ALEX MONDAU

Alex Mondau

Logistics Manager

Seattle, Washington, USA

Alex has always valued time to explore. Growing up in the beautiful scenery of Olympia, WA in the Pacific Northwest, he developed a healthy respect for the wilderness and a passion for experiencing all that it has to offer. Choosing to further his education at Pomona College in Los Angeles, Alex threw himself whole-heartedly into rugby. As a captain and president of the Claremont Colleges Rugby Football Club he lead the team to national championship competition each year and tours of New Zealand and France. Taking full advantage of the connections in LA, Alex also spent a fall living in Prague, Czech Republic, formative in his passion for travel.

Recently Alex has worked labor construction, sold real estate and tended bar to fund his forays into the mountains. Small group summit climbs to the Washington peaks of Mt. Olympus, Adams, Hood and Rainier have wet his appetite for more long-term expeditions. In the fall of 2006 he sold gear for The North Face at their store in Seattle, WA. It was there that a chance meeting with Phill Michael led to plans for paths to cross in the Himalayas. Alex firmly believes you must experience something of the world firsthand, if you wish to truly participate and positively change it. Connecting with the Freestyle Expedition provides an outlet for his energies to seeing as much of the world as possible in hopes of gathering a better sense of direction and purpose. Trekking in Patagonia and tasting the wine of Argentina and a five-month journey through South East Asia and Nepal have fed this hunger for adventure. Alex trekked the Annapurna Circuit, helped run the Social Development Center of Nepal, a small orphanage in Kathmandu, and walked to Everest Base Camp with Phill and Chris during his time in Nepal. Returning to Nepal in the spring of 2008 to bring more funding and support to the Social Development Center of Nepal, Alex took on the role of North American Coordinator. Continuing to support and improve the lives of the Nepali children at the SDCN is a long term commitment of Alex's.

The Secret Spot 7 Summits project is a natural progression of his pursuit of responsible adventure travel and fostering local cultural connections. Residing in Seattle, Alex is the Operations Manager of Agua Verde Café, a popular waterfront restaurant Baja Mexico inspired food and drink.