Kenton Cool

Kenton Cool is a leading British high-altitude mountaineer and motivational speaker. Having successfully climbed Mount Everest twelve times, Kenton has led multiple expeditions including Sir Ranulph Fiennes' 2008 and 2009 expeditions. Cool has completed 21 successful expeditions in the Greater Ranges. In 2011, he successfully made the first 3G call at the summit of Mount Everest as well as the first social media update at the summit of Mount Everest.

More recently, in 2013, Kenton and his climbing partner became the first people to traverse Nuptse, Everest and Lhotse in a single expedition without returning to base camp. Kenton was schooled at John Hampden Grammar School and later obtained a place at the University of Leeds. He studied BSc Geological Sciences and graduated in 1994. First introduced to mountaineering at Scouts, his obsession developed during his time at the University of Leeds and on graduating, he moved to Sheffield to pursue this obsession further.

In 1996, Kenton suffered a fall from a rock face and shattered both of his heel bones. After a year of surgery and therapy, Kenton was more determined than ever to regain his climbing form and he joined the British Association of Mountain Guides scheme. Additionally, Kenton spends his time working as a Director of Dream Guides, A Chamonix-based mountain and ski guiding company.

A leading Alpine climber, Cool operates in the Alps and Greater Ranges of the Himalayas as a fully qualified IFMGA Guide and Expedition Leader. In 2003, Kenton was nominated alongside partners for the Piolet d'Or Award for a route on Annapurna III. Further along the line, in 2012, he made good on an Olympic pledge by taking one of the 1924 Olympic Gold Medals awarded to the 1922 British Everest Expedition to the summit of Everest. This prompted Lord Coe to personally thank Kenton, as well as his team for helping to 'kick start the 2012 Olympic Games'.