Kim Hess

Kim was born in the flatlands of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is not exactly something you would expect from an accomplished mountaineer and outdoor enthusiast. At the young age of five, her family relocated to Denver, Colorado, and that was where the adventurer was truly born. Growing up in the Rocky Mountains was the perfect playground for a young girl to unearth the courage to dream big, the confidence and self-worth to chase and defend a wild career, and the motivation and dedication to overcome any and all obstacles that stood in her way. When presented with the challenge of climbing the Seven Summits, the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents, she was all in – no matter how out of reach it felt.

Kim recently joined a small, exclusive group of adventure athletes in March of 2018 by completing the Seven Summits. The seven year road wasn’t easy as she conquered one mountain with a broken foot only to break her arm on the descent, managed to survive a 7.8 magnitude earthquake at 21,000 ft on her first Everest attempt, and championed her nearly 70-year-old parents to the summit of the small but mighty Kosciuszko in Australia. With the Seven Summits complete, she has decided there is no rest when chasing your dreams and has decided to take the challenge to the next level. Kim’s new mission is to become the youngest American woman to complete the Explorers Grand Slam – an adventure achievement comprised of climbing the Seven Summits as well as traversing to the North and South Poles. Of the 7 billion people on planet Earth, less than 60 have completed this adventure challenge and only 12 of those are women. Kim is vying to be lucky number 13.