Kathmandu: Mountain Dew®, PepsiCo’s fearless beverage brand, has unveiled ‘Peaks of Courage’ — a landmark initiative that redefines Nepal’s mountaineering narrative. In collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Discovery Channel, the initiative celebrates the country’s deep-rooted spirit of adventure while highlighting its lesser-known but equally formidable peaks. Launched from the summits of some of Nepal’s toughest 8K climbs, the campaign is poised to drive global engagement and spark a new cultural movement around mountaineering.
For decades, Nepal has been synonymous with Mt. Everest. Peaks of Courage aims to go beyond the obvious — shining a light on unexplored summits, overlooked stories, and the courageous climbers behind them. It’s a bold shift that challenges long-held perceptions and calls on a new generation of thrill-seekers to embrace the unknown.
With immersive digital storytelling, real-time terrain data, and a stunning brand film that captures the emotional and physical challenges of mountaineering, Peaks of Courage is more than just a campaign — it’s an invitation to rediscover Nepal.
“While Mt. Everest has long captured the interest of climbers globally, Nepal’s mountaineering story goes far beyond a single summit. Countless peaks remain underexplored, and so do the stories of the courageous climbers who scale them. With ‘Peaks of Courage’, Mountain Dew® has set out to change that, using our platform to spotlight Nepal’s lesser-known summits and the fearless spirit behind them. This campaign brings together technology, storytelling, and cultural insight to offer a new lens on adventure; one that celebrates the depth of Nepal’s legacy and dares the world to look beyond the obvious,” said Tarun Bhagat, Chief Marketing Officer – South Asia, PepsiCo India.
“With ‘Peaks of Courage’, Mountain Dew® spotlights the rich mountaineering terrain of Nepal and taps into the deep-rooted spirit of adventure that defines our country. The campaign is about celebrating local pride while inviting the audience to see Nepal through a new, more daring lens. We’re looking at real impact on ground with this initiative,” said Vishal Singh Thakur, Country Head, Varun Beverages Nepal Pvt. Ltd.
At its core, the initiative offers economic empowerment by creating sustainable opportunities for Sherpas, guides, and local communities, ensuring that adventure tourism brings real, year-round benefits.
“The campaign goes far beyond just a film. It actively engages with the mountaineering community—including seasoned Sherpas, local climbing experts, and aspiring adventurers—through immersive digital storytelling and on-ground experiences. Each Mountain Dew® pack features a QR code that unlocks an interactive digital hub — mdpeaksofcourage.com — offering exclusive insights into Nepal’s 8K, 7K, and 6K peaks, detailed route plans, difficulty levels, real-time conditions, and invaluable Sherpa wisdom. It’s a global platform where adventure-seekers can learn, plan, and prepare for their next big climb. As NTB, our endeavour is to invite the world to have #LifetimeExperiences in our country, and this ties in seamlessly with our strategic vision,” said Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Nepal Tourism Board.
The platform also introduces the ‘Dare Score’ — a data-driven index that evaluates peaks based on weather, difficulty, Sherpa availability, and terrain conditions.
“For most mountaineers Mt. Everest is the peak challenge. But as we delved into the terrains of Nepal, we realized that it is actually only one of the many challenging routes Nepal has to offer. We aggregated all the data around the scalable peaks of Nepal including the weather, the terrain, availability of sherpas, etc., and created a ‘Dare Score’ – an adventure score card for each route. We then packaged this information in an immersive experience – accessible by scanning the Mountain Dew® bottle. In doing this, for the first time ever, we have given adventure enthusiasts a roadmap to discover uncharted territories of Nepal and, in-turn, challenge their own fears,” said Vikram Pandey, Chief Creative Officer, Leo – South Asia.
