Questions with Kenton Cool: Everest 20th Summit Attempt | Ellis Brigham

Duration: 7:30 1061 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Kenton Cool, an experienced mountain guide preparing for his 20th Everest expedition, highlights significant changes on the mountain since he first climbed in 2004, primarily driven by climate change and industry evolution. The effects of global warming are visibly altering the environment through receding glaciers that expose more bare rock within the Khumbu Icefall rather than just retreating at their snouts. Concurrently, the support system has transformed dramatically with Sherpas becoming fitter, technically skilled, and better equipped thanks to modern technology. This technological advancement extends beyond gear to include real-time weather forecasting via Wi-Fi and Starlink setups, which allows teams to make informed decisions while ascending, alongside a massive improvement in base camp logistics where celebrity chefs now prepare high-quality meals for climbers. Cool's personal approach to climbing has also shifted from leading large groups of five or six clients over eight to ten weeks to offering bespoke expeditions tailored specifically to individual client skill sets and experience levels. This customized strategy allows teams to streamline the process without cutting corners, enabling a door-to-door expedition duration that can be as short as four to five weeks when utilizing standardized acclimatization profiles rather than traditional multiple rotations or sleeping at Camp Three. The industry has similarly adapted its understanding of how quickly humans acclimate, moving away from older methods described in classic mountaineering books toward more efficient schedules that leverage current scientific insights into physiological adaptation on the mountain. A major topic of discussion is a proposed Nepalese regulation requiring future Everest climbers to first ascend a 7,000-meter peak before attempting the summit, which Cool views as a double-edged sword. On one hand, he acknowledges the logic behind this rule, noting that it would encourage extended tourism stays in Nepal and bring greater economic benefits to the country and Sherpa communities by ensuring climbers gain necessary experience elsewhere first. However, on the other hand, Cool expresses disappointment because mountaineering has historically been a sport free of such restrictive rules where individuals could approach challenges their own way without being forced into specific training circuits like climbing peaks in Pakistan or Argentina just for regulatory compliance. He believes that while gaining prior experience is essential and positive, mandating it through government law feels contrary to the spirit of adventure that defines mountaineering as an open pursuit available to everyone. When reflecting on his two decades of ascents, Cool notes that while every climb holds unique memories, the first summit remains permanently ingrained in memory due to its historic significance for a new climber. Despite the passage of time and numerous successful expeditions, he finds it difficult to single out one specific ascent as standing above all others because each journey possesses distinct qualities shaped by changing conditions on the mountain. Ultimately, his perspective balances pride in his extensive experience with an awareness that the nature of Everest climbing is evolving rapidly due to environmental pressures and regulatory shifts, yet the core requirement remains a positive mindset matched by appropriate skills regardless of how methods change over time.

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So, I'm Kenton Cool, Everest climber and mountain guide, and here I'm answering a number of short questions about my upcoming Everest expedition. This will be my 20th expedition, so if anybody knows something about that mountain, it's probably me. Oh my goodness, changes on the mountain since 2004, they are numerous. So, I suppose first and foremost, we got to look at the effect of climate change, because that is real. And we can see it on receding glaciers, we can see it on the level of the glacier, not just the glacial snout, which is receding, but the actual level of the glacier itself. And the Khumbu Icefall, that colossal river of ice that cascades down the mountain, in the last 10 years or so, there are there is more and more visible bare rock in the glacial area. So, they they are distinct effects of climate change, but the industry itself has also significantly changed. And what do we mean by that? Well, the understanding and level of support from the Sherpas has just gone through the roof. The Sherpas today have a better understanding of the mountain, they are fitter, they have better technical uh skill, and they are generally much better equipped than they were perhaps 20 years ago. They got modern equipment, which is fantastic to see. Technology has changed, and by technology, I mean specifically weather forecasting, and the fact that we can get weather forecasts really easily through Wi-Fi setup, and even today a Starlink setup, so we can get real-time uh weather forecast coming in even as we're climbing the mountain. The food, the base camp setup, these have all exponentially got better. Even 10 years ago, I would have said the food on Everest was average at best. Now, everybody looks forward to breakfast, lunch, and evening meals. We have, you know, almost celebrity chefs coming to base camp cooking for the teams. It is absolutely fantastic. But, the mountain itself has not significantly changed. You still need need to go there with a positive mindset and a skill set to match that mountain. My own approach to climbing Everest has changed since when I was first there in 2004, but I think the general industry has changed equally as much. So, if we look at my own approach, back in 2004, we would go to Nepal for 8 to 10 weeks. I used to work in relatively large groups of perhaps five or six clients. Whereas, today, I work in a much more bespoke manner. I work with just a single client, and I build the expedition around that client's skill set and experience. This means that we can streamline an expedition. We do not cut corners. We streamline it. And today, an Everest expedition without prior acclimatization, without using Xenon gas, or any of those hacks that you may have read about in the press, using a a very standardized acclimatization profile, an Everest expedition today is a mere four to five weeks door-to-door. So, it's that bespoke aspect. That's the significant change which has come to my approach. But, the industry, as I mentioned, has also changed. Instead of using perhaps three or four rotations, sleeping at camp three, or even going all the way to the South Col, which you read in some of the books. Today, teams understand that acclimatization generally happens a lot quicker than we thought it did. And because of that, expeditions have significantly changed in their approach. So, recently in the news, there was a lot of press around future Everest clients or climbers having to to ascend a 7,000-m peak in Nepal. Now, this is a bit of a double-headed sword. I mean, first and foremost, I don't think that's going to become a law anytime soon. And it's a little bit complicated. I won't go into the nuances right now, but I think it's going to be at least 18 months before that might become a law. But, let's assume that it does come into effect. What does it mean? Well, it's quite clever by the Nepalese government because what it's going to do is going to encourage further tourism to Nepal, which is going to be fantastic for the country and for the Sherpa people. So, instead of just doing a single expedition to to Nepal to climb Everest, the climber now has to do it at least two full-on expeditions. So, bringing his or her tourist spend, expedition spend to Nepal. However, it does pain me a little bit because uh my background is as an amateur climber that came into being a mountain guide. And I fully believe that mountaineering should be free of rules and regulations as much as possible. So, although I think it's a good idea because it means that the the climate needs to show experience before going to Everest and that's a good thing. But at the same time to be forced to climb a 7,000 m peak in the pool, that tugs up tugs at my heartstrings a little bit because that's a rule and regulation. And mountaineering is one of these few sports which is still open to everybody and you can approach it in your own way. So my own view on it is ultimately I think it's a good thing. I'm a little bit little bit disappointed that it has to be a 7,000 m peak in the pool because you could go to Pakistan, you could go to Argentina and gain the same sort of experience, but I understand the reason why. And then on the other hand, as I said earlier, mountaineering should be available to everybody without rules and regulations. So that does bring a slight tear to my eye. It's a complicated issue. I don't think it's going to come into force anytime soon, but I think at least the Nepalese government is thinking along the right lines. Wow, 20 ascents of that mountain. Do any stand out? Well, I suppose the first one does. When you first climb to the summit of the world, that is ingrained on your memory forever. But each and every ascent has been special and unique in its own way. So it's very hard to just pull out a single expedition and say this is the standout one.