Mount Everest - Only the Sky Above

Helga Hengge is an inspiring keynote speaker, author, and mountaineer. She was the first German woman to successfully climb Mount Everest and the Seven Summits—the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. Helga was born in Chicago, USA, and grew up in Munich, Germany, where she started her career as a fashion editor at VOGUE. In 1991 she moved to New York City to study philosophy, marketing, and film at New York University and graduated in 1995 with honors. Working as a freelance fashion editor on international campaigns, she traveled around the world on assignments. In 1996 she discovered her passion for climbing and within a couple of years scaled many peaks on her way to the top of the world. In her inspiring presentations and keynote speeches, Helga takes her corporate audiences to the top of the highest mountains in the world. Accompanied by spectacular images she shares her passion for adventure, for pushing physical and emotional boundaries in the face of overwhelming challenge, and the secrets of her success. Helga is currently living near Munich, Germany, pursuing her speaking career and new mountaineering challenges. She has two children.

“It is the simplicity of mountaineering that I have come to love, the simplicity of walking, of taking one step at a time, the purity of it. The thin air has the curious effect of slowing down the body and the mind, and the simple task of walking suddenly requires an effort of immense concentration. The mountains exude a sense of peace, of belonging. Here the clutter of daily life flows away easily, there is nothing complicated about walking over a snowfield in the moonlight. The thoughts come and go until the mind is empty and a wondrous feeling of being one with oneself settles in. It is in those moments that I feel who I really am and sense the strength and power inside me.” Helga Hengge