Tonya Riggs Clement

American from the United States
Christian Peace Climber
Summited Mt. Everest on May 18th, 2006

On May 18th, 2006 Tonya Riggs Clement became the 20th US woman to have climbed Mt. Everest, and the fifth of just nine American women to have reached the top of Everest by the treacherous North Ridge. She did not begin climbing until her 30’s, however since discovering her passion for climbing she has advanced quickly, becoming a talented technical rock, ice and mountain climber. Tonya has led major expeditions around the globe, including locations such as Nepal, Africa and Peru. Tonya has been fortunate enough to combine her personal passion with her professional life as she is the Director of Sales for Stonewear Designs, a manufacturer of women’s rock climbing and yoga apparel. Prior to her work at Stonewear Designs, Tonya spent over a decade teaching leadership development, team building and performance management to Fortune 500 companies.

The Everest Peace Project Peace Climb turned out to be much more than Tonya ever dreamed of...She was already overjoyed to be climbing Everest with a diverse interantional group and for such a noble cause. The last thing that Tonya expected was to fall in love on the mountain! But that is what happened. On the climb she met Brad Clement our fellow climber and high altitude cameraman and a deep friendship grew. Well one thing led to another and it appears that climbers that summit Everest together, stay together! Tonya and Brad were recently married and currently live in Boulder, Colorado. Maybe it should have been called the Everest Love Project!