Climbing Mount Everest for a Nonprofit Client – Commercial Photography

Radiating Hope is a Salt Lake City non-profit that advances cancer care in developing countries. It commissioned 360 Marketing & Advertising to photographically document an expedition to Mount Everest in 2017. The PR and marketing goal was to create awareness for Radiating Hope’s mission to obtain funding for four new, much needed, radiation machines for Nepal. These were donated by Gamma West Cancer Services of Northern Utah while the equipment for the climbers and trekkers was generously provided by Black Diamond, Cotopaxi, Red Fox, ProBar, and Mountain Ops.

 

On the ground in Nepal, the logistics were organized by Lakpa Gyelu, a world-famous Nepalese Sherpa and the world record holder, at the time, for the fastest final ascent of Everest. 360 Marketing & Advertising videographer and photographer on the spot was Jacom Stephens.

 

In the first two and a half weeks the expedition hiked and climbed over 47,000 vertical feet to reach base camp. Then four of the group’s most experienced climbers continued on to successfully summit. At the top, they triumphantly unfurled prayer flags for the culmination of the mission. Each flag was dedicated to an individual who has fought the battle with cancer or was currently in treatment. The flags, blessed by an eminent local Lama, were then brought back to base camp and strung out to be unraveled by the Himalayan winds symbolizing the dissemination of their invocations into the fabric of the universe. 

 

The PR campaign was also successful and the expedition easily met its financial goals raising well over $100,000 in donations.