Andrew King loves to run up mountains, meditate at the top, and then catch a few waves when he’s back at sea level. He’s also on a mission to climb the world’s highest Seven Summits and the Volcanic Seven Summits.
If he succeeds, he’ll be the first African American to accomplish the feat. For him, breaking through that glass ceiling is just as important as the physical accomplishment itself.
He quietly pursued this goal over the past five years, climbing Aconcagua and Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest summits in the Americas and Africa, respectively. Along the way, he spotlighted the lives of the communities around these climbing destinations with his Between Worlds Project.
“As a climber, I don’t see a lot of diversity in the sport. And the reason why is the economic barriers along with the racial barriers,” King said. “The first mental mountain I ever climbed was leaving Detroit; getting out of the projects and getting adopted by my grandparents.”
This was the springboard that pushed King toward where he is today.
King had scheduled Mount Elbrus in Europe as his next climb, but coronavirus dashed those plans. Instead, he turned his attention closer to home — Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, which he summited in October.
Despite the uncertainty of 2020, the biggest change for King and his project was an influx of partnerships with outdoor brands, most notably HOKA ONE ONE. HOKA is focused on telling stories of underrepresented groups and empowering people to move. King’s mission was a perfect fit.
“It was the rocket fuel that the project was missing,” he said. “I wanted to take it to the point it has to go beyond social media, beyond the hashtag, beyond something that’s going to have a 10-second lifespan.”