I was timid and frightened as a child. Yours truly did not shin up mountains or do any other kind of adventurous stuff.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I was scared many times on Everest, but this is all part of the challenge. When I fell down a crevasse, it was pretty scary.
I can't climb very seriously now but I was a bit of a freak.
Concerned that others were not coming onto the summit and because I had no radio link to those below me, I began to wonder if there were difficulties down the mountain. I made the decision to descend.
I won't ski in the backcountry the day after a big storm anymore. The mountains are so humbling. As soon as you think you're on top or crushing it, that's when you need to be really careful.
Despite all I have seen and experienced, I still get the same simple thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow in a high mountain gully and feel the same urge to climb towards it.
My parents strapped a pair of plastic skis on my boots when I was two years old and sent me down our driveway in Vail. Of course, they were holding on to me the whole time, but that was my first experience 'skiing.'
I tried snowboarding, and that scared the hell out of me.
My dad taught me never to be afraid of what's on the other side of the mountain.
I was a bit of a wild boy - always swimming and exploring the mountains.
I was accustomed to being in far, far riskier environments. So I thought going into that canyon was a walk in the park - there were no avalanches, it was a beautiful day and I was essentially just walking.