Bally Peak Outlook Foundation
The Bally Peak Outlook Foundation is on a mission to safeguard the world's fragile mountain habitats from the adverse effects of global warming and excessive tourism.
Raising global awareness around the critical issues threatening the future of these extreme landscapes, the Foundation empowers local communities to implement sustainable change through various initiatives, such as its recent partnership with Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) to launch the “Carry Me Back” program for trekkers to help recycle waste from Everest’s Khumjung Valley.
The Foundation was established in 2020 following a vast effort to clean Mount Everest (8,848.86m) from base camp to the peak in homage to the 29 May 1953 summit of the world’s tallest mountain by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary. To date, it is responsible for removing over 7.6 tons of waste from the Himalayas through various Sherpa-led expeditions, and is committed to annual cleanups of Everest Base Camp through 2030.
In 2022, the Foundation helped build flood barriers in Pheriche to prevent the devastating impact of floods and landslides; scholarships have also been provided to local Sherpa students for educational advancement and opportunity via the Tenzing Norgay Sherpa Foundation.
The Bally Peak Outlook Foundation honors Bally’s alpine origins and pioneering legacy since 1851. From sponsoring the 1956 Swiss Winter Olympics team and early 20th century expeditions with notable mountaineers including Raymond Lambert and Lionel Terray, to creating the Reindeer boots worn by Tenzing Norgay during the first-ever ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 with Sir Edmund Hillary, Bally has a deep reverence for the environment and outdoors.
Our Alpine Heritage
In Fall 2020, the Bally Peak Outlook Foundation began its “8x8000m” pledge to clean up the base camps of eight 8,000-meter Himalayan mountains. This 47-day expedition, led by Dawa Steven Sherpa, removed 2.2 tons of waste from the base camps of Cho Oyu (8,188m), Everest, Lhotse (8,516m) and Makalu (8,485m), while providing critical income for local communities who were devastated by the effects of the global pandemic. In 2021, teams cleaned up the base camps of Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Dhaulagiri (8,167m), Manaslu (8,156m), Annapurna (8,091m), as well as Everest for a third time.
8x8000m
The Bally Peak Outlook Foundation has built a broad coalition of global partners who have provided vital guidance and insights into its mountain preservation efforts. The Foundation has further expanded its programming beyond the Himalayas to support community-led initiatives and projects in alpine regions around the world, such as in Georgia and Tanzania, broadening its global impact.
The Foundation also sponsors the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, known as the UIAA, and its annual Mountain Protection Award, which leads global projects that improve the lives and conditions of mountain people and their communities.