7 expeditions

About 7summits.com Expeditions, the company

*Since when have you been in business and can I read some client's comments?*
7summits.com has been running expeditions since 1998, the website has been up since that time as well, though the original name was The7summits.com, until we started using the 7summits.com domain name a short time later, which you can still see in the logo! Please read some client comments from the past years here.
Who owns 7summits.com and do you have debts?
The company is fully owned by Harry Kikstra, climber, Expedition leader, webmaster, marketeer, writer and photographer :-) The company has been fully debt-free since the start. There are no extrenal investors or shareholders and therefore no pressure to make ridiculously high profits by overcharging. We employ mainly very experienced local guides, for some expeditions where it is either required or otherwise needed we send Western guides along. All of these are freelance guides who love to work for us, when we have no clients, we have no costs either.
Who is this Harry Kikstra guy?
Harry is a climber with a business background, who loves to create great trips for his clients and takes care of arranging their trips personally. Though 7summits.com is a commercial company and his main source of income, Harry is different from some colleagues, who started or bought adventure companies as an investment or those that employ 'advisors' that have no background in climbing. He has climbed all of the 7summits himself (and personally guided 6), wrote guidebooks on Aconcagua & Denali & Everest and knows what he is talking about. He is a professional speaker as well as acclaimed writer and photographer. Please read a detailed biography on his personal page in the 7 summits statistics section here
Where is 7summits.com based?
7summits is registered at the chamber of commerce in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where Harry lives most of the time. The Netherlands is one of the most stable countries on earth with a good economy and reliable bank systems etc. Many of the world's largest companies are Dutch (Shell, Philips, Unilever, Abn Amro, ING, Ahold, Heineken etc). To avoid currency risk, we have a Euro as well as a USD account, with top bank Abn Amro. We have people working for us in partners' offices in Moshi, Tanzania, Mendoza, Argentina, nepal, Kathmandu and Moscow, Russia.
Do you have a brochure you can send me?
No, we keep our prices so low by publishing our information and prices online. Creating, printing and sending full colour brochures is very expensive. If a company can just send those out, then their prices will have to be higher, someone has to pay for them! Besides, the moment they are printed, they might be outdated, the website is much more suitable for quick changes.
Why Should I choose 7summits.com?
Our clients comments will give you some ideas, furthermore we have a personal and honest approach: we won't try to sell a trip that is not good for your specific situation. We keep our costs and prices low, while keeping the quality very high. You are not dealing with some investors who set up a booking office with a 1-800 number, but with real climbers who know what is out (up) there. We are specialized in the 7summits, recognized internationally as a authority on them and can help you realize your 7 summits dreams.