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 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 in professional and athletic contexts all the way up to Mount Everest.

For Alt, PROFOUND CLIMBING™ has imbued deep purpose in and connection to the outdoor endurance sports he enjoys. 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 the memory of his late father.

Robert Alt is the first think tank president to summit Mount Everest, which is a feat he achieved May 15, 2025, alongside his legendary guide Pasang Dawa Sherpa.

Independent Mountain Guide (CTSS)

Pasang Dawa Sherpa (better known as “Pa Dawa”) was honored with the Adventure Tourism Excellence in Mountaineering award recognizing his extraordinary achievements, which now include summiting Mount Everest an astounding 31 times (second only to world-recordholder Kami Rita Sherpa, who has 32—the most 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 Sherpa began his career as a porter. He is an experienced and well-qualified Himalayan Sherpa Guide whose favorite mountain has always been Ama Dablam, which he has climbed more than 70 times.

Pasang Dawa Sherpa first ascended Everest in 1998—leading British adventurer Bear Grylls—and accomplished his 28th summit of the world’s tallest peak on May 15, 2025, guiding American Robert Alt.

Representing his legendary profession with the utmost competence, Pasang Dawa Sherpa is 49 years old and married with a grown son who is a Gurkha. Together with his wife, Pa Dawa owns and operates a popular snooker hall and tea house in Dingboche where he of course excels at the cue sport, too.