Getting ready to do some bouldering on Mount Blanc and put our X ALP gear to the test.
Challenging yourself on a mountain doesn’t have to mean climbing Mount Everest or setting an extreme challenge for yourself. It can be on a much smaller scale, as long as it is meaningful to you. I mainly stick to day hikes, so last year, the challenge I posed for myself was to complete my first long distance hike – the Tour du Mont Blanc, a 160km, 8000 m elevation gain that I completed in 8 days. I enjoyed it for the most part, but there were times I absolutely hated it – usually on the second uphill of the day after we had already been hiking for 6+ hours. Still, upon reflection, it gave me the courage and stamina to move my business (I’m an entrepreneur) in new directions – to take chances, I might not have taken before.
Hiking on Mount Blanc to test out X ALP gear.
Flash forward 8 months later and I topped that by trekking to Everest Base Camp – a 12 day hike that topped out at 5380m. The daily distances and elevation gain didn’t pose a challenge, but hiking with altitude sickness sure did! I struggled to enjoy it at times feeling incredibly dizzy, my breath heavy from a lung infection, but I got through it literally one step at a time while reminding myself how fortunate I was to be in the Himalayas. I applied the same one step at a time philosophy when creating How to Dominate Twitter in 12 Minutes a Day, an online course for entrepreneurs.
I’m tentatively planning another long distance hike for next summer, but needed another challenge before then.
I found it when I returned to Mont Blanc – not to climb the summit, that’s to be saved for another day when I have more mountaineering experience, but by achieving, not one, but two mountain firsts while testing out Salomon’s new X ALP line, that enables you to move freely across the whole mountain. You can read my gear review on X ALP here. On social media you can find by using the hashtag #ExpandYourPlayground. You can even tag your photos with this hashtag to have them shared by Salomon. As I would soon find out, ExpandYourPlayground was even more fitting than I could have imagined.
The first day saw us doing a short via ferrata (Klettersteig) in German. I’ve done a few of these and find it exhilarating to reach places not possibly just by hiking.
Me doing a via ferrata (Klettersteig) near Chamonix. Photo by Chris Sunnen from @last_adventurer
The next day it was time to hit THE mountain, to which of course I’m referring to Mount Blanc. It’s gorgeous anytime of year, but absolutely breathtaking in fall!
Hiking on Mount Blanc is great anytime of year, but exceptionally beautiful in fall. The X ALP line looks good from all angles!
Then we moved on to bouldering. I’ve done quite a bit of bouldering before and LOVE the challenge of trying to figure out the most effective way of moving up the mountain with the least possible effort.
Bouldering on Mount Blanc. I loved how the X ALP line moves with you freely and doesn’t restrict your movement.
Then it was time for my first first of the day….ROCKCLIMBING!!!! I’ve done via ferratas and indoor rock climbing, but have never tried rock climbing outdoors despite always wanting to. I was feeling really sick and nauseous – I was having the surgery the next day, but wasn’t going to miss my chance to try something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. And you know what? Nothing takes your mind off being sick, like being hyper focused. All that mattered was where to place my hands and feet. I tuned out the rest of the world as I slowly itched myself up the climbing route. And you know what, not only did I enjoy it, I LOVED IT. Climbing requires such intense concentration. You have to be in the moment – and that’s something I could apply to other areas of my life. I truly believe you can accomplish more meaningful work and more effectively when you just try to do one thing at a time.
Me rock climbing for the first time and on Mount Blanc of all places! The shoes were great for edging – no slipping even on wet rocks!
But I wasn’t done expanding my playground. My second first of the day was…trying crampons and an ice axe! Our guide demonstrated how to ascend a steep snowy slope, and even more comically descend….walk like a duck, he instructed. It looks funny, but it does work!
Taking time to stop walking like a duck to capture my first time using crampons and an ice axe, while showing off the X ALP line from head to toe.
These two mountain firsts invigorated me. I want to learn, I want to do more. I want to keep finding new ways of challenging myself – and not only with hiking. I want to expand my playground – both on and off the mountain!
Tell me about your next challenge.
Note: Special thank you to Salomon for introducing me to rock climbing, and using crampons and an ice axe. As always all opinions expressed are my own. Read my review of the entire X ALP line here.
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