Bally Has Cleaned Up Nearly 2 Tons of Garbage From Mount Everest—And Its Efforts Are Far From Over

Brooke Bobb

Bally

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Bally</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Bally
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Bally</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Bally
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Bally</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Bally
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Bally</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Bally
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Bally</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Bally
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Bally</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Bally
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Bally</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Bally

On May 29th, 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first two people to successfully summit Mount Everest. Among his other gear, Norgay was wearing a pair of Bally Reindeer-Himalaya boots for the treacherous ascent. It’s now been several years since Bally celebrated the 60th anniversary of Norgay’s climb in those leather and shaved deer skin lace-up boots, but in 2019 the brand has pulled off another remarkable feat on the tallest mountain in the world. Earlier this spring, Norgay’s son Jamling joined a group of Bally representatives in a cleanup expedition in the “Death Zone” of Everest.

Led by Dawa Steven Sherpa, the cleanup effort the company’s calling the Peak Outlook Initiative took place above the mountain’s 8,000-meter mark, where the available oxygen is a quarter of what sustains the human body at sea level. Many have died there, hence the name. Just as alarming, as the number of Everest climbers grows (the current statistic is 800 per year), the mountain is becoming increasingly polluted with plastic, aluminum, and discarded climbing gear.

“Everest is dirtier than it has ever been,” says the younger Norgay. “This expedition is special because the cleaning efforts go beyond anyone else’s. Bally’s support allowed the cleanup efforts to reach the mountain peak, and it was also the first time that the base camp was completely clean at the end of the season.” In total, the Peak Outlook Initiative group removed nearly two tons of waste from the mountain, more than half of which was picked up from the Death Zone.

“The connection to Mount Everest is an integral part of Bally’s story,” says CEO Nicolas Girotto. “We have a responsibility to create purpose beyond profit, and Peak Outlook is really a catalyst to share our broader commitment to sustainability. We know we have a journey ahead, but it truly is the way of the future.”

Until the number of climbers is regulated—not likely in Nepal, where tourism dollars are so vital to the economy—Everest’s garbage problem won’t just go away, and it won’t clean up itself. To promote the project, Bally is releasing a certified organic cotton T-shirt printed with the words “No Mountain High Enough,” that will be available in stores and online for around $100, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to benefit future expeditions.

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Originally Appeared on Vogue