Achieving the Seven Summits: An Interview With Steve Giesecke

The fastest way to succeed at something difficult is to find someone who’s already done it and get them to share all their secrets. For almost every challenge on my quest for 1%, there’s at least one person behind the scenes that I’m tapping for their wisdom. Sometimes it’s a friend, sometimes it’s a mentor, and sometimes it’s even you, my readers.

When I read in my local paper that someone in my neck of the woods had just completed one of my biggest goals, a trek up all of the Seven Summits, I had to get a hold of him.

Enter Steve Giesecke.

Earlier this year Steve reached the peak of Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, completing a 20-year journey that fewer than 300 people have ever finished. That’s a long time to chase a goal, but when you find one that brings you alive, following it for a lifetime can actually be a godsend.

I had no idea who Steve was at the time, but I was inspired and had to get to know him, so I sent him a message via Facebook and asked for an interview. He mentioned he was starting to get worn out with interviews—you get a lot of attention (sometimes unwanted) when you do something incredible—but he liked Riskology.co, so I got a free pass. Lucky me. And lucky you!

I’m really happy today to be able to present to you my 25-minute telephone interview with Steve about what it takes to achieve an overwhelming challenge. Our conversation centers around mountaineering—that’s where our common interest lies—but listen carefully, because the lessons Steve shares are universal to any big goal you might have.

Listen now:

[audio:https://www.riskology.co/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Adventurecast-Episode-001.mp3]

Important Highlights:

[1:05] Steve talks about his 20-year-long challenge.
[3:10] The profound difference one moment in time can have on your entire life.
[6:40] How do you prepare for something so big?
[8:30] A conversation about how to catapult from a small challenge into a big one.
[11:40] “If you stop to rest, you won’t make it.”
[12:10] When should you turn around and call it quits?
[14:00] How Steve recovered from a serious stomach illness on Everest without turning around.
[16:20] At what cost?: Everything Steve sacrificed to meet his goal. Was it worth it?
[19:30] Which of the seven mountains was the hardest?
[22:30] What mountaineering has taught Steve about life in general.

We’re all climbing our own mountains in one way or another. How long are you willing to work to get to the top of yours? Let me know in the comments.

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