MMF Team

Garrett Madison – Board Chair

Garrett Madison is widely recognized as America’s premier Everest guide and expedition leader. What’s less known is his deep commitment to preserving the natural beauty of the world’s highest peaks for both local communities and future generations.

In 2025, this commitment led Garrett to establish the Madison Mountaineering Foundation, integrating mountain cleanup efforts into his climbing expeditions.

“Nowadays, most expeditions on Everest or K2 try to bring their trash down with them,” says Garrett. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case, and there’s still an enormous amount of debris left behind from past climbs. It will take time, but over the next few years, we hope to make a major impact on the amount of accumulated trash on Everest, K2, and other major mountain regions.”

Terray Sylvester – Board Member

Terray Sylvester has pursued mountain sports for more than 30 years. Originally from the Lake Tahoe area of California, he grew up climbing and skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains with his father, Rick Sylvester, a lifelong adventurer perhaps best known for performing rock climbing and ski BASE jump stunts for two James Bond films.

Terray has climbed and guided on all seven continents, including nine successful ascents of 8,000-meter peaks. He looks forward to each opportunity to share his passion for the mountains with his guests. Working in close cooperation with our local staff and partners, he has helped spearhead our cleanup efforts on K2, Lhotse, Annapurna 1 and 6,000-meter peaks in Nepal’s Khumbu Region. Terray also works as an editorial photographer. His photos, articles, and Emmy-award winning video footage have been published by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Red Bull, Newsweek, the NFL Network and many other publications.

Jill Madison – Board Member

Jill Madison has a lifelong dedication to conservation, beginning her journey in wildlife biology with a focus on reintroduction of scarlet macaws to a gorgeous rainforest coastline. In addition to her work as a clinical dietitian, she takes enormous pride in overseeing the smooth administration of her older brother’s Madison Mountaineering Foundation.

Gavin Attwood – CEO

Gavin Attwood brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, having served as CEO of both state and national organizations. He currently works as a consultant for mission-driven nonprofits across Colorado, specializing in organizational turnaround and leadership transitions, and also serves as an Interim CEO when needed.

A lifelong climber, Gavin began his mountaineering journey in England’s Lake District and has since climbed extensively in the Himalayas, Andes, French Alps, and throughout the United States.

His unique combination of deep experience in nonprofit leadership and a long-standing passion for high-altitude climbing makes his involvement with the Madison Mountaineering Foundation a natural fit. Gavin is excited to contribute to the Foundation’s mission of protecting and preserving the world’s great mountain regions through sustainable, expedition-integrated cleanup efforts.

Mike Sanders – General Manager

Mike Sanders grew up playing in the Cascade Mountain Range, but his passion for climbing was not discovered until college. It was quickly realized that, in one way or another, he wanted to work in and around climbing, and started his career working with Mountain Hardwear. This passion has since taken Mike near and far, from the Himalayas and French Alps, to the high peaks in his home Cascade Range.

Now with Madison Mountaineering, Mike looks forward to working with some of the best guides in the industry, along with like-minded customers who have dreams of climbing some of the highest peaks in the world and experiencing different cultures in far-off places.

Meet the Foundation Team

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