Adrian Ballinger is a certified mountain guide, elite climber and skier, and founder of Alpenglow Expeditions, where he brings his 25 years of experience leading high-altitude expeditions to the business. He has led more than 150 climbs across six continents and summited 8,000-meter peaks 19 times, including 10 ascents of Mount Everest. He is known for pioneering the use of pre-acclimatization for commercial expeditions, cutting typical expedition time in half while helping lead a shift toward stronger ethical standards in high-altitude guiding. As an athlete, he is the only American to complete three ski descents of 8,000-meter peaks, including the first from the summit of Manaslu. He is also the fourth American to summit both Mount Everest and K2 without supplemental oxygen.