Swiss luxury brand Bally is reinforcing its mountain preservation agenda following the launch of its Bally Peak Outlook initiative last year, which included the first-ever clean-up of Mount Everest from base camp to the summit.

The new Bally Peak Outlook Foundation programme pledges expeditions and conservation initiatives across the world – from the Himalayas to Mount Fuji to Mount Kilimanjaro.

Apaprently, mountains sustain rich biodiversity and culture, covering 25 per cent of the world’s land surface and supplying fresh water for 12 per cent of the human population. These peaks and their surrounding communities regularly confront the adverse effects of global warming. Now, more so than ever, it is paramount to help these important ecosystems.

In 2019, Bally intorduced its initiative which pioneered a critical clean-up of Everest from base camp to the peak. The debut expedition, led by environmental activist and mountaineer Dawa Steven Sherpa and his team of expert climbers, successfully removed two tons of waste from Mount Everest with over half collected within the “Death Zone,” reaching the summit at 8,848 metres.

While a return to Mount Everest in 2020 was rendered impossible due to the pandemic, the brand announced its continued support for the Himalayan region with a series of expeditions over the course of two years. Collaborating again with Dawa Steven Sherpa, the Swiss brand will clean the base camps of the region’s eight mountains over 8,000m, including Mt Everest (8,848m), Mt Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Mt Lhotse (8,516 m), Mt Makalu (8,481m), Mt Cho Oyu (8,188 m), Mt Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m), Mt Manaslu (8,156m) and Mt Annapurna I (8,091m).

In Fall 2020, the foundation will conduct a high-altitude climb to remove waste from the inaccessible areas of Mount Fuji, Japan’s renowned pilgrimage site, with Japanese alpinist and environmentalist Ken Noguchi and the Fujisan Club. Later, in 2021, the expedition will target Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to address local environmental issues and provide support to local rangers in building new trails that create more sustainable access to the summit.