mountains on your own. Then you will see what is going on.”
Cool advocates for a lighter, less-supported approach to high-altitude climbing, emphasizing personal skills over technological solutions. It’s not just about reducing environmental impact—it’s about maintaining the essential spirit of mountaineering.
The Philosophy of the Summit
At its core, Cool’s approach to mountaineering is about human connection and personal growth. “Climbing totally defined my life and I feel enriched for that,” he says. “It’s such a great sport to be part of in fact, it’s definitely more of a way of life than a sport.”
He sees climbing as uniquely diverse, with each climb presenting different challenges and opportunities. But what makes it special for him are “the places I have traveled to and the people I have met.”
When people ask why he keeps returning to Everest why climb the same mountain 19 times his answer is simple: “Why wouldn’t I climb Everest 19 times? I love it. I love the people, I love the mountains, I love the country, I love the culture. It’s a beautiful place to come and climb. People say you climbed 19 times, is it not getting boring? No, it doesn’t get boring because it is so special.”
Living on the Edge
Cool’s philosophy extends beyond the mountains to how he approaches life itself. “You’ve got to challenge yourself and make sure you don’t just sit within that comfort zone. Try new things, try different things, because if you don’t do that then you stagnate and become mediocre. And no one wants to be just mediocre!”
This drive to push boundaries has taken him from a London teenager with no mountain experience to the top of the world 19 times. But perhaps more importantly, it’s given him a platform to advocate for the places and people he loves, and to inspire others to find their own extraordinary in what might seem ordinary circumstances.
Today, Cool continues to guide, climb, and speak about his experiences. He works with Climbers Against Cancer as an ambassador, combining his passion for climbing with charitable work. At home in Gloucestershire with his wife Jazz and children Saffron and Willoughby, he continues training daily, always preparing for the next adventure.
For Kenton Cool, the summit isn’t the end it’s just another beginning. In his own words: “There’s something pretty cool about sitting on top of a mountain. And when that mountain is Everest, that’s about the coolest feeling you can have in terms of climbing.”
But the real magic, he’s learned, lies in everything that gets you there the friendships built in thin air, the cultures encountered, the personal limits pushed, and the responsibility to protect the places that have given him so much. In finding his home at the top of the world, Cool has become not just a record holder, but a guardian of the mountains he loves.
