Risk Management

Mission Seven Summits - Jan 2025 update

Aconcagua – 6962 m, Tallest mountain in South America and the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas

As I hiked the final hour of the 3 days trek to the Plaza Argentina Base camp at 4200m, the staging point for the onward climb, my mind was pre-occupied in a debate on whether I should continue further and attempt the summit or call off the expedition and bow out.

My relative Cardiovascular fitness vis-à-vis that of the group and my low confidence level against the risk profile that Aconcagua presented were the driving forces behind this predicament.

An enjoyable way to summit the mountain and descend safely is to do so with about 20% remaining in the tank to be able to withstand and address the adversities that are almost a norm at such high altitudes. Most accidents in the mountains happen during the descent post summit when climbers empty their tank enroute to the summit even though general mountaineering wisdom suggests that the descent requires significantly more focus than the ascent. I didn’t want to find myself in this position higher up in the mountain.

Above all, I was not having fun in this expedition. I was somehow a different person to who I normally am on expeditions. I climb because I revel in Type 2 Fun but my instincts were leading me down a different path this time around.

As Ed Viesturs famously said, “Safety is first, fun is second and success is third” “Your instincts are telling you something, Trust them and listen to them”

And so, after sleeping over it that night at the Plaza Argentina Base Camp and after consulting my family, I made the tough decision to call off the expedition and make arrangements to head back down.

A bruised ego and sunk costs were a no-brainer trade-off with prudent risk management, something that I had learned well as a career banker. In the mountains, maturity is knowing when to respectfully bow out vs pushing forward with resilience.

So what’s next: its time get back to the drawing board, make adjustments to the training plans and then continue the journey.

“The mountain will always be there and allow you to pass when you are ready”