“Don’t wait until it’s too late to do what matters most.”
– Robert Alt, Founder of PROFOUND CLIMBING™
Welcome
PROFOUND CLIMBING™ is a methodology developed by Robert Alt that applies not only to high-altitude expeditions, but also to the endeavors of anyone who commits to self-improvement through personal growth, hard work, individual and team achievement, establishing community and camaraderie, embracing the unknown, unpleasant, and uncertain, exploring the natural world in both its beauty and harshness, and transforming the impossible into the completed triumphs that make this “one wild and precious life*” so meaningful.
It is demanding, but life-altering—requiring significant wisdom, resolve, prudence, skill, perseverance, courage, and fortitude. You already have these necessary tools within yourself.
¡Ándale!
Robert Alt, Founder
PROFOUND CLIMBING™
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*Quoted from the last line of Mary Oliver’s The Summer Day, which was originally published in 1992 as part of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning New and Selected Poems, Volume One.
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Robert Alt
Founder of PROFOUND CLIMBING™
Robert Alt is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Buckeye Institute in Columbus, Ohio (United States of America).
He is an accomplished lawyer by profession and a dedicated mountaineer by hobby.
Alt’s alpine training, leadership style, and other adventures inspired him to develop the concept and coin the phrase: PROFOUND CLIMBING™—an approach to facing challenges that catalyzes actively choosing and progressing toward worthy aspirational goals through strategic steps, which can be taken anywhere from sea level to the peak of Mount Everest.
For Alt, PROFOUND CLIMBING™ has imbued deep purpose in and connection to the outdoor sport he enjoys in his spare time. Although he resides with his wife and dog in the middle of the country—with no significant elevation nearby—he is methodically making his way up the Seven Summits of the World (the tallest peak on each continent, respectively) to honor his late father.
Robert Alt is the first think tank president to summit Mount Everest, which is a feat he achieved on 15 May 2025, through a private one-on-one expedition alongside his legendary guide, Pasang Dawa Sherpa.
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Pasang Dawa Sherpa
Independent Mountain Guide (CTSS)
Pasang Dawa Sherpa (widely known by his nickname “PaDawa”) was honored with the Adventure Tourism Excellence in Mountaineering award recognizing his extraordinary achievements, which include successfully climbing Mount Everest an astounding 29 times.
Pasang Dawa has established his position in second place behind only Kami Rita Sherpa (who has 31)—for the most Everest summits of all time.
Born and raised in Pangboche—one of the oldest village settlements in the Khumbu region of Nepal, which has resisted modernization and remained intertwined with its proud culture, spiritual traditions, and ancient history—Pasang Dawa began his career as a porter. Over the years, he became an experienced and well-qualified Himalayan Sherpa Guide whose favorite mountain has always been Ama Dablam.
Pasang Dawa Sherpa first ascended Everest in 1998—assisting British adventurer Bear Grylls—and accomplished his 28th summit of the world’s tallest peak on May 15, 2025, while privately leading American Robert Alt one-on-one for the expedition.
Representing his legendary profession with the utmost competence, Pasang Dawa Sherpa is 48 years old and married with a grown son who is a Gurkha. Together with his wife, Pasang Dawa owns and operates a popular snooker hall and tea house in Dingboche where he excels at the cue sport.
Follow Robert Alt's Everest Expedition
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