7 climbers from historic all-Black expedition conquer Mount Everest, reaching new heights of achievement

History was made as the first all-Black team successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest in a pioneering journey.

“I am deeply honored to report that seven members of the Full Circle Everest team reached the summit on May 12. While a few members, including myself, did not summit, all members of the climb and Sherpa teams have safely returned to Base Camp where we will celebrate this historic moment!”
Team Leader, Phil Henderson

In addition to conquering the highest peak in the world, Full Circle, a group of 9 Black mountaineers led by Phil Henderson, aims to increase diversity in the outdoors.

Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas on the border between China and Nepal, is the highest mountain above sea level at 29,032 feet and attracts many alpinists. Each year, around 800 people attempt to climb this mountain but only a small number succeed due to the freezing temperatures and lack of oxygen at high altitudes. The "Death Zone," an area above 26,247 feet where the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere drops by 40%, is particularly treacherous and dozens of people die there each year. Despite the challenges, over 10,000 climbers have successfully reached the summit of Everest. However, as of 2020 only a small fraction of these climbers, fewer than 10, have been Black.

Meet the team

Phil Henderson - Colorado @phil_henderson

Thomas Moore - Denver @thomasdmoore

Rosemary Saal - Seattle @everywhere.rose

Manoah Ainuu - Bozeman @adreadedclimber

Fred Campbell - Seattle @fred_climbs

Eddie Taylor - Boulder @alldayeddie

Abby Dione - Ft. Lauderdale @playswithmountains

KG Kagambi - Kenya

Dom Mullens - New York @domthesoulifugid

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