Entrepreneurs and mountaineers share ambition and drive. They are curious about with what keeps high-achievers going in challenging or situations. So to get some answers on surviving in dire situations, we talk to British mountaineer Alan Hinkes.
The entrepreneur-mountaineer journey
Alan is the only Briton to have climbed the world’s highest mountains. These are the 14 8000 metre peaks in the Himalaya and Karakoram.
These are the most dangerous mountains on the the planet. Alan faced death, extreme cold and overwhelming physical and mental challenges to achieve his position as one of the world’s greatest mountaineers.
Mountaineer Alan Hinkes
Alan made his epic ascents in what were often near-impossible conditions. It’s a tale of dedication, hard work, and focus. It’s the story of an 18-year journey to join an elite group who have completed mountaineering’s most distinguished goal.
When Alan climbed all 14 mountains he became one of only 12 people to achieved this feat - the same number of people who have stood on the moon.
The entrepreneur-mountaineer connection: sharing drive and ambition
Q: In your early days, before beginning the 8000 Metre Challenge, you were with Cleveland Mountaineering Club (CMC). Out on expeditions, you had access to older, more experienced climbers. These people were, in effect, your mentors. How important were these relationships in helping develop and strengthen both your skills and determination?
Alan: Older climbers did influence me and CMC was a good influence and teacher to me. So I guess you could say that these people were like mentors, and yes, the relationships were important.
Watching and learning from others is an important part of the journey. It helps you develop your own skill and style. It's about evolving, not copying.
With mentors, you need desire and appetite
To get the best from good mentors, you need a real desire and appetite to learn, but also to be safe. Anyone can be unsafe, I reckoned. I took pride in developing my skills and being safe.
It was also good to see how others led. I later realized that being a leader can be a thankless task - as usually someone wants to criticize or think they can do it better. Being part of a team needs understanding - you often have to do things for others - not for yourself.
One of the most important things I learned is that forward planning can help keep you alive - especially when it comes to the attention to detail. With any high-risk venture, you need to be versatile and prepared to change direction if necessary.
Success comes from trial and error
Q: You started hiking and climbing in North Yorkshire, then the Lake District and on to the Pennines. Next came the Scottish Highlands in winter, the Alps, Andes, and then Himalaya. How valuable was the experience of progression to you and your final triumph?
Alan: I served a traditional apprenticeship. I learned to suffer in all kinds of conditions, including bad weather such as blizzards. But that hardship paid off, because it meant that I developed a tough mental attitude - determination and resilience.
The early experiences I had and the progress forward meant that when the time came I was ready - mentally and physically - to make the leap forward to more demanding (and sometimes brutal) environments.
Q: Some of the experiences you describe in your book sound like pure hell! The slow descent from your successful climb up Shisha Pangma must have had you wondering if you’d ever get back to base camp. And your description of your bitterly cold overnighter on the way down from Annapurna gives readers the impression that a couple of days in the Gulag would have been more pleasant! In moments like those, what really kept you going?
Alan: There’s no doubt that I've had a few epics. There were long descents in blizzards, where it was hard to see our tracks. I had a few close calls with avalanches, and one avalanche buried my tent; I escaped within minutes. On Annapurna when we got to the small tent I knew I was relatively safe, so another uncomfortable night out was not a problem.
I know that some people think that there is something indefinable or magical about achieving great things, but for me it is simple. RMA/PMA. And that stands for Right Mental Attitude/Positive Mental Attitude. That is the key.
Success requires optimism, positivity, resilience
Alan: You have to combine RMA/PMA with optimism, positivity, and resilience. Whatever you set out to achieve, see it as a challenge, not a chore. You have to want it and you have to want to do everything that’s necessary to make it possible. By framing things that way, I was able to successfully climb all 14 8000ers, and return home safely.
K2: Lessons of failure and disappointment
Q: I’ve read that Everest and K2 aren’t even the same sport. K2 mountain was a tough challenge for you and it took three attempts before you summited. How did you maintain focus on that goal of summiting K2 after initial difficulty and disappointment?
Alan: Yes, K2 is steeper, has worse weather, and is difficult to access. But for me, K2 was the mountain I really wanted to climb. I was determined. Some people said I was obsessed. But I don’t believe I was obsessed. Obsession is irrational and, in mountaineering, can lead to failure and death.
In the end, it was pure Yorkshire Grit*, along with determination, resilience, and hard work. I dedicated three years of my life to K2 and finally climbed it.
The times when I turned back without reaching the summit . . . well, of course, there was an initial feeling of disappointment. But if you stay focused on the disappointment and think of your first attempts as failures, then it’s hard to move forward. You just end up making it really difficult for yourself.
Focusing on disappointment will hold you back
Alan: With K2, I didn’t focus on disappointment. The first two descents were successes in their own way, even though I didn’t summit. I had arrived back at base camp safely with all digits intact. I was healthy and set about regrouping mentally and physically. Those first two attempts were in effect preparation for the third attempt. And on that third expedition I successfully summited and returned home safely.
In fact, I got a risk management award from Outdoor Sportsman of the Year in 1995/6 for wisely backing off twice and finally succeeding at climbing K2.
Be mentally tough, don't fear suffering
Q: You once said mental toughness is as important as physical ability. How did you prepare yourself mentally on summit day when your thigh muscles were burning and you were gasping for air in the oxygen-starved Death Zone?
Mental toughness is important - there are plenty of super fit climbers who can't hack the stress of an 8000er. You need to be able to 'suffer' - perhaps I like a bit of suffering!
Alan: You can get worn down by the constant high-danger factor of avalanches, rockfalls, crevasses, extreme weather, and the very real chance of death from acute mountain sickness (AMS).
Anyone who is going to embark on a risky journey, whether as a mountaineer, some other high-risk sport, or an entrepreneur, must be able to cope with a higher level of stress than the average person. If you can’t endure discomfort or pain, you won’t make it.
Rationalize risk, keep fear contained
Alan: For me, the secret is being able to rationalise the risk. There’s also a bit of cognitive dissonance in there, too. In my mind, I am able to compartmentalize the anxiety/fear. If you’re focused on fear or anxiety too much, you’re letting it dominate and there’s a risk of it overwhelming you. So you have to be able to put it aside. And at times you have to know when to overcome it to push on and survive. What I say to anyone embarking on a major challenge is: Don’t think too much when you have no alternative.
I drew on my right mental attitude and positive mental attitude. Every peak was a challenge, and I single-mindedly focused on that challenge when things got tough.
All this comes with experience. A track record of climbing and being successful, and tackling more difficult peaks meant that I developed my intuition, gut feeling and instinct. When things were high-risk and death was a reality, I could read a situation, even when I was extremely exhausted, and know how to respond.
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