The Mount Everest Foundation: Summits, Science and Survival

The mountains are changing around us. Glacier loss and increasing instability are making the work of exploratory mountaineers ever more hazardous and difficult, but the challenges are no less acute for those living in the valleys beneath these crumbling giants.

This year's Mount Everest Foundation lecture asks what the future holds for mountaineers and mountain communities, drawing on the experiences of young alpinists and pioneering mountain scientists.

George Ponsonby and James Price's ascent of Aikache Chhok (6673m) in Pakistan was hailed as one of the most impressive mountaineering achievements of 2025, a daring climb that pushed the pair to the limit over nine days on the mountain. As two climbers at the very start of their careers, they exemplify how a new generation is choosing to approach high altitude climbing.

Joining them on stage will be Professor Rachel Carr and Sonam Rinzin who will present their groundbreaking research on glacial lake outburst floods and the growing risks they pose to mountain communities. Drawing on their work in Bhutan, the pair will explain how remote villages might adapt to this growing threat.

Join us for an evening of inspiration and insight, pulled direct from the frontlines of mountain exploration.

The talk is being hosted by the Mount Everest Foundation (MEF), a charitable body which supports mountaineering and scientific exploration in the mountain regions of the world through the provision of grants to qualifying expeditions.

Rachel and Sonam's expeditions to Bhutan have received frequent grants from the MEF, while James and George's ascent was backed by the MEF's funding of the UK's Young Alpinist Group.

Proceeds from the sale of tickets will go towards the MEF's continuing work supporting mountaineers and early career scientists.

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Host or Publisher Mount Everest Foundation