May 27, 2008 – J. Armand Musey and his climbing team successfully reached the 29,028-foot summit of Mt. Everest, capping an arduous six-week expedition over the most challenging terrain in the world.

Musey reported via satellite telephone that he and his eight fellow climbers reached the peak at 7:30 am local time on May 24 after a 10-hour ascent through darkness from Camp 4 at 26,000 feet. Musey had feared that the approaching monsoon season and a brief delay due to closure of the mountain for the Olympic torch relay would cut short efforts by his and other groups to reach the peak.

“We are almost too exhausted to be excited,” Musey said by satellite phone, the fatigue evident in his voice, after coming back down to the 23,500-foot level at Camp 3. “The main thing is that everyone is safe. I have some frostbitten toes but otherwise am doing very well.”

Musey, a widely-respected securities analyst in the telecommunications and satellite industries reported later that conditions coming back down the mountain were treacherous, with melting ice loosening ropes and ladders that had been secure on the ascent. When the team arrived back at base camp on May 25, they finally held a celebration of their achievement. They were in good company, as more than a dozen other expeditions which had been forced to wait at Base Camp due to the Olympic torch relay had finally be able to also achieve their goals of reaching the summit.

The Musey team is now trekking back to Katmandu, Nepal, and expects to arrive there by May 31.

Musey set out to climb Mt. Everest to both fulfill a personal goal and to raise funds for the American Red Cross’ International Relief Fund (IRF). Communicating regularly via satellite telephone and email while at lower altitudes, Musey had maintained steady contact to update his blog, www.museyeverest.com, and actively pursue more donations for the IRF.

To date, Musey has secured pledges to the Red Cross in excess of $40,000 in support of his climb. These include contributions of $15,000 each from SES and Intelsat, the two largest satellite operators in the world. A number of other firms and individuals have pledged either cash contributions or donated satellite communications equipment or airtime to Musey’s effort.

Musey and his team were on the mountain for several weeks, traveling back and forth between Base Camp at 17,500 feet and Camps 1, 2, and 3 at higher elevations to both transport supplies and get used to living in an atmosphere where the lungs are able to take in less oxygen. The team consisted of nine climbers, three guides and about 30 Sherpa staff to manage a small herd of yaks carrying much of their 1,700 pound of provisions, 70 tents, 2,000 liters of kerosene and other supplies.

Sponsors and supporters can get details about Musey's expedition and find information on how to make a donation to the Red Cross in support of his achievement at www.museyeverest.com. Musey paid the entire cost of the Mt. Everest expedition out of his own funds; all money donated goes directly to the American Red Cross' International Relief Fund. Since he began climbing in 1991, Musey has scaled the highest peaks on six of the seven continents in the world. With his successful ascent of Mt. Everest, he has now completed the mountaineering challenge of the Seven Summits.

Musey climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2002 and has since climbed Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali) in Alaska, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Acconcagua in Argentina, Mt. Rainer in Washington, Mt. Vinson Antarctica, and the Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia. As part of his training for the cold weather of Mt. Everest, he went on a ski expedition to the South Pole in 2007, dealing with -30 to -35 degree Centigrade weather almost the entire journey.

NOTE: Longbottom Communications, along with its creative partners, Affordable Creative Services, applauds Armand’s success on Mt. Everest. We take pride in having provided pro bono PR support for Armand’s expedition to raise funds for the American Red Cross. Recent natural disasters in China and Myanmar bring home the interdependence of countries and people, and the importance of individual contributions to critical relief efforts. We would like to personally thank all those who made contributions to the Red Cross’ International Relief Fund or who followed Armand’s arduous expedition through his blog.

"Kellogg Alumnus Climbs Mount Everest"
Click here to listen to a podcast interview with Armand conducted by Northwestern Magazine, Northwestern University's alumni magazine...

New York, NY, March 25, 2008 – After building a successful career on Wall Street, J. Armand Musey will leave tomorrow on an expedition to scale Mt. Everest in an adventure that will both complete a personal goal and raise funds for the American Red Cross’ International Response Fund (IRF).

Musey, an avid climber since graduating from business school in 1995, is a long time and widely respected securities analyst in the telecommunications and satellite industries. He was the lead industry analyst at Bank of America and later Solomon Smith Barney. In 2003 he partnered with a colleague to form the boutique investment banking firm Near Earth, LLC. Musey left the presidency of Near Earth in 2007 to train full-time for his attempt to scale Mt. Everest, the world’s highest peak.

“This expedition is the culmination of an incredible challenge and adventure for me personally,” said Musey. “But given the significance of the challenge, I want to make it more than about me by using my Mt. Everest expedition as an opportunity to raise money and awareness in support of the Red Cross.”

A number of satellite industry firms have committed or signaled their intention of supporting Armand’s climb with contributions to the Red Cross IRF. Global satellite operators SES and Intelsat signed on as challenge sponsors at the “Summit” level. Dulles-based GeoEye, a satellite imaging company, is a “Katmandu” level sponsor. Iridium and Vizada, leading global satellite communications providers, are donating SIM cards respectively for phone and BGAN applications that will enable Armand to send reports, photos and maintain a blog of his summit attempt.

“SES applauds Armand for taking on this arduous challenge to support such a worthy goal,” said SES chairman Romain Bausch, “His expedition will raise awareness of the role of satellites in global disaster response, and as such, we are pleased to make a challenge grant of $15,000 in hopes that other companies in the satellite community will match or exceed our contribution to this laudable organization.”

Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade said, "Intelsat is excited to be returning to Mt. Everest 10 years after our 1998 demonstration of the efficiency of satellites in connecting the world, even from the most remote locations on the planet. The satellite industry is always among the first to respond to disaster scenarios, because of our ability to provide rapidly deployable infrastructure. A long-time supporter of the Red Cross, Intelsat commends Armand's altruistic commitment to raise funds for the organization."

Sponsors and supporters can follow Musey’s expedition and find information about how to make a donation to the Red Cross in support of his challenge at www.museyeverest.com.

Since he began climbing in 1991, Musey has scaled the highest peaks on six of the seven continents in the world. With his ascent of Mt. Everest in spring of 2008, he will complete the mountaineering challenge of the Seven Summits. Musey is paying the entire cost of the Mt. Everest expedition out of his own funds; all money donated will go directly to the American Red Cross’ International Response Fund.

Musey climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2002 and has since climbed Mt. McKinley (AKA Denali) in Alaska, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Acconcagua in Argentina, Mt. Rainer in Washington, Mt. Vinson Antarctica, and the Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia. As part of his training for the cold weather of Mt. Everest, he went on a ski expedition to the South Pole in 2007, dealing with -30 to -35 degree Centigrade weather almost the entire journey.

The Mt. Everest expedition is scheduled to depart from Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 29, with the return scheduled for June 1. Musey and his group will ascend the south side of Mt. Everest, up what is known as the South Column Route. This is the same route used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their first ascent in 1953.

< back to top