Rolfe Oostra Keynote Speaker
- Guided clients to the Seven Summits worldwide
- Set Everest world record for highest single-handed rescue
- Double Cho Oyu summit in 24 hours (2016)
Rolfe Oostra's Biography
Rolfe Oostra: Australian. At the age of 20, Rolfe led his first expedition to climb Mt Kenya’s North Face and, since then, has kept the ball rolling with a passion.
He has made notable first alpine ascents in the Andes, Karakoram, and Greenland, and has established many new rock-climbing routes in Africa, South America, and Australia.
He has explored many un-paddled rivers in the Congo and Amazon basin and traversed some of the world’s most isolated deserts.
Rolfe is one of the very few people to guide all the Seven Summits. After a stint being a scuba diver in 1997, he quickly went back to doing what he loves best — mountaineering.
For over 7 months of a year, Rolfe can be found guiding on 6, 7, and 8,000m peaks such as Mera Peak, Kang Yatse, Ama Dablam, Nun Peak, Manaslu, Gasherbrum II, Cho Oyu, and Everest.
In 2016, he achieved a double Cho Oyu summit in 24 hours. In 2019, he set a world record for highest single-handed mountain rescue on Mount Everest.
Rolfe is a sought-after expedition guide who makes each trip individual and hugely memorable. He is the real deal — wild, fun, unpredictable, and genuine — and generally is considered a legend in his own time.
Rolfe Oostra's Speaking Topics
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Personal potential, motivational talk for a UK charity
using personal examples from my expedition life (in this case climbing the 8000-meter Cho Oyu twice in 24 hours) to illustrate that an average person is much more powerful than what they give themselves credit for. (Social media platforms)
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Guiding the Seven Summits, For Royal Geographic Society
Q and A style speaking event to talk about my personal experience of guiding the Seven Summits. Reflections on changes in client profiles and the Seven Summit challenge over 15 years. (Social media platforms)
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Making tough decisions under pressure
For corporate group, using mountaineering examples relevant to the business world. (Invited by Irish firm as Keynote speaker)
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What is adventure? For UK charity
Three different speakers each discussing their take on what adventure means to an individual.
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What is adventure? For Australian National University
As above but prime Keynote speaker.
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My life as a dirtbag climber
For Canberra climbers club.
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Going Off Grid
For 360 Expeditions and Cotswold Outdoors (promotional tour), 10 different speaking events spanning 4 years covering the UK cities of Bristol, London, Reading and Birmingham. Speaking about the emotional and physical commitments when tackling a first ascent or a rarely repeated objective.
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Mount Everest, for UK charity
Personal guiding experience over 4 expeditions to the mountain and highest single-handed rescue.
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The forgotten Himalaya
For the BMC, speaking about the personal benefits and satisfaction in climbing mountains no-one has ever heard off.
Why Book Rolfe Oostra as a speaker?
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He has led teams on 6,000m to 8,000m peaks including Cho Oyu and Everest, bringing a lived playbook for preparation, risk management and execution under pressure.
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He uses record-setting experience, including the 2019 world record for the highest single-handed rescue on Mount Everest, to show leaders how to make clear decisions when the consequences are real.
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He draws on guiding the Seven Summits and exploring remote, off-grid objectives to help organisations build resilience, accountability and trust in uncertain conditions.
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He is an experienced speaker for corporates, charities and institutions including the Royal Geographical Society, translating expedition realities into practical lessons audiences can apply immediately.
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