I dedicate a big part of my life to collecting summits all over the world and I wanted to share my main reasons why collecting high mountains is such a great thing to dedicate yourself to.

On the slopes of Peak Korzhenevskaya (7105m) Tadjikistan 2017

The summit gratification

The goal is very clear and the reward is topped off with a usually very beautiful 360 degree view. I always take time to take in the landscape and taking a few summit photos and videos. The harder the challenge the stronger the internal reward. There is no spectators in this arena but its still your arena and it can be very emotional, on my hardest solo ascents I have been screaming out loud like I would have scored the final goal in a world cup soccer final on other summits I have been crying because it can be a very emotional experience specially on the solo summits. The energy received at the summit can also make the descent easier. A small warning: the understanding of that the most accidents happen on the way down is also very important to be aware off. Willpower is needed to succeed but it can also kill you, if you are pushing yourself to hard and dont have enough energy to make it down.

How I live my life

I make better choices in everyday life when I have big mountain plans. I focus on training, recovery, nutrition, plenty of sleep and my mental health. All those components need to be in place during the preseason and that season is pretty much the hole year when I am not on the mountains. Living an active lifestyle also prevents aging and contributes to a better mental health and prevents depression symptoms.

Life on the mountain

The skill to survive outside of society in some of the toughest and coldest conditions this planet can present and on that pushing my body in the oxygen low environment that the high mountains presents. These situations are usually uncomfortable and presents great opportunity for mental practice. To still be grateful of life and keeping a positive state of mind is the way to push through hard moments for me and never let tiredness and fatigue affect how I view and respond to my climbing parters. If I can master this at altitude it will be easy to maintain in everday life and I do measure myself in the way I treat other people.

Dealing with failure

Sometimes I dont summit. To learn when to cancel a summit attempt is very important. It can be a great practice in recognizing the ego and having a bigger perspective on life when climbs dont go my way. Accepting defeat and improving for the next project is the way I choose. Make the summit or get new insights about yourself, the route, the weather or the agency that is providing your climb. In life we all fail sometimes and learning to deal failure is one of the best ways to improve in any area.

The nature experience beyond civilization vs materialism 

I feel most alive above 6000m were the air is thin, surviving is a struggle and the views are worldclass. Collecting these experiences have a greater value to me then owning any material thing.

Learning full responsibility

In a environment were there is no room for mistakes I learn to avoid them and prevent them, when you know the consequences can be death it shifts your focus. This is something very hard to simulate in society. Everything from equipment to partners needs to be overseen and potential risks considered. When a misstake happens its usually not the first that kills you but the following ones that are a result from the first one, so recognize them early from early signs of high altitude sickness to lack of your own knowledge about to the mountain. Learning to take real responsibility for your actions is more important then ever when living in a society that promotes mediocracy and consumption culture.

The adventure I get and the people I meet

The adventure in it self and all the unknown things and meetings that happen as a result from taking the decision to commit to a mountain project.

The travel experience

Usually visiting high mountains above 5000m require quite a bit of travelling. Enjoy the travel experience and the places you get to visit along the way. The journey to the mountains is more then only transportation if you want it to be so. Many mountain projects I have approached by bicycle carrying all the gear on the bicycle. I can recommend this approach for the added travel and adventure reward that this provides.

The camping experience 

Because the greatest campspots with the most breathtaking views are all above 6000m.

Campspot on 6400m on peak Korzhenevskaya, Tadjikistan

Total summits climbed above 5000m: 27

Full mountain collection can be found here.

Have a look at my next project:

Link to donate to the Uplift house

Enjoy the Mountains,

Tim

When I identify my own obstacles on my journey towards new adventures these are some of the things that are coming up. To move forward its important to understand what is holding you back. I have been struggling with all of the obstacels mentioned at some degree. If you keep attention on these obstacles trough out your life I can promise you that you will be out on your dream adventure project much faster.

Obstacle 1:

Money, financial intelligence, and expensive lifestyle. Generating the economic situation needed to go on your dream adventure.

Solution

Best advice to someone similar to me that have a monthly salary is: Dont waste it all! Some of it needs to be saved for your future adventures. Pretend you earn less and have less to spend each month, then you will create the opportunity to put money away towards your project. Dont buy stuff you dont need and work extra hours to help your adventure budget.

Obstacle 2:

Dwelling on bad situations that can happen when you are on the road and being afraid to except the risks of adventures.

Solution

You need to be aware of the risks as good as possible but dont let that stop you from trying, or you will regret that when you are old and without the energy to create the adventure you once had in your mind. And getting in trouble is great mental practice. If you get in trouble you need to see it as great practice because the lessons learned will serve you for the rest of your life. I know this very well from experience. I have been exposed to robbery twice, theft twice, spending time in a holding cell in Mexico. But with the right mental attitude unforeseen situations are just obstacles that needs to be dealt with.

Obstacle 3:

Surrounded by people that dont inspire you to take action and distract you from putting in the work to make your adventure happen.

Solution

This is maybe the most primary reason that your adventure does still only exist in your mind. Stop listening to people that dont know anything about outdoor adventures. The probability that you are surrounded with people that know what they are talking about when it comes to outdoor projects and human powered travel is just very low. There is two reasons for this. Reason one being our collective knowledge for what is possible to do outdoors on our own is very low on average is society. The second reason is that if you would have been surrounded by people who were taking action on their dreams, you would probably be out now doing what you were meant to do. So choose a new environment for your passion to get the right support from your new social circle. Tip: join communities online.

We all start somewere, this is the starting point of my first bicycletour back in 2001. We made it about 300km down to my friends summer house in Skåne, south of Sweden. Im in far right in the picture getting some last minute advice from mom 😉

Obstacle 4:

Sugar, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, gaming, gambling, partying, over eating, social gratification, materialistic gratification… When your addictions gets off balance and take away chunks of your time and contribute to lower quality of your well being that leads to lower motivation, happiness and focus on what you really need to do with your time to achieve your goals.

Solution

Higher awareness. Identify habits. Identify whats holding you back that affect your state of mind negatively that can be exchanged for a more healthy state of mind that will give you the window of clear thinking and making it easier to plan or stay on track with your dreams. This one is tricky and very personal but all off us have things that hold us back. And all of us have the potential to make changes and adjustments in our lifestyles to direct the mind into healthier habits.

Obstacle 5:

Loss of time and digital entertainment distraction from moving towards your goals.

Solution

Make sure to create an environment online were your attention is exposed to learning and expanding on your interests. Focus on creating the best daily feed for you and learn how to sort out the information that is distraction or only pure entertainment. Everyone wants your attention so treat your attention as a currency invested mostly into your development and inspiration.

Obstacle 6:

There is a really high probability that nobody in your daily surroundings wants to support your quest for a next level life experience.

Solution

Dont mind your employer or workmates, following your dreams requires you to be the strongest force behind your actions. Treat people with respect, but recognize that you might have to switch environment and social circle to expand and grow. Learn to say no. So quitting your job is an option. If you know how to create value for your company and building a good relationship with your employers you might figure out a way to be a part time employed so you can go on your adventures in between work periods. Thats how I am living life right now, working until june this year and then I am off again on a new outdoor high altitude project.

Göran Kropp in Turkey 1995. On his way cycling from Sweden to Nepal and then climbing Everest without supplementary oxygen. Probably the most famous modern adventure made by a Swedish person to this day. Photo shared from Renatas Chlumskas homepage here.

Obstacle 7:

Comfortable in the comfortzone, trapped in the comfort society and afraid of discomfort.

You will never get the feeling of exploring new horizons if you stay on land all the time. Satisfaction is maybe holding you back, living only off the comfort provided by society will long term make your mind weak and vulnerable to changes and your body will age faster as it requires physical stress to build up the anti inflammatory systems.

Solution:

Exposing yourself to controlled discomfort as in sports, outdoor activity’s and other experiences that makes your mind and body to function on a higher level will benefit your overall well being and contribute to the personal development needed for you to create your adventures.

Obstacle 8:

Material possessions. Focusing your time, energy and cash to consume and collect stuff that wont contribute to you taking any step closer to the starting line of your project.

Solution:

For the same money you buy a second hand car you could travel around the world on a bicycle. You need to start comparing materialistic investment to the values of experiences, to make the shift. How to become a minimalist and readjust your belief system for what you really need? Try a bicycletour and live life for a couple of weeks with only the materialistic possessions you can carry on the bicycle, this will help you get the insight that you can be totally happy, free and healthy with only the stuff you can carry and transport yourself. Everything else is a great luxury.

Obstacle 9:

Relationships you have that hold you back.

Solution

Dont blame yourself for how others might react to your adventure plans. The people that supports you are the ones that you need to spend more time with. But dont underestimate to have some of your greatest disbelievers close to you, it can be a great practice in sharing your values and lifestyle ideas. If you explain that this is what makes you happy, you are off with a good start. Nobody except you knows what you need more of in your life to be happy and fulfilled.

The greatest adventures are out there for you to create.

Obstacle 10:

Fear of what others might Think and emotions connected to fear in general.

Solution

This is something that keeps you from exploring your true potential. Many times this is unconscious and we cant recognize it ourselves until we build awareness around it.
Awareness can be build around your emotional systems to identify when surtain emotions are coming up then you can focus on the feeling of the emotion and not acting on it. Fear response is a very natural response that comes up for us in different situations, its when we learn to identify it and properly see the situation that were causing it we can move forward without the feeling of fear. Try rockclimbing and try to identify exactly when you feel fear and dont act on it, just identify if you actually are in real danger or is your mind freaking out and you are perfectly safe, potentially taking a controlled ropefall. Next time in the same situation the fear will be less or go away because there were no real danger in the first place. Same approach works on many other fear related obstacles.

Obstacle 11:

Negative thinking and “I can’t” mentality.

Solution

Its important to understand that you can become capable of great things when you observe your thought processes. Stop being a prisoner to your mind and start building awareness around your negative thoughts. You should only choose thoughts that serve and help you in the right direction. Let others challenge you with their negativity but dont create it inside of yourself because it won’t help you working towards your adventures.

Obstacle 12:

Your beliefs and your doubts.

Solution

Building your confidence up by taking away all insecurities through experience you collect along the way. Dedication and continuity are the two most important things to consider to create what you are dreaming of doing. For example I find it quite easy to save money and training for my adventures as exploring the planet is my biggest passion. How important is it for you to embark on your dream adventure? If its important enough you will pass all the obstacles in the way. Nobody knows your true potential. Dont underestimate yourself.

I am also posting adventure inspiration on Instagram have a look at my account here: