Zidane Juma Somi

Zidane Juma Somi

Zidane Juma grew up in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, the mountain's snow-capped summit visible from his childhood home. That view shaped everything that followed.

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He began on the mountain as a porter, carrying loads, learning the terrain, watching guides work, and absorbing everything the mountain had to teach. Over fifteen years he earned every step of his progression, from porter to assistant guide to head guide, accumulating a depth of knowledge about Kilimanjaro's routes, weather systems, and altitude medicine that no classroom could replicate.

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It was on the mountain that he met Graham Noble. Their conversation is about fairness, about community, about what a climbing company could be if it was built on the right foundations, became the seed of Vertical Sky.

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Zidane's role at Vertical Sky goes far beyond guiding. He sets our safety standards, trains our guide team, oversees our environmental practices, and ensures that every expedition meets the ethical commitments we have made to our staff and our community. When something goes wrong on the mountain and occasionally things do, Zidane is the person you want making decisions.

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He is also the reason our porters are treated the way they are. Having carried loads himself, having felt the cold and the exhaustion, he understands what fair treatment actually means in practice, not in policy documents, but on the mountain at 4am.

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Zidane is the soul of Vertical Sky. The company exists because of his dream. Every climb we run honours it.