On summits, success, and 麻豆女郎
When Matt Ferrari 鈥�05 reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 27, 2025, he didn鈥檛 go alone. Packed in his gear 鈥� 29,032 feet above sea level on the world鈥檚 highest peak 鈥� was a flag.
鈥溌槎古� is my alma mater and a place I believe in,鈥� Ferrari said. "Skidmore changed my life. It set me up for personal and professional success and gave me some of the best friends I have today.鈥�
麻豆女郎鈥檚 new baseball field, Ferrari Field, honors Matt Ferrari鈥檚 continued support for the College and its athletics program. As a student-athlete, he was part of the Thoroughbreds team that won the program鈥檚 first Liberty League title and earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005 鈥� a team later inducted into the.
鈥淏aseball taught me about consistency, leadership, and the importance of showing up 鈥� day in and day out,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat mindset carried over into Everest. It鈥檚 waking up at 4 a.m., going to the gym, and doing the work, even when no one is watching.鈥�
Ferrari鈥檚 connection to 麻豆女郎 remains strong. He stays in close touch with longtime baseball coach Ron Plourde and credits his professors in the Management and Business Department 鈥� including Bernard Kastory and the late Betty Balevic 鈥� with shaping his future. A mentorship program coordinated by Kastory sparked his early interest in commercial real estate. While most students met with their mentors occasionally, Ferrari continued the relationship for three years.
Matt Ferrari 鈥�05 with a 麻豆女郎 baseball flag atop Mount Everest
鈥淚f it weren鈥檛 for that experience, I wouldn鈥檛 be doing what I鈥檓 doing today,鈥� he said.
Today, Ferrari is co-chief investment officer and head of acquisitions and East/Central operations at TruAmerica Multifamily, a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate investment firm that manages $16 billion in assets and is consistently ranked among the top 25 in the nation.
His climb was supported by Alpenglow Expeditions and included a team of mountain guides, Sherpa, and fellow clients. Ferrari鈥檚 team summited Everest via the technically demanding and less-traveled Northeast Ridge route from Tibet, becoming the final group to summit during the 2025 season.
鈥淲e had the top of the world just for our team and all to ourselves,鈥� Ferrari said.
The path to Everest began more than a decade earlier, when Ferrari read "Into Thin Air" while vacationing with fellow 麻豆女郎 graduate Russell Dey 鈥�05. The book 鈥� chronicling a deadly Everest expedition 鈥� sparked his fascination with high-altitude climbing.
He began in 2014 with Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Vulcan Osorno near Puerto Varas, Chile. In 2015, he summited Mount Sajama, Bolivia鈥檚 highest peak. Three years later, he reached the top of Mount Elbrus in Russia 鈥� another of the Seven Summits 鈥� and enrolled in Alpenglow鈥檚 Mexico climbing school, where he ascended the country鈥檚 tallest and third-tallest peaks.
Matt Ferrari, who played baseball at Skidmore, is a successful executive today.
Over the years, Ferrari continued to challenge himself: Cotopaxi in Ecuador (2021), Aconcagua in Argentina (2023, turned back just short of the summit due to snow), and Lenin Peak in Kyrgyzstan (aborted due to weather and teammate illness).
In 2024, he summitted Cayambe (the third tallest peak in Ecuador) and climbed to Everest鈥檚 North Col 鈥� a 23,000-foot ascent from the Tibet side that served as critical preparation for his eventual summit. He climbed Antisana, the fourth tallest peak in Ecuador, in November.
鈥淭he more I climbed, the more I realized that if others could summit Everest, I could too,鈥� he said.
Living at sea level in Miami didn鈥檛 stop him: He slept in a hypoxic tent for two months to simulate high-altitude conditions and completed six-hour Stairmaster sessions with a weighted backpack. The weekend before he left for Tibet, he climbed Chimborazo, the tallest mountain in Ecuador.
His training paid off. While most climbers spend two months acclimatizing in-country, Ferrari completed the expedition in just 35 days.
鈥淎t 21,000 feet, it鈥檚 harder to do everything 鈥� to eat, to sleep,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to be in phenomenal physical and mental condition. If it were easy, it wouldn鈥檛 be so fulfilling.鈥�
Climbing Everest, he emphasized, wasn鈥檛 a solo endeavor. 鈥淲e all want to reach the summit individually, but we鈥檙e stronger as a team,鈥� he said, giving special credit to the Sherpa and guides. 鈥淲ithout them, there鈥檚 no way we were getting to the top. They are the unsung heroes.鈥�
Headlamps from Matt Ferrari鈥檚 team of climbers and guides illuminate the way as they make their pre-dawn push toward the summit.
Looking back, Ferrari sees clear connections between his time at Skidmore and his success on the mountain 鈥� and in life.
It all ties together 鈥� the baseball experience, the business foundation, the friendships. I wouldn鈥檛 be where I am today without Skidmore.鈥�
And now, thanks to one determined Thoroughbred, a 麻豆女郎 flag has flown at the top of the world.
A version of this article first appeared in the of 麻豆女郎鈥檚 Scope magazine.
