Alexandra Cousteau on Kilimanjaro, the Clean Water Crisis, and Transgender Fish

You’d expect someone who has spent most of her life at or below sea level to sweat a little harder hiking up 19,340-foot Kilimanjaro on the Summit on the Summit climb last January. Not so for Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques, lifelong water advocate, and a National Geographic emerging explorer. While she can’t explain why altitude sickness didn’t affect her on Africa’s tallest peak, she can shed light on why we all are connected to the climbers' cause, the global clean water crisis. Here Cousteau explains the issues surrounding water scarcity worldwide, her upcoming Blue Legacy expedition, and what you can do to help out.

You grew up diving the planet’s great oceans and are now a leading advocate to help improve water issues worldwide. Did you feel a little like a fish out of water climbing the world’s tallest freestanding mountain?
That was definitely the first time I had scaled a mountain of that size. It was challenging to trek five to seven hours every day at altitude. The weather was not cooperating very well. We had fog, rain, hail, and snow. But I was fortunate in that I didn’t experience any physical ailments at all.

Jimmy Chin on Climbing Superstars Vs. Hollywood Stars

Climb with the world’s best alpinists and you’ll end up seeing the planet’s most beautiful, least visited places, such as China's Minya Konka massif. Climb with a bunch of actors and musicians on Kilimanjaro to draw attention to the global clean water crisis and you’re going to be number one on Twitter. Climber-photographer Jimmy Chin, also a National Geographic emerging explorer, has done both. Here are his thoughts on getting the shot in all conditions, why clean water maters, and the difference between all-star climbers and straight-up stars. 

Jimmy, our last story with you involved a dangerous, unsupported first ski descent of an obscure 20,000-foot peak in western China. How did you end up on Kilimanjaro with a bunch of actors and musicians for Summit on the Summit? 
Kenna called me. I’m not sure how he got my name. It was kind of a cold call. I was superflattered that he wanted me to join the team. I was a little reluctant at first, because I have climbed Kilimanjaro before. The kind of climbing I have typically done is a little bit different than climbing on Kilimanjaro. But Kenna is very passionate about this project. I was inspired by his vision of bringing together a lot of people from different walks of life and focusing on making really positive change. He was very sincere and genuine. And more than anything, I found that to be something I could get behind.

As a professional climber and photographer, I am asked to shoot in a lot of situations with a lot of different people. Sometimes I'm with the hardest, most seasoned alpinists in the world. Sometimes I'm hanging out with celebrities doing a benefit climb. Sometimes you are roped in; sometimes you are not. Obviously, if I am in the Garhwal Himalaya climbing a big wall on the cutting edge of high-altitude, big-wall climbing, then there is a lot going on. But when I’m shooting celebrities on Kilimanjaro, I’m not as worried because I actually can’t fall off the mountain.

Actors, Musicians, Explorers Climb Kilimanjaro for Clean Water - Documentary Airs on Sunday

In January, a team of actors, musicians, and National Geographic explorers—Jimmy Chin and Alexandra Cousteau—set out to climb Africa’s tallest peak, 19,340-foot Kilimanjaro, to raise awareness about the global clean water crisis. (Read more from Chin and Cousteau in interviews we will post later today.)

According to the United Nations' Millennium Water for Life initiative, 18 percent of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and 42 percent doesn’t have access to sanitation, resulting in deadly waterborne diseases.

“Mountains are like the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter who anyone is or what they do,” says big-wall climber and photographer Chin, referring to the challenge posed to his fellow hikers, actors Emile Hirsch and Jessica Biel and musicians Santigold and Kenna, the Ethiopia-born singer-songwriter leading the Summit on the Summit initiative.