Our Team

Founder & CEO

Oliver is a qualified Mountain Leader and the Founder of True Summit Adventures. He grew up in a small village in rural Hampshire, UK and started traveling extensively from his late teens, solo traveling through Mozambique in the aftermath of the civil war and flooding there when he was 18.

Oliver has competed in many marathons, duathlons and climbed many mountains of 4, 5 and 6000m including European Classics, Mont Blanc and Grand Paradiso, Andean Classics, Vallunaraju, Cotopaxi, Antisana and Chimborazo, Toubkal and Kilimanjaro in Africa, Lobuche East and Mera Peak in Nepal as well as touching Camp 3 on Mount Everest in Spring 2021, before becoming unwell with Covid19.

6 weeks after leaving hospital in Kathmandu he won the NOMAN, Barcelona to Ibiza rowing race in 93 hours and came second in the 2022 edition of the Talisker Atlantic Challenge in the 8th fastest time of all time.

Oliver believes it is important to have a dream. His dream is to climb an 8000'er without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support and to complete a cross continental cycle ride and then a grand climb like one of his heroes, Goran Kropp.

He lives in London, but is often found in the Lake District or Cairgngorms when not on expedition.

oliver@truesummitadventures.com

Tashi comes from one of the most preeminent families in mountaineering and expedition management in the world.  Tashi holds the record for the youngest person to climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen (in 2005 aged 19) and has been to the summit 10 times in total, while his brothers Mingma and Dawa have each climbed all 14 mountains above 8000m; the first Nepali's, and the first brothers to do so.   Tashi has also completed the Seven Summits and alongside his brothers became the first Nepali to ski to the South Pole.

In May 2023, his 17 year old son Nima became the youngest person to have completed the Everest and Lhotse double summit, having also become the youngest person to summit Manaslu the previous October.  Tashi is one of the best and most experienced expedition managers in Nepal, if not the nicest. His family also own Heli Everest, meaning their fleet of A-350 aircraft is always on hand and available to our clients.

Quito native Andres is one of the most experienced and talented IFMGA guides in South America and one of only a handful who hold the full certification, having done many ski seasons in Argentina, the US and France.

Andres was the  'Director Tecnico de la Escuela de Guias' between 2006 and 20012 where he remains an instructor and as such is responsible for developing the next generation of IFMGA guides in Ecuador and Bolivia.

A highly talented, multi-disciplined climber, he is equally at home on rock, ice, big wall and the climbing walls of Quito, but his real passion is high altitude ascents via new or difficult routes.

His best day in the mountains (so far) was on the fearsome Cayesh, 5721m in Peru, one of the most techincal mountains in South America.

Hailing from the famed climbing village of Phortse and bringing a wealth of experience and technical know-how, PK is a 9 times Everest summitter and is the son of a 14 times Everest summitter - climbing is in his DNA.

He has also climbed Cho Oyu 5 times, Ama Dablam 4 times and Lhotse once and is currently in the latter stages of gaining his IFMGA certification.

Phurkitar is one of the best trekking guides in Nepal and a master of looking after people on expedition.

Hailing from the famed Makalu region of Nepal, Phurkiter studied tourism and hospitality at university in Kathmandu before completing his guiding certification.

He has made the trek to EBC dozens of times and has been to the South Col, Mount Everest in 2019.

John is considered one of the best guides in Tanzania and one of the most experienced, with over 200 summits; many coming via the Western Breach, by far and away the most technical route on Kilimanjaro.

John has an impressive record of getting people to the summit. The oldest client he has guided to the summit to date was 78 years old while the youngest was just 9! 

John has an impeccable safety record, undergoes regular First Aid training and is highly experienced at recognising and treating the symptoms of AMS.  

John will no doubt impress you with his kind and professional manner, attention to detail and skill on the mountain. 

Arusha born, Lucia was one of the first female Head Guides to work on Kilimanjaro and is one of the most experienced. 

Lucia led our 2023/2024 New Year's Eve special to Kilimanjaro and impressed everyone with kind and patient approach to all members as well as her experience and knowledge. 

Lucia has been working the mountain for many years, starting as a porter, before qualifying as a guide and leading expeditions. She is a certified Wilderness First Responder.

Lucia lives in Arusha still, with her two children and is proud to be a trailblazer for female guides on Kilimanjaro.

Migmar is a 5 times Everest summitter who had the distinction of leading the rope setting team on the world’s highest peak in 2024.

"Dorchi" is an 8 times Everest sumitter who has also climbed Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world. 

In the summer of 2024 he will head to Pakistan to try to add to this tally of 8000m peaks climbed, with the mighty K2 his principal target.

Dorchi has climbed all the Khumbu 6000'ers multiple times, including Lobuche East 16 times and Island Peak a remarkable 29 times!

Dorchi led our 2024 expedition to Everest Basecamp and Island Peak where all guests reached the summit and were impressed with his leadership on the mountain and his kind and warm manner. 

Alejo is one of our senior Ecuadorean guides and one of the few guides there with the full IFMGA certification having done ski seasons in Chamonix, Barriloche and the USA. 

He also joins True Summit Adventures as one of the most experienced high altitude first responders in South America.

He has been climbing the high mountains in Ecuador since his early teens and when not guiding in Ecuador is regularly found in Argentina, Peru and Bolivia or trying to find some good ski mountaineering routes in Ecuador. 

Alejo has a wealth of stories about his adventure career and is one of the few people to have traveled the entire length of the Amazon river by sail boat.

 He lives in 'the valley' South of Quito and has one daughter.

Dinesh is one of the most promising up-and-coming climbers and guides in Nepal. Born and raised in the mythical Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar, Dinesh completed high school in the neighbouring village of Khumjung which was built by Sir Edmond Hilary in 1961. 

A graduate of the Khumbu Climbing Centre, Dinesh counts the legendary North Face athlete, Conrad Anker among his climbing partners and mentors.

Dinesh joined us for two treks to EBC, also climbing both Lobuche and Island Peak with TSA in 2024 and impressed everyone with his positivity, love of the mountains, attention to detail and technical proficiency. 

Dinesh has climbed both Island Peak and Lobuche East twice and is an Everest / multiple 8000m peak submitter in the making. We are sure you will like him as much as we do.

Quito native Camilo is one of the most liked and well respected guides in Ecuador and after spending a short amount of time in his company, it is easy to see why. 

His enthusiasm and sense of fun is infectious and he is a great addition to any expedition or team.

Camilo has been traveling and climbing as long as he can remember and this passion lead him to study tourism at University before completing the UIAGM International Mountain Guide Program.

He has been working as a guide in Ecuador and Peru since 2012, loves creating new adventure itineraries and climbing routes as well as helping people turn their climbing dreams into reality.

Camilo lives in Central Quito and has one daughter who he adores.

A proud Massai from Arusha, our Lead Assistant Guide Kennedy began working on Kilimanjaro as a teenager as a porter before attending Mweka Wildlife College and becoming a certified guide. 

He has now been working as guide on the mountain for 10-plus years, and has been to the summit more than 100 times.

Kennedy lives on his farm in Arusha with his wife and two children where he grows coffee, bananas and avocados.

28 year old Angkaji Shepra hails from Sankhuwa Sabha in Eastern Nepal, an area renowned for producing high altitude mountaineers of note. 

Fluent English speaker Angkaji started working in the mountain industry in his late teens, initially as a porter and now as an accredited trekking and climbing guide with a burgeoning CV that includes ascents of (the super technical) Ama Dablam (3 times), Island Peak (4 times), Lobuche Peak (3 times), Mera Peak (2 times), and Pokalde Peak (1 time). 

He has also been to Camp 4 on Mount Everest where he was forced to descend after his climbing partner suffered a serious injury.

Ankaji brings great experience and knowledge of the Khumbu region to True Summit Adventures along with a kind, conscientious yet determined manner.

He is married and lives in Kathamndu when not on expedition.

James is a certified Mountain Leader and talented multi-disciplinary climber whose Instagram handle 'thelaughyman' was born from the observation that he is always laughing and smiling.

But this cheery exterior belies a steely and determined interior which is possibly why Midlands native James upped sticks and moved to the North West to focus on his climbing career.

Now based in Scotland, James is an avid trad climber and mountaineer who loves long days out in the mountains.

Simply put, one of our favourite people in Nepal.

Kami Fura Sherpa hails from the famed village of Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region and started working in the mountain industry as a teenager, initially as a porter, a role that took him to the South Col (8000m) on Mount Everst, 5 times. 

Kami is one of the kindest and most fun people in the Khumbu with an unmatched sense of humor and flair for looking after people on expedition. 

Since becoming a guide he has climbed Mera Peak 14 times, Lobuche East twice, Island Peak 7 times and Thapa Peak once.

Fionn is Head of Endurance Cycling at TSA and a talented multi-disciplinary adventurer with a background in Sport and Exercise Science. Upon completion of his degree at the University of Limerick in 2016, he worked as a ‘sports scientist’ with a professional AFL team (West Coast Eagles) based in Perth before returning to Ireland to complete a Master of Science in Sports Performance; a stint in the high performance unit at Connacht Rugby Team as a ‘performance analyst’ followed. 

Fionn has competed in ocean rowing events, notably the NOMAN Barcelona to Ibiza race in July 2021 and in early 2023, is rowing the Atlantic Ocean from mainland Europe to South America in a world record attempt. 

As a mountaineer he has sumitted (unguided) European Classics, Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn, but his efforts as an endurance cyclist are perhaps his most impressive. He has cycled the length of Ireland and the UK, but in 2022 completed an unsupported, solo cycle from the Southern tip of Spain to Athens, covering 7000km in the process!