Kenton Cool

Cool was born in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) in 1973. His family surname was originally Kuhle and was changed during the Second World War by his half-German grandfather. His father was a photographer and his mother a florist, and the family home was near to Uxbridge, in Middlesex. He was schooled at John Hampden Grammar School in High Wycombe, and later obtained a place at the University of Leeds. Cool graduated from the University of Leeds in 1994 after studying BSc Geological Sciences. Cool was first introduced to mountaineering at Scouts. An obsession with rock climbing developed at Leeds University and, on graduating, he moved to Sheffield to pursue this further. In 1996, he suffered a fall from a rock face near Llanberis Pass in north Wales with calcaneal fractures of both heel bones; he was told by a specialist that "the chances are you will walk with a stick for the rest of your life." A year of surgery and therapy saw him determined to regain his climbing form, and he joined the British Association of Mountain Guides scheme. In his twenties he did not want to be a guide so worked at "industrial roped access" on tall buildings (four months on the Millennium Dome). He then guided for Jagged Globe, and then co-founded 'Adventure Base' which is now an established worldwide adventure company. In 2004 when he first met Ranulph Fiennes he had not completed his guiding qualifications for the Alps, although he had been guiding in Nepal and Everest, the UK and Alaska for years. Cool married in 2008 and now lives in the village of Bibury in Gloucestershire in the UK. Regarding the danger of mountaineering and the many friends he has lost in the sport, he has said: "It's completely unstylish to get stuffed in the mountains... I want to die with my feet up in front of the fire drinking a glass of red wine aged about 95." This prompted Lord Coe to personally thank Cool and his team for helping "kick start the 2012 Olympic Games". Cool was made an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Leeds in July 2018. ==Expedition career==

at the peak of Mount Everest in 2015 Cool is considered one of the UK's top mountain and ski expedition leaders, having made several ascents of hard routes with clients, including the first British guided ascent of the north face of the Eiger in 2007 with polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, then in his sixties, who was initially afraid of heights. In May 2008, Cool and Fiennes attempted to summit Mount Everest but Fiennes turned back 300m from the top. In 2009, Cool returned to Everest and successfully led Fiennes to the top, making Cool the most successful British Expedition Leader on the mountain. In May 2013 Cool along with climbing partner Dorje Gylgen attained the Everest Triple Crown. In the space of just seven days and without returning to Base Camp, he climbed the three mountains that make up the Everest Horseshoe – Nuptse (7,864 metres), Everest (8,850 metres) and Lhotse (8,516 metres). This was a feat many thought to be impossible, due to the amount of time spent at high altitude and the effect this has on the human body. As an Expedition Leader, Cool has completed over 40 successful expeditions in the Greater Ranges. On Everest he holds the highest success rate of any mountain guide. He has personally reached the summit of Everest 19 times; in May 2007 he reached the summit twice in one week. In October 2006 he was the first British person to complete a ski descent of an 8,000-metre peak, on Cho Oyu in Nepal, the 6th highest mountain in the world. In the autumn of 2010 Cool made the third-ever ski descent of Manaslu in Nepal, the world's 8th highest mountain. In doing so he became one of only a few people worldwide to ski multiple 8000 metre peaks. In January 2015, Cool reached the summit of Everest for an 11th time. At the top, he held a flag for the Principality of Sealand at the top to symbolize his support for the micronation. On 12 May 2016 Kenton, at 42, was joined by two Sherpas and another Briton, Robert Lucas, on the summit of the world's highest peak. The Britons were also the first foreign climbers to reach the 8,850 metre (29,035 ft) peak in two years, after a group of Sherpa guides fixing ropes got to the top on Wednesday 11 May. On 15 May 2022 Cool achieved his record-breaking 16th Everest summit, the most climbs by any non-Sherpa. Cool was wearing a hand painted protective lid by British contemporary artist Teddy McDonald. Cool broke his own Mount Everest record three more times: in May 2023, May 2024 and most recently on 18 May 2025, reaching the summit for the 19th time. ==Major climbing routes==

As part of the Eiger expedition in 2007, ITN set up a simulcast at the foot of the mountain, allowing Cool, Fiennes and Parnell to broadcast live from the mountain face and straight into the ITN News studio. Their summit attempt was broadcast on each live news section for five days. A further one-hour documentary of the successful climb was aired on BBC Four and The Discovery Channel. As part of his 2007 Everest expedition, Cool took part in filming for the five-part BBC Television documentary Everest ER. As well as providing extensive interview material for the documentary, Cool was also given specialist high-altitude camera equipment to capture footage high on the mountain, including summit footage. Everest ER followed Cool's expedition as it unfolded, which included his double summit in one week. The programme was aired over five weeks on BBC1. ==Charitable activity==

In March 2007, Cool was part of a three-man team (with Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Ian Parnell) to raise funds for the Marie Curie Eiger Challenge Appeal. A successful ascent of the north face of the Eiger raised £1.8 million for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity. In May 2009, Cool and Fiennes raised a further £2.6 million for the charity as part of the Everest Challenge Appeal, Cool unfurling Marie Curie flag on the mountain's summit. Annually, Cool provides a series of speaking events for the Royal Geographical Society and various outdoor clothing manufacturers and retailers, as well as giving keynote speeches at corporate conferences. He has also been invited to sit on specialist panels. At these events, he heavily supports and promotes Porters Progress, a foundation set up to support the mountain-portering community in Nepal. Porters Progress is now part of the dZi Foundation. ==Personal life==

In 2008 Cool married Jazz Black, whom he had met in Chamonix, France. They were married in Fairford, Gloucestershire and have lived there and in Bibury, also in Gloucestershire. They have two children. == Everest summits ==

• 15 May 2004 • 31 May 2005 • 17 May 2006 • 17 May 2007 • 17 May 2010 • 6 May 2011 • 25 May 2012 • 19 May 2013 • 16 May 2018 • 16 May 2019 • 11 May 2021 • 14 or 15 May 2022 • 17 May 2023 • 12 May 2024 • 18 May 2025 == Other eight-thousanders summits ==

• Manaslu 30 September 2010 • Lhotse 20 May 2013 • Lhotse 12 May 2021 • K2 28 July 2021 ==See also==