Fireside Chat with Danny Giovale
The first night of the spring semester found us here at the Institute for Mountain Research once again gathered around a small fire with a group of dedicated students for our third ever Fireside Chat. This time, the man of the night was Danny Giovale, a Westminster alum, successful business founder, and all around great mountain person. As we gathered around the fire in an effort to combat the chilly January temperatures, Danny shared with us some of the experiences that lead him from being a physics major at Westminster in the early 90’s to the outdoor business owner that he is today. This included how a nearly fatal climbing accident in Italy motivated him to found Kahtoola, a company that makes climbing equipment in an effort to reduce the number of accidents like his that happen each year. Since then, he has expanded Kahtoola, which means “directly” in Tibetan, to offer many more products as well as created a program within the company called “Kahtoola for the People” which works to preserve indigenous mountain cultures worldwide. Most importantly, however, he discussed how his decisions to do what he felt was right for himself and the company since the beginning has allowed him to continue to follow his passion of climbing all the while contributing something he feels is good to the world. All in all, it was a great chat, filled with great advice and insight into what goes into becoming a successful outdoor business founder from the perspective of a true mountain person. And the best part, he still manages to get out into the mountains and go climbing to this day.
-Jake Foster
