Meeting the Full Circle Everest Team

Have you ever wanted to see what the power of community, lifting up those around you, and a common goal can do? Look no further than the Full Circle Everest Expedition Team, the first all-black mountaineering team to summit Mount Everest (also known by its Tibetan name: Chomolungma, Mother Goddess of the World). We were extremely fortunate to have four members of the Full Circle team come to Burlington in October 2022 to share their experiences and advocate for people of color to be represented among the predominantly white backdrop of mountaineering. During their time here, OGE and The North Face also facilitated visits by the team to two local schools as well as a public presentation. “It was truly an honor to these exceptional individuals and mountaineers in Burlington," said Outdoor Gear Exchange co-owner Marc Sherman. "Their humble story of summiting Everest was not about their amazing climb; it was about building community while nearly doubling the number of black faces ever seen on Everest.” The team members who were able to join us were Phil Henderson, Demond “Dom” Mullins, Rosemary Saal, and Adina Scott, four amazing individuals with four very different stories of how they converged on the same place: Mount Everest. Phil, a longtime outdoor education instructor and mentor, has spent the last three decades teaching, guiding, and leading all-black expeditions all over the globe. Some of his expeditions were key touchstones for other members of the team's lives, ranging from the first all-black ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, to the first all-black ascent of Mt. Denali, to multiple ice climbing festivals in the western United States. One of the many amazing qualities Phil brings to the table is passion—his passion for accessibility, for representation, and for creating a team with a good working dynamic were instrumental to this project. As one student from Winooski High School said, “For real—they were passionate about what they do. It was pretty cool.” Along with Phil, Rosemary Saal, a member of the Denali team and the Everest team, exemplified what it means to come at any situation with humor, humility, and kindness. Her teammate Dom conveyed she was almost always able to put a smile on his face, and in the face of adversity—like being low on oxygen on Mt. Everest—Rosemary was able to keep a cool head. This really stuck with the students from Winooski High School, as many were wowed by her ability to keep cool under pressure. Demond “Dom” Mullins' story is one of many twists and turns: As a man from New York who wanted to go to college for art and dance—but knew it wouldn’t be possible without the GI Bill—he took an immediate shift and joined the military as a young adult. He told students at Burlington High School that his time in the military was his first exposure to 'camping,' as it were. Dom got into the outdoors (in a more recreational sense) upon his exit from the military, with hiking, climbing, and mountaineering all playing a part in his education. During this time was when Dom met Phil—again, the common thread in this story—and the rest was history. Dom went into some of the more technical aspects of climbing with students at BHS, which was of great interest. Student Warley Kindou learned that “...an ice pick can actually hold your body weight, and that you can only climb Mt. Everest during certain time frames due to snow melt and access to ladders.” Adina Scott’s story with the Full Circle team started at the top of Denali, where she met Rosemary and Phil. Adina grew up in a family that looked dissimilar to those they went outside with growing up. Despite that, she was fortunate enough to grow up with role models who portrayed pushing norms physically and socially. According to Colby Skoglund, an educator at BHS, during her presentation at Burlington High School, Adina set the tone for how “...setting a goal, staying committed, and working together [can make] your dreams be reached, no matter your background.” The sentiments shared during their school visits were echoed at their public presentation in downtown Burlington moderated by outdoor recreation diversity consultant, Kenji Haroutunian. Their presentation to the public wove each of their personal stories into the greater vision for the Full Circle Expedition. As OGE co-owner Marc Sherman said as our time with the team wound down: “It was a joy to meet them, hear their stories and peppered observations and observations on how diversity, equity, and inclusion can be championed within the homogeneous world of high-altitude climbing.”