Imagine feeling unstoppable. Having the skills, drive and resilience to overcome obstacles and achieve anything you want to. Imagine knowing what it would take to perform to your maximum day in, day out, and believing you could do it. Imagine being able to assess and accept the risks of failure and progress as though you had no doubt you would succeed. Climbing gives me this.
You can climb on rock, ice, frozen waterfalls, giant snowy mountains and mountains that offer a mix of everything. My favourite type of climbing is alpine mountaineering where I can pit myself against the most inspiring and iconic peaks in the Alps.
In July 2010 at the age of 25, I decided my next challenge was going to be climbing Mont Blanc. Charley and I had started dating a few months prior and he asked if he could join me on this adventure. We trained for six months and booked our week-long trip in the Alps. The way we felt pushing through all kinds of limits and helping each other up that mountain made us hungry for more. It was a huge mental game, when everything inside was screaming to stop, we just had to keep going. The views were a good distraction! This was to be the start of a life-changing love affair with the mountains.
Since then, I’ve climbed in the depths of winter on days when the six hours of daylight and notoriously inclement weather make it feel like it barely gets light. I’ve climbed in the summer when the days are so bright and beautiful that you simply cannot get over it. When the snow sparkles in the sunlight as if a layer of glitter covers everything you lay your eyes on. I’ve seen sunrises that take my breath away and make me cherish every moment of what I’m doing, what I’m able to do.
I’ve also been so cold that I couldn’t talk and feared for loss of my fingers. I’ve hit rock bottom while hanging onto the side of the mountain more times than I can remember, tears rolling down my face and not knowing how I was going to find a way to continue. Of course it scares me, of course there are times when I wish I wasn’t there, that I’d chosen a less risky sport. However, it’s walking this tightrope between risk and security, the endurance and problem-solving for mind and body, that keep me coming back for more.
Every decision counts in the mountains so you need to go up there armed with your best weapons. Drawing on your self-reliance and confidence. Small decisions like bringing the wrong kit, not enough food or water, or waking up late have the ability to be the difference between achieving your goal or having to turn back and, sadly, between life and death. The higher you climb the more extreme everything becomes.
It’s the parallels between climbing and life that fascinate me. The chance to explore inwardly, to understand who I am, where my limits lie and how I can live more and become more. Every day is a school day and I learn something new which each adventure. There is no success or failure, it’s about trying and learning. If succeeding means taking on too much risk, then it’s not an option.
There have been times when Charley’s looked me in the eye and said “we’re turning around” and a huge flood of relief has swept over me. I yearn to get back to normality, where everything around me doesn’t feel big and scary. It takes time to build confidence and develop skill with climbing. I am on the right path, but the most important thing is knowing when to call it a day.
Charley and I have recently quit our London jobs and moved to Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc, to dedicate more time to exploring this part of our lives. Climbing inspires us to see who we can become and to live our lives in the best way we can imagine.
If you’ve never climbed before, there’s a few things you should know. Climbing is about people. About friendships, partnerships, and sharing “that was close” moments. It’s about the post-climb beers that last late into the night, and planning future adventures. It’s about standing on the summits of mountains you’ve only seen in pictures and read about in books. It’s that incredible and unrivalled feeling of achievement you get from climbing, you feel empowered and as though you could do anything.
This is why I climb and why I love it.
Share with us your thoughts and experiences of climbing in comments below.
Sophie Radcliffe blogs about climbing and other fitness challenges here.
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