#11: Karl Egloff (Mountain Athlete) - Balancing family with racing up the world's tallest peaks - The Athlete Dad

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
I remember once I was climbing the south wall of
Aconcawa we were late later thanwe thought it was really cold,
about 40 degrees Celsius belowzero my friend, who is my rope
partner on this expedition, hestarted to struggle and he said

(00:31):
Carl cut the rope.
It was the very first time Iwas worried we're not going to
make it.
I was hearing my son in a kindof a voice telling me like that
I knew him and I was seeing himin chapters in life when he was
a grown up man looking back anddad was there sitting in the

(00:55):
chair and I remember my sonlooking into this empty chair
and I said no, no, I have to bein this chair, I have to be
there.
I cannot give up right now.
My kids gave me strength.
My kids gave me a reason tolive.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Welcome to the athlete dad podcast, where we
explore the intersection ofphysical pursuits and fatherhood
.
I'm your host, ben Gibson, andeach episode will dive deep into
topics like modeling, ambition,achieving balance and
intentional integration aroundathletic passions and parenting.
If you're seeking to accomplishyour goals as an athlete while

(01:41):
crushing it as a parent, thenyou've come to the right place.
It is so good to be back behindthe microphone for another
season of the athlete dad.
I am so excited for theimprovements and the new ideas
that are dropping this year.
We're really going to blowthings up and I'm so grateful to

(02:04):
have you along listening forthe ride as we continue to build
this community of the athletedad.
A lot of this stuff, a lot ofthese new ideas, we're going to
be sharing and announcing on ourInstagram, that's, at the
athlete dad, so make sure you'refollowing us there, and also
through our email list, whichyou can sign up for on our

(02:25):
website, theathletedadcom, whereyou'll also get access to
exclusive content, giveaways,behind the scenes looks and more
.
All that said, most importantly, I am thrilled to bring you our
first guest of the year, who isan absolute legend and
incredible human being in somany ways.

(02:47):
Today you're hearing myconversation with Carl Igolov.
You can find him on Instagramat atcarlwithaKigolov.
You go check out his Instagrambecause Carl is a world-renowned
Swiss mountaineer based inEcuador and, yes, we will unpack

(03:07):
that a bit in the conversation.
He also has incredible successin mountain biking and trail
running and adventure racing,but I think Carl is most well
known for his mountaineeringprowess, specifically his speed
ascents, and we're going to talkabout something called an FKT
or fastest known time, if you'renot familiar with the term,

(03:27):
which is basically the fastestprovable time that someone has
completed an objective, and inthis sense, we're talking about
speed climbing records.
Carl has broken eight differentspeed climbing records, world
records and this is not speedclimbing like you may have seen
in the Olympics, where they'rejust like speed climbing up a
wall in a matter of seconds.
This is speed climbing on someof the world's tallest peaks.

(03:51):
Carl's records includes speedascents and descents on peaks
like 20,000 foot Makalu in Nepalin a mere 18 hours, on Kodopaxi
in Ecuador, a 19,000 foot peakin an hour and 36 minutes, and
on Denali 20,000 foot Denali in11 hours and 44 minutes, not to

(04:15):
skip over the rest of them, butthese are peaks like Elbrus in
Aconcagua and Cerro Plomo andKilla Manjaro, and just for some
context on how fast that is, Iwas on Denali for a month,
basically climbing the mountainfor three weeks, and, granted,
carl goes up and acclimates, butCarl went from base camp to

(04:36):
summit and back down on foot, noskis, in 11 hours and 52
minutes.
He climbed Kodopaxi in an hourand a half.
So slap 30 minutes onto thisconversation and that's how long
it took him to go from basecamp to summit to base camp on a
19,000 foot Kodopaxi In Makalu17 hours, like it's unfathomable

(04:57):
.
And, most importantly, all thiswithout supplemental oxygen.
The world's greatestunderstatement is to say that
Carl is very, very fast atclimbing mountains.
His next project is to continueto try to knock off all the
speed records on the tallestpeak on each of the seven
continents, by attempting tobreak the speed record on

(05:18):
Everest, which is also insanelyfast.
Carl runs an internationalguiding company, cumbretur's in
Ecuador, which specializes inhiking and climbing in Ecuador
but also all over the world.
And, most importantly, carl is afather and a husband and in
this episode we learn about howCarl grew up in the mountains,

(05:38):
climbing as a kid with his owndad.
He has this amazing amount oftraining he has to get to.
So we hear about how hebalances the incredible workload
he has to do for these featswith his desire to be a present
and engaged dad, which I knowyou will all get a ton of value
out of hearing about.
And, of course, we'll hearabout some of his incredible

(05:59):
stories, about his climbs, abouthis struggles and, above all
else, his perspective on goalsand life, which personally I
always find to be the mosthelpful.
And, as always, pictures andresources are linked in the show
notes, which you willdefinitely want to check out to
add some perspective to theseclimbs and these feats.
And so, without further ado,please enjoy season two's

(06:23):
kickoff with the amazing CarlIgloff.
Carl, I am so excited to haveyou here.
Just want to express mygratitude and thank you,
especially right after theholidays coming to have this
conversation.
So thank you so much, excitedto have you join the
conversation today.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Thank you, ben.
It's a pleasure and I really,really, really feel very
privileged to talk to you and,yeah, especially what we are
talking today, it's so funbecause we have a lot of things
to talk about.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
Absolutely, and it's an often unexplored aspect of, I
think, an athlete's life is togo into the role that they play
when they're not wearing theathlete cap you know, the father
, the husband, the friend, allthe other things that make up
the majority of our lives.
I would love to help kind ofset context for our listeners so
they get an idea of what lifelooks like for you today, and I

(07:14):
typically think of this in termsof like two buckets there's
life inside the home and there'slife outside of the home.
So what are you really excitedabout that's happening inside of
your home right now?
And then, what are you reallyexcited about that's happening
outside of your home?

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Well, I really think the most important thing is to
have what you mentioned, likeboth lives On the end.
You're not living just insideyour house.
You have to keep living anddoing your things and your
projects and your sports andhave the right balance.
So I think on both sides youneed to have this motivation.
So right now, of course, it'sChristmas time.

(07:50):
It's beautiful to be at home.
The children, they are shiningtheir eyes with all this
presence and all these dreamsand decoration and stories and
songs and everything.
So it's definitely a beautifultime to be at home.
And on the other side, ofcourse, next year is just around
the corner, so a lot ofprojects are getting built and

(08:12):
you are already preparingtraining schedules, troubles and
everything.
So on both sides, a lot ofthings are moving already for
the next year.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
We were chatting before we started recording and
I thought it was just a greatexample of this balance that you
talk about.
You've just celebratedChristmas with your family at
home, and then you went on thisamazing climb, one of your
favorite mountains.
Could you tell us a bit moreabout what you were getting up
to on this particular climb?

Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yes, of course.
Well, on this time of the yearwe are here in Ecuador in the
middle of the high season, soright now it's a lot of tourism
here in Ecuador climbing ourvolcanoes.
It's the best time of the yearto climb them.
So it's busy time and to havethe right balance to be at home
and, on the same time, don'tmiss anything with the kids and

(08:58):
in school and all thepresentations and everything.
But I'm glad I had a couple ofdays where I could go to the
mountains and have this amazingfreedom on the mountain too.
And one of the most beautifulclimbs here in Ecuador is by far
Antisana, which is the fourthhighest peak here in Ecuador.
But it's a very broken glacierwhere you have to kind of

(09:21):
looking.
Every single time you'reclimbing the mountain is a
different road.
You have to check where thecrevasses are holding or jump
over bridges on crevasses andclimb some beautiful slopes.
So it's definitely as a guide.
You are on the element.
You have to just think a littlebit, where should I come down?

(09:41):
And you have to track the road,you have to put wangs on the
road and everything.
So this is definitely one ofthe most beautiful times here in
Ecuador.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
People typically hit the top three, so the fourth
highest is probably one that isa bit more untraveled than the
other ones, I imagine.

Speaker 1 (09:57):
Well, yes, the highest mountain here in Ecuador
is Chiporazo, which is the only6,000 meter mountain here we
have, and then the second one isthe fifth most climbed mountain
in the world, which is Coropaxi, and it's the emblematic, very
well known, symbolic mountain inEcuador where normally people
always say, ah, coropaxi,ecuador, like the Galapagos,

(10:18):
ecuador.
So definitely, coropaxi is ahuge, a huge motivation for the
people to come to Ecuador, buthas been closed for the last two
years.
It's very active the volcano sowe have some toxic air around
there.
It's still closed for tourism,so a lot of people coming to

(10:40):
Ecuador are doing othermountains instead of Coropaxi,
and this helps also to knowother mountains, mountains that
normally nobody climbs right now.
They are in the bucket list, soCayambe and Antisa, anilinesas
and all those beautifulmountains that we have right now
are very crowded on this timeof the year.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense and it's something
I don't think we think aboutoften.
I mean, you know, here inOregon, all, all of our
mountains are volcanoes too,right, I think it's kind of a
pretty common thing up and downnorth and South America, but not
not true in a lot of otherplaces, like, you know, the
Rockies or whatnot, but we oftenforget that they are still
active.
You know, we see thesebeautiful glaciated peaks and

(11:21):
it's like it's actually stillgrowing.
It's still moving.
There's a lot of activity andHopefully it doesn't completely,
you know, pull a mountain, stHelens, and and blow itself up.
But you know that that's a,yeah, really interesting insight
that it's been closed for a fewyears.
I know that you've been, youknow, an athlete for pretty much
your entire life.
You've been competing inmountain biking and trail
running and, and now your latestis really the mountaineering

(11:43):
aspect of it.
Where did these athletic feats,this ambition to be out in the
mountains like?
Where did that start for you inyour life?

Speaker 1 (11:50):
Well, in my case it was.
It was simple because my fatherwas a mountain guy, so he took
me out there when I was verylittle I don't even remember how
old I was, I was definitely noteven in an age to take a to say
no, actually, he just took meup to the mountains and I was
always following His groups andhe always told me like okay, if

(12:14):
you want to come with me, youwill be not claiming for for
food or for beverages, or justlet us stop or go slower If you
are coming with a group, you arejust to follow like a soldier
and be quiet and just, yeah,this is, these are the rules.
So I always Was very quiet.
I was on the, on the very backof of the, of the, of the

(12:37):
tourist line, and Of course Iwas growing up with this
Ambience and guiding and talkinglanguages and everything and of
course I was growing andgetting better and getting
better in shape.
So one day my father said okay,I cannot just hold you back.
You should go to the other peakand to the other peak and to
the other peak, just be back tothe car when everyone else is

(12:58):
back.
So I started to explore and Iwas starting to look where are
my limits and start to climbfree, solo, without a rope, here
and there.
And my father was an Untypicalfather, because normally as a
father you always hold your kidsback and say like, take care,
you're gonna fall down, you'regonna break something.
And my father was always like,if you cannot climb this, you
won't become a guide.

(13:19):
So I said, yeah, that, but it'sa bit dangerous in a said like,
if you don't risk you, you arenot.
You are not a good mountainguide.
So I was always beingchallenged by him, and this is
why I we say here in Spanish Ihave more stripes as a tiger.

Speaker 2 (13:37):
Because yeah.

Speaker 1 (13:39):
I, we grew up with the mountains and it was
beautiful.
So every weekend, every weekend, I was asking him To take me
with him after school, and forme, on Saturday was always a
venture day.
And so when I was in very earlyage, I always my biggest wish
was to become an internationalmountain guide, and this is how

(14:00):
I came Actually to the scene ofmountaineering, which is not
typical, because normally herein Ecuador we look to the
mountains as the Nepali or otherChinese.
They are for tourists more thanfor the locals, and this is how
I grew up.
When you went up to a hut or toa refuge, you normally were
Talking in English or French orGerman, but normally you you

(14:22):
never talked in Spanish, andthis changed today a lot.
You have more than 60.
70% of the climbers are locals,but those back or those days it
was just for a foreigner.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
I love that Perspective that he had and I
feel like that.
You know, I hear this a lotwhen I'm talking with folks
around their relationship withtheir own Bothers and then also
the.
You know the dynamic of howparents kind of show up today
and I do agree there's this IDon't think coddled is the right
word but I feel like we aremuch more protective of our kids

(14:54):
.
We we don't let we don't letthem off the there on a long
leash, we don't let them wanderout and explore in the outdoors
as much, and I certainly hadthat as a kid myself.
But I do find a little bit ofhesitation when I think about
that for my own kids.
And I just love the.
I love the visual of you goingout, your dad pushing you to go

(15:14):
climb these peaks, climb themalone, get that experience, not
just to be a mountain guide, butlike what that did for you as a
person and how that helped yougrow and develop.
I'm sure there's definitelylike a level of maturity that
you had to really develop as ayoung guy to to be able to go Do
those things on your own.
What, when you think about that, that perspective that your dad

(15:36):
had with you?
How do you think abouttranslating that same idea to
your own kids?
Do you feel like you show upthat same way, or are there
things that you would want to dodifferently with your own kids?

Speaker 1 (15:49):
Well, this is an amazing question, then, because,
as an as a professional athlete, as a mounted guide, of course,
our biggest wish is our kids tofollow our path and you want to
take them up to all the summitsand just to understand your
world and why you are sofascinated when you are go out
there, even if you are doing the500 times the same peak.

(16:09):
And they are always asking meabout that.
You already climbed thatmountain and I said, yeah, I
climbed it many, many years agofor the first time.
So, but it's every time and anew time and new, a new chapter,
and as a dad, I always havebeen very, very anxious my kids
to hate this world like I don'twant to go out there, it's too

(16:30):
cold, it's.
I don't want to walk, I preferto stay at home.
So I have my wife.
She's also mountaineer so I wasalways very conservative taking
my kids up to the mountains.
So I was always, always waitinguntil they asked me to bring
them up there and not force themin any point.
Of course, when we are out there, I Cannot Hold them back.

(16:54):
I, of course, if they want toclimb the rock, just go for it.
If you're gonna fall, you, youknow your risks and I'm
definitely not the one holdingyou back.
And I Try to teach them how todo it.
I teach them how to run, how todescend, how to climb and
everything, but always Waitinguntil they ask me.

(17:14):
Not forcing, because normallydads are the one they want their
kids to do things.
They want to do it, but thatthe kids they probably don't
want to do it.
But you, of course, they wantto make dad happy and they are
going into this adventure, buton halfway they are not having
fun anymore.
And then it's that who ispushing them and like, hey, we
are out here and we have to dothis and we are so close and on

(17:38):
the end they're gonna hate it.
So this is for me so importantas a dad that I'm always Hold
myself back, and the best way todo that is to train before that
means I go out there alone.
I.

Speaker 2 (17:53):
I.

Speaker 1 (17:53):
I do my session before I'm tired.
I've come back home and whenI'm I'm completely tired, I'm
much more flexible with theirdecisions.
So I I'm, I already did myworkout, so I don't have to do
any workout anymore, so they arenot the reason I have to go out
there.
This is very important what I'msaying, because, as an athlete,

(18:14):
sometimes you say, okay, I'mwasting my day, they are not
walking fast, and I have to domy performance today, and so on,
and it's not about you, it'sabout them, and this is very
important to understand.
There are two different things.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
I'm laughing because that's totally me, I'm.
I'm the latter of like tryingto bring my kids along of my
workouts, because I know it'simportant, I want to spend that
time with them, I want to givethem the exposure.
But I'm also Really frustratedwhen I'm like guys, I'm supposed
to be in zone three, I'm inbarely in zone one right now,
like we've got to get going,we've got five more hours, no,

(18:48):
we can't stop for snacks anymore.
And so that's a really greattip, I think, is, yeah, I get
the workout in it, in itadvanced, and then go back to
give them the exposure, so thatyou're much more flexible.
That's a really, really goodpoint and I I think it's it's
hard because there's a, there'sa, there's a balance that we try
to strike to of like I want togive you this exposure, not just
because of I love it and I wantyou to experience what I love

(19:11):
about it, but also I'm sure youbelieve that there are valuable
Lessons to be learned from beingin the mountains.
So that balance of like howmuch we we do kind of need to
push them a little bit, isreally tough and it's different
at every age, I find, and andyou've got, you know fairly
young kids.
But getting getting a littleolder, like how do you think

(19:32):
about that aspect of when tostart pushing them a little bit
more to do hard things, to beuncomfortable, to be cold, to be
a little hungry, versus when topull back, like, do you feel
like you have a good idea ofthat?

Speaker 1 (19:45):
Well, yes, of course, because I'm a very competitive
dad.
I've always been verycompetitive.
I started competing very earlyage.
I've been competing almost 30years of my life in different
sports, so of course I cannotjust hold back my competitive
Mentality.
So when my son is out there andmy son is seven right now and
he's, he's in a in a swimmingfestival, and mom says it's just

(20:09):
a festival, it doesn't care ifhe wins or not, he just has to
be there.
And I said to him and he's, ITalked to him before and I said
you have to win.
And he said like, yeah, I willgive my best nose and you have
to win.
And he said like, and the momsays like, don't push him too
much.
And I said, no, I know you canwin, but you have to believe in
yourself.
You have to believe in that youare half the capacity of being

(20:33):
faster than the rest.
And of course he was swimmingand he was looking to me and
then he finished first and thenhe holds his arms and I said,
like you, I know that you, youwere.
I knew every time that you wereable to do this, but of course
I don't want to pressure him toomuch, so from time to time it's
okay, but not every single day.
And when we are out there.

(20:55):
We were cycling yesterday andhe said like today's goal is to
To make the longest in distancein cycling, so far and he said
like, oh so how many miles do wehave to write?
and I said, so many miles wehave to write and he said, okay,
how many miles left?
So we need some goals, andthese goals and objectives
Motivates the kids.

(21:16):
So I told him, if we break thismile record, you will, you
deserve and the big ice cream.
And he said like he was alwayslooking for this big ice cream.
So on the end, it's just mymentality, I think it's it's
okay to push them up as far asthey have fun.
If they don't have fun anymore,that then yeah, turn it off.

Speaker 2 (21:38):
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
It's it seems like you reallyrecognize that that swim meet
was a moment where you couldreally drive, that it wasn't
just like hey, it's a swimpractice, like let's be first at
swim practice, but you reallysaw that as a good opportunity
and it seems like that's thatyou know.
I agree because, like they're,you know, as, again, as a
competitor, you know that thereare valuable Experiences and

(22:00):
skills to be gained from oneself belief and self confidence,
even if he didn't win that race.
The.
The practice of Belief andconfidence and knowing that
you've put in the work and thatyou you've done everything you
need to do to deserve to Befirst, is such a valuable
experience.
But to you show up so muchdifferently in that competitive
experience that, again, if you,if you win, if you just barely

(22:23):
lose, if you Totally don't,don't even metal, like all of
that is so valuable but the factthat you put your all into it
to try to win is so important.
So, yeah, I agree and I do lovethe idea that you started really
driving these things in thosemoments.
And it sounds like then he hadthe idea of, hey, how many miles
do we need to go and you madesure that it was fun with the
ice cream instead of so yeah, Ithink that that's a really good

(22:45):
one.
I've tried to do somethingsimilar with With skiing.
My son started ski lessons thisyear, and so he only gets hot
cocoa and and as manymarshmallows as he wants after
ski days, and so right after theski he's got his big gray.
He's like hot cocoa and we'relike yes exactly like you had
fun, you tried, you tried yourbest, you did great, and now
we're gonna go celebrate withsome hot cocoa stuff.

Speaker 1 (23:07):
Absolutely, absolutely agree with that, yeah
that's awesome.

Speaker 2 (23:11):
Now, when you think about like these, these next
phases of of your kids gettingolder, you know, I think that
you know especially seven youknow you start to kind of get
into these really pivotalmoments of Growing into becoming
a man, learning responsibility,more self-reliance, like what
kind of things do you want tomake sure?
What opportunities I should saydo you want to make sure you

(23:32):
give your son much like, kind oflike what you had to Try to
really help him grow and developas as a growing into manhood
but also growing as an athlete,like if you thought about these
kind of like rites of passagesthat you maybe want your son to
to experience.

Speaker 1 (23:48):
Well, this is a deep question because but definitely,
definitely your Multitasks.
I always was worried Showing mykid just my athlete life,
because I thought probably hewants to miss school and just
run, is that, or just climb, isthat, and and don't pay

(24:10):
attention in school, because hesaid I'm son of Carl Legler, so
probably I will become anathlete and this is my life, and
this is exactly not the valuethat I wanted to show him.
I wanted to show him discipline.
I wanted to show him that Ihave to wake up three hours
earlier than everyone else Justto make sure that I can train
and then go to the office andshow him that also the office
life and our Agency that we areworking for is our, our normal

(24:35):
life, and to become an athletemeans this.
You have to have two lives inthe same time.
Why?
Because you show them bothvalues, that you have to study,
that you have to go foruniversity, that you have to
train hard and and there is alot of discipline behind and you
are eating also very differentfood, or you take care of

(24:59):
yourself, of your body andeverything.
And I think the most importantthing is that with seven, he
understands that I'm aprofessional athlete.
That means that that today youhave to train yes, son, I have
to train.
And dad, what time are yougoing to the office?
Yes, son, I have to go to theoffice.
I have to respond some emails,I have some meetings and on the
end of the day, he finally, withseven, understood that I'm not

(25:22):
just playing around on my freetime or on their free time to do
something that I'm Justpretending.
For me it's, it's a real life totrain every day and then to
compete and to be very good inshape.
And of course, there arechapters where you have to show
him also on the same time thatEven if you do it every day, you

(25:45):
still have fun and you lovewhat to do.
So you are very privileged todo that.
So this is the answer when he'sasking why you are climbing the
mountain for the fifth or thesixth or the seventh time in the
Last month, because it's it'smy job and I'm still love to be
out there.
So I think the balance of anormal office life with an

(26:06):
athlete life is a big, it's abig challenge.
Sometimes you are tired, youdon't want to go to the office,
you would love to take napbecause you kids didn't sleep
well, but you still have toperform.
So it's always this balancethat I've been, yeah, juggling
in the last few years,especially with sufficient

(26:27):
recovery, because sometimes youreally struggle with bad nights.
I have a two year old daughterand and of course she gives me,
of course, sometimes reallyTerrifying nights.
So sometimes you wake up atfour and you wish to sleep ten
more hours.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
Yes, I love that and I love what you hit on is like
the exposure For them to thewhole process, not just seeing
dad go compete or not seeingjust the successes, but also
like how, how it all, how it allcomes together, how your
business life comes together,bringing them to the office.
I'm seeing the training, seeingthe diet, seeing the sacrifices,

(27:06):
seeing the time management youknow, waking up at 3 am To go do
the workouts.
I mean, I can still think aboutmy own dad and I knew he did
the same things he would, exceptfor he would get up that early
to go get his work in so thatthen he could come to like my
wrestling practice and all thosethings and those are ingrained
on my brain.
So I know that those are soimportant, probably for your son
as well, and I think that, yeah, that process of seeing you

(27:28):
work through it again Not justthe good but but the bad, like
what can you think of any anytimes where your son was
witnessed to when things didn'tgo well, when maybe you failed
or things were worse, were astruggle?

Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yes, yes, for sure.
I think this is a Veryimportant.
We can.
We can fail as Dad, as adults.
We can fail many times andsometimes, of course, you
prepared four or five, sixmonths for a certain project and
then you had bad weather, oryou were not able to start, or

(28:02):
the money from the sponsors thatwe were saving is gone and they
, they decide to do somethingelse with the money in you, as
an athlete, prepared for so manymonths, and you cannot go.
But I think the most, well, Ithink that in a particular, in a
particular Moment where I canthink right now, which was

(28:24):
probably the worst moment weever had as a family, was that
we got robbed here in Ecuador,and about a year ago, exactly on
those on this festivities, onearly Christmas time, and when
we got robbed we were tight, wewere three hours raped there in
a house and we had guns on ourheads and when, when the thieves

(28:47):
were gone, I remember I wascrying.
I was, I was hugging my familyand I was crying and my sons
said Dad, are they gone?
And they said, yeah, they aregone, they are not here anymore.
And then you are thinking as adad.
I would like to cry.
I would like to just, I'm ahuman.

(29:08):
This is a moment that you don'tknow how to react Nobody trains
you how to react and, andinside I had this feeling of
care.
You have to give them security.
You are that.
You have to give them that.
This, this, the most importantthing right now is to give them
peace and that they are safe andthey are the other, that the

(29:32):
bad people are gone and you.
You are not the kid right now.
So give them a Big hug.
And I remember those momentsthat I was.
I was holding my son and andand giving him wise words, and
as soon as he was with mom, Iwas crying like a baby, in, in,
in, in.
In the bathroom and, and shewas doing the same.

(29:54):
We she was taking a shower andcrying, and we were trying to
kind of use this wall betweenthe bathroom and and and our
kids room to understand that wecannot bring our feelings to
them because they will Feel evenworse.
That are feeling and, and justto separate both.
So I think this in real life,also in projects, in processes,

(30:16):
in as an athlete, when you getinjured or when things are not
Working smooth I think this isvery important sometimes to to
know what we are saying, and andand.
How can we teach them tounderstand that we are humans
too, that we can do mistakes,and that the lives is life is
not over, that these are gonnateach us to be better humans,

(30:38):
definitely?

Speaker 2 (30:39):
and Carl, I really appreciate you sharing that with
us.
I I can't even imagine whatthat experience must have been
like, and you know, that'sexactly where my mind went when,
when you said it was the ideathat, you know, as dads, we
especially, I think, feel thatpressure to be the protectors,
to keep our family and our kidssafe and to give them that
reassurance that everything'sgonna be okay even when things

(31:01):
are really bad.
And so you know, I think thatthat you know it's as difficult
as a situation as that must be,you know, and them getting to
witness how you respond and howyour wife responds, yeah, that
must have been a really powerfulmoment for them, and you know
it's.
It's never that we would wishthese negative experiences,

(31:22):
these hard experiences like that, in our lives, but you know we
we definitely have to expectthem right, bad things are gonna
happen, really awful things aregonna go on, especially if we
live a long life.
You know Friends are gonna pass, family members are gonna have
tragedies, and I think that youknow, one thing I always think
of, and one of the reasons Iwant to make sure I continue
pursuing Athletic endeavors, isbecause I believe in that.

(31:46):
You know I'm gonna totallymisquote it, but it's that idea
that when times are good youhave to stay sharp, you have to
do the hard things when thetimes are good so that when the
hard times come, you are strongand prepared.
How much of your life Do youfeel like has been influenced
the the ability to show upstrong in those difficult
moments?

(32:06):
How much of that do you feellike has been influenced by the
hard things that you have doneas an athlete?

Speaker 1 (32:13):
Well, I think chapters in life, as you
mentioned before, makes you theperson you are and this I think
nobody has.
The the perfect, smooth lifeforever.
Nothing is it's just as we sayin Spanish, a white line forever
.
Sometimes we we have tostruggle, and some people
struggle more than the others,and I think something that

(32:36):
defines a professional athleteis the mentality, is the
attitude.
So Everyone can train hard,everyone can perform, but this
little extra that you need topush your, your body and you and
your soul and your mind harderthan the others is sometimes
what you, what you lived before,or chapters if you had before

(32:59):
that you just want to, I don'tknow just erase them or Make
them stronger.
I lost my mom when I was 16years old and I had to grow up
From one day to the other to bevery immature with 16, to become
an adult with 16, to have threejobs to pay the school and this

(33:20):
.
I think is one of the the bestchapters in my life.
Of course, losing my mom wasnothing, nothing beautiful in
life, but I take the positivethings of it and definitely make
me a very responsible and avery athletic person, because I
was.
I needed to release all thispain and I found in sports

(33:42):
exactly that I was running asfar as I could so I could forget
all that there, that thisthoughts, and come back home and
be released.
This was kind of my drug andthis is how I probably had this
endurance inside me.
So I always try to teach mykids About this that you never

(34:03):
know what can happen, that youthey have to be definitely
prepared for life.
If I have a very dangerousprofession, I'm running up the
mountains, so definitely this isnot a Run around the park.
I can fall into a crevasse, Ican be hit by an avalanche
anytime or I can die without thetwo sickness anytime.

(34:23):
So they are prepared that ofcourse I try to be as safe as
possible.
As a dad, I want to be asresponsible as possible.
I trade hard, I train evenharder than when I perform and,
of course, you.
My goal and my objective and my, my summit is to come back home
and and hug my people.
If, if I do another worldrecord or not, it's, it's

(34:46):
absolutely just a bonus.
The most important thing is totake the right decisions and and
, of course, when you had thissituation when you were a child
or a teenager, you try to Teachyour son or your daughter that
they have to learn to cook, theyhave to learn to be independent

(35:07):
with money, to know languages,to travel, to be an adult or
especially, a very grown-upmentality for this world, and
this is something that I try toteach them, and Also my wife.
She knows that all these recordsare dangerous but on the same
time, she knows what I'm doingand we both know that this is

(35:31):
gonna be over in one point ofour lives because I'm getting
older, and she does not want meto Not understand that line.
That means that sometimesyou're getting older and you are
passing 50s or 55 and you arenot in shape as a 20 year old,
and you have to.
You have to definitely acceptthat your body is getting older

(35:52):
and definitely this is anagreement between both how many
projects are coming and whenit's over, and then Changing a
little bit the mentality andrisk less.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
I think you really hit on it, this, the seasons of
life, and really making surethat we're making the most of
those.
That intentional, thatintentionality of how we
approach the seasons of life.
And and you know, obviously youknow, like you said, we
certainly don't hope for thesetragedies to instill, Give us
the opportunities to instillthese lessons and these skills

(36:23):
and these experiences with ourkids.
So I love that you're findingways to introduce those things
just in normal day-to-day lifeas these seasons approach
themselves.
And it's funny because I wasactually just having that
conversation with my own wifeyesterday around you know this
idea of like when do I thinkthat, like my peak opportunity

(36:43):
for physical pursuits is doneand, within that window, what
are the goals that you want totry to hit on?
You know, what are the thingswe want to try to accomplish
there?
And wives are always great atkeeping us in check a bit around
our careers, our pursuits, allthese things.
But you know, I definitelyagree that you know the idea

(37:04):
that the themes that I keepreally hearing from you are one
around this idea ofintentionality, and I think that
really comes from what you talkabout as well, which is around
goals, and that's also howyou're thinking about managing
risk and it's all verydeliberate.
When you think about risk, youknow obviously anytime we're in
the mountains we're in unstableterrain you mentioned at

(37:26):
altitude, especially in a placelike Ecuador.
You know where there's a lot ofrisk to be managed and people
often might, from the outside,look at the pursuits in the
mountains as wild, unnecessarilyrisky.
But you know we folks that aremountain athletes understand it
where it's really about managingrisk and there's a lot of ways

(37:46):
to do that.
But one thing I'm reallycurious about for you is how you
think about risk and how thatmay have changed before you or a
dad, and now that you are a dad, Like has risk?
Did that shift for you inbecoming a dad, where you
started to think about riskdifferently?

Speaker 1 (38:06):
This is a great question.
I think this is a question thatmany of my relatives have asked
me when my wife was pregnantAre you going to stop?
Are you going to be looking foranother job, or you still want
to be guiding out there?
Is it not too risky?
We live in a very conservativesociety and definitely

(38:29):
especially being a woman.
I remember my mother-in-lawsaid to my wife that she should
definitely stop hiking with mein the mountains.
It's way too risky to be a mom,and especially if she's going
with me and something happens toboth of us and that would be
absolutely forgivable andeverything.

(38:50):
And, of course, I've talked tomy kids and I always say that
I'm not going to stop because ofyou guys, because definitely I
don't want you to feel like thatwas stopping because you were
born.
It's completely the opposite.
I want to show them why I'm theperson I am and, of course,

(39:10):
being definitely, definitelyaware that there is a risk and a
train for that risk.
As you all already mentioned,we want to be, of course, we
want to manage the risk and, ofcourse, being a mountain guide
means attending courses, doingavalanche and risk courses,
doing definitely research and alot of things.

(39:31):
Try to get out of this comfortzone, even if you have climbed
the mountains so many times thatyou don't forget to look for
the, for the forecast, to lookfor the snow conditions to look
like how is your client, what isthe resume of your client and
everything.
And when I'm performing outthere and doing really dangerous

(39:52):
things.
I remember once I was climbingthe south wall of Aconcagua and
we were late, later than wethought we run into really cold
temperatures, about 40 degreesCelsius below zero.
It was really cold and myfriend, who is my rope partner

(40:14):
on this expedition, he startedto struggle and he said Carl,
cut the rope, I cannot walkanymore.
And we were climbing and I was.
I was watching the road on theway up and on the way down it
was like, yeah, just dark.
It was so steep and anddefinitely was the very first
time I was worried that we arenot going to make it.

(40:37):
And I was watching him andtrying to to convince him not to
give up.
And then he said, yeah, but ifwe still will climb this this
slow, we will definitely freeze,and especially with these
temperatures.
So I was asking myself for thevery first time in my life why

(40:58):
I'm doing this, why I'm here andI'm a dad.
I want to, I want to go home.
So I'm not having fun right nowand my friend is my best friend
is dying.
So what should I do if, if Ijust cut the rope and climb this
mountain alone?
Definitely this, this willdefinitely be the the worst

(41:22):
thing I want to do, just toraise your hands and knowing
that you lost probably your bestfriend.
So I was going through a lot ofthings in my mind on those
moments and I was pulling therope as fast as as strong as I
could and he was not moving atall and I was climbing back to
him and I remember I talked tohim and I said, like the destiny

(41:46):
is not to climb this mountain,it's just to get back home.
So forget about the time,forget about how fast we're
moving.
Yeah, just move.
This is the only thing we haveto is to keep warm our bodies
and keep moving.
So every time I'm going tocount until three I I really
want you to pretend you aremoving so I can pull you a bit.

(42:07):
And he said like, ok, and thisis how we went out there.
And every time I said, ok, one,two and three, try to move.
And he was trying to move andhe was moving, and so it took us
three times more than weexpected, but on the end we made
it out.
And the war record was was notthe time we wanted to do, it was

(42:29):
a still one, but it was not thetime we wanted.
But it was the very first timeI was hearing my son in a kind
of a voice telling me like that,I need you.
And I was seeing him, like inchapters in life when he was a
grown up man, looking back.
And that wasn't there sittingin the chair and I remember my

(42:50):
wife looking at this empty chairand my son looking to this
empty chair and I said no, no, Ihave to be in this chair, I
have to be there.
I cannot give up right now.
So definitely I think my kidsgave me strength, my kids gave
me a reason to live anddefinitely I'm aware that those

(43:13):
walls I won't be climbinganymore on.
In particular, on this speedmode, I decided to to do speed
climbing project, but everythingin a normal road where I can
sit down or I can turn aroundand there is not just game over
if I'm hanging in the wall.
So I think my kids make methink differently, absolutely

(43:36):
especially my wife, because whatshe went through that night is
something that when we weretalking, when I came back home,
she said like I really thoughtyou were gone for because I
didn't hear from you for morethan 10 hours.
So of course, the ones waitingfor us at home, they have really

(43:56):
a bad time when we are outthere.
So I don't want my kids to bein a teenager age waiting until
that sense a WhatsApp orwhatever from the month and that
he's still alive.
So I want to quit doing verydangerous things before they
reach there, that they'recertain kind of a teenager age

(44:21):
and then then it's over.
Definitely there will beclimbing all my life.
I hope so, but I think, yeah, Itry to manage risk as far as I
can.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
That is such a powerful moment and that visual
of the empty chair and thestrength that that helped you
muster, I mean that's incredibleand I think that it's such an
interesting shift internallywhere one you know I love that.
What you said, that there's.
This other aspect of balancewhen we have these ambitions, is

(44:53):
that we need to, we need tomodel ambition, but we've got to
adjust our goals a bit so thatit's not taking what we may deem
now as something unnecessaryrisk or something it's a little
bit too risky for our otherpriorities now.
But I do love that it wasn'tjust a matter of well, now I
don't do these things but thefact that it also probably made

(45:15):
you a better climber in thatmoment, because it gave you that
intrinsic strength of like, no,like I cannot give up right now
, like we will not stop here, wewill keep going and I think you
know, as parents, we alwaysthink about that strength, that
that comes to us when ourchildren need us most of like
you know we're in a carcass orthey're in danger and we just
have that infinite strength thatappears in us and it really

(45:39):
seems like they were.
They were there with you tohelp you get down the mountain
and you know it seems I lovethis theme that you've been
repeating as well.
You know, I think Ed Vissersreally says it best of getting
to the top is optional, gettingdown is mandatory, and
especially when it comes tobeing a dad, being a husband,
having the family, keeping thatas the priority, it's like that

(46:00):
really is the, the anchor oflike this will be a successful
climb if my feet are back in thedoor at the end of the day.
I was just on Denali and thatwas that.
That was the mantra is gettingto the top is optional, getting
down is mandatory.
This will be a successfulexpedition if dad comes home
with 10 fingers and 10 toes andso.
But I love this idea too thatyou're still going after big

(46:22):
goals.
I think that's so important andI think that that modeling of
ambition, that why this purposeof this bigger purpose of our
lives, is so important for ourkids to to witness as well.
So I really appreciate you.
You share in that story with us.
You know how do you think aboutgoals.
Now you know you, you havereally taken over are really,

(46:45):
you know, preeminent spot interms of speed, mountaineering
you mentioned you're going forspeed of sense on.
You know standard routes, onesthat that really allow you to
manage risk.
You know when you think aboutcreating goals or sharing goals,
or even like help.
You know bringing your kidsinto that process, like what is

(47:06):
your process for creating goalsand then executing upon them.

Speaker 1 (47:11):
Well, I think the right answer is to choose the
right project and not kind ofover saturate your year with
objectives and with competitionsand with everything, because
the balance with the familyespecially if you have kids

(47:32):
there, they need your attention.
When you have a five, six,seven, eight, nine, 10 year old
boy who wants every weekend todo something with that and that
is never around in weekendsbecause he's competing, I don't
want to lose that.
So definitely I figure out thatdoing less is much more

(47:52):
balanced in my life, that I canreally prepare for those
projects to do three, four in ayear and really do my very best
and be in very good shape and dosomething really difficult for
me as an athlete.
But the rest of the time, beinga responsible dad and spending
time with my kids, the time goesso fast and they are in one

(48:14):
second they are grown and theydon't want dad and mom anymore.
They just want to go out withtheir friends.
So I just want to be there andremember those beautiful years
growing up with them and cyclingwith them and swimming with
them and climbing with them.
So I think this is this isimportant.
But many people say, car, youshould quit and focus on your
family.

(48:34):
No, because I think I'm in mybest shape right now and I know
this is going to be over in afew years, but right now I'm
very focused and I want my kidsto understand that dad has been
working almost all his life forthis objective, for his projects
.
And yeah, I definitely thinkthat something that changed in

(48:55):
my life is to do less.
Still do it very good, but tryto understand.
We always say in Spanish youknow which wars you have to win.
So for me to go to this projectis a very balanced decision
with life.

Speaker 2 (49:15):
Yeah, yeah, and it sounds like you're really
getting.
It's not like you're lackingfulfillment, right.
You're getting fulfillment inother ways and some in a lot of
ways, probably more profoundways with the family and
bringing them along on some ofthese objectives when you're in
your training.
You know, one thing I'venoticed is that, you know,
becoming a dad and wanting to bea good dad and be a good

(49:37):
husband, but also do thesethings outside of the home has
made me much more efficient andit has highlighted a lot of
inefficiencies and areas where Ican be better.
Like, how do you think thatthat's changed for you?
Like, do you feel like you'vebecome more efficient because
you've got to get to the swimmeet and get your training in
and do these other things?

Speaker 1 (49:56):
I think yes, especially when we are talking
about training.
Sometimes I start my trainingsession just running fast and I
remember when I was not a dad, Iwas warming up and taking time
to have breakfast and enjoyingthis relaxing post time after
breakfast, waiting something andall has was kind of a mantra.

(50:20):
And right now you're justwashing up your face and then OK
, I got.
I got a train because my sonhas to go to school and I don't
have time for a second cup ofcoffee.
I have to run.
And as soon as you start yourperformance, it's like boom,
directly, go fast as hell.
And then of course you are, youare after 10 minutes, you are
struggling and I should havewarmed up.

(50:42):
Of course I should have donethat, but on the end it's just
this efficiently time that youhave.
You don't have other time ofthe day to just perform.
So I think sometimes it's funny, but we humans, we, we adapt,
we adapt.
Probably we we've seen itespecially in the pandemic, how
we adapted to this virtual worldand and everything changed

(51:06):
since the pandemic.
But humans have always beenadapting to to their new
chapters in life, situations,cultures, religions, everything.
So I think it's just somethingthat you have to deal with.
There is no warm up timeanymore.

Speaker 2 (51:21):
It doesn't have to train Our yeah, yeah, oh, man,
especially as we get older, Ireally feel those days when I
didn't warm up or I didn'tstretch afterwards, or I didn't
foam roll at night, and so, yeah, it's like creatively finding
other ways to get that in.
And, man, that second cup ofcoffee is something I dearly
miss as well.
So, yeah, that's, that's great,you know.

(51:42):
I just think, again, it comesback to the idea of you just get
.
You're getting fulfillment indifferent ways, you're finding
opportunities to really strikethat balance.
But I think balance issomething that's like I don't I
certainly don't know if I'veever really achieved balance.
I think it's something that'sjust a constant pursuit, much
like what we're doing in themountains.
It's a constant pursuit Likethere will always be objectives
that, when our career is done,we would have loved to have

(52:05):
gotten to, but we just know thatthere's just no way to to get
them all.
Like, where do you feel likeyou either can or want to
improve still when it comes tobalance?

Speaker 1 (52:18):
Well, this is a great question, ben, because
especially on this time of theyear, a lot of friends come
around and they say, like we arein town, we should meet and you
have family, you have to train,you have to work and you don't
have so much time when, when youbecome a parent and then being

(52:38):
a parent and an athlete andbeing in the office, you have to
sacrifice a lot.
And I always tell them my wifesometimes it's better to take
your time and write a letterthan instead of being all
afternoon with someone out thereand drinking beers.
Sometimes it's just because Idon't have the time anymore and
I will be so stressed if I'm allafternoon out there talking,

(53:01):
knowing that I have so manythings to do.
So I think this is also balance.
Sometimes you need you needalso to see your friends.
You have also to have yoursocial life.
You don't just you can be in a.
You can't be in a cave forever.
So I think it's it's veryimportant to deal with and
sometimes say, ok, this day inparticular I won't be training,

(53:21):
and this day I want to see myfriends.
I will try to meet three, fouror five in the same day and do
schedules or whatever, and I'mmissing hiking with my wife.
So why shouldn't we takechildren to my parents in law
and just go out there and it'severything is?
I think that the key word hereis organization.

(53:43):
It's the only thing that youhave to do is just to, to know
what is important for you.
Of course working is important,otherwise you won't have the
money for anything.
But working is not all andtraining is not all neither.
Sometimes training last makesyou stronger because your mind
is stressed and your body is notrecovering properly, but you

(54:03):
think you have to train morebecause the other guy is
training more.
So sometimes you need to, to, to, to realize what is very
important in your life.
And I remember I had once apsychologist and he said like in
life, you have to do everythinglike a circle If you're doing
just training and just family.
It is is not looking like aperfect circle.

(54:25):
So family and having free timeand going to the cinema with the
kids and everything is theperfect ball that we want to
have to be stable in life.
Of course you want to trainmore.
Of course you want to see moreyour friends, of course you want
to go to holidays andeverything.
So I think that balance issomething that we will be
dealing our entire life.
But the only thing which issomething that you cannot go

(54:49):
backwards if you are not doingsomething particular, you're
missing.
For example, if you you don'thave contact with your friends
ever again, of course, after 10years, you realize that and they
are gone, definitely they aregone.
They're going to say that he'snot caring about us.
So it's important to have thisbalance to your wife too.

(55:10):
Sometimes, when you have smallchildren, your wife is a ghost
because you are going home andthe children are jumping around
and the one is crying, the otherone is hungry, the other one
wants to go to bed, the otherone needs the bath, and then you
are stressed because you haveto send some emails and some you
have to train and on the end,your, your yes, your partnership

(55:33):
is is in danger because you arenot having this beautiful time
where you were used to beforehaving kids.
So this is also important fromtime to time, to say, ok, we
haven't had a date in a longtime, we should go out there and
do something.
So I think this is this issomething that I would say.
This is the biggest challengeof being a dad is to kind of put

(55:57):
everything under the same roof.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
I love that mental model of the circle, of when
I've stretched one part of itI've got to compensate by
bringing the rest of that intobalance and trying to maintain
Of course trying is the key wordto maintain more of that circle
.
And you know, it sounds likeyou really have a clear idea of
what matters to you, like whatyour priorities are, so that it

(56:23):
does make it a little easier tosay, hey, I can't, I can't grab
beers.
But I love the idea of thewriting the letter, sitting down
, being like I want intentionaltime with you.
What are other ways that Imight be able to get that?
I struggle with the social parttoo.
Again, I live in a town wherethere's like more breweries than
people sometimes it feels like,and so it's hard not to just

(56:44):
like everybody.
You know the thing is like gograb a beer.
Hey, we got off the mountain,let's go grab a beer.
And it's like I don't want toalways do that, but I want to
maintain this friendship.
How do I, how do I balance thesocial aspect?
Or friends come into town andyou're like that really today's
supposed to be my long trainingday Like maybe we could rope up
and I can bring you on themountain.
But you know, I think that youknow you hit on it too, with

(57:07):
it's like it's priorities right,being very clear about what's
what matters most.
So I love that you hit onorganization.
We try to organize ourselves asmuch as we can, but then
there's the variable of like,how do we navigate the unknown,
the ambiguity, the stuff thatjust pops up in our life?
The kids are sick, the friendsin town, the relatives stopping
by?
Do you feel like you have agood way of keeping your

(57:29):
priorities top of mind orstaying organized so that, so
that you're more prepared forthose unknown variables?

Speaker 1 (57:38):
Well, I think a big part of it is my wife, so she
knows exactly that as aprofessional athlete, I need my
time to train, and sheabsolutely respects that.
And the only thing that sheasks me for is, of course, don't
do it on the main energy timeof your kids.

(57:58):
That means probably from eighto'clock until 12 o'clock in the
morning where they areabsolutely in shape and they are
doing an earthquake inside thehouse.
So definitely they need a veryenergetic old dad and take them
out to bike or to do something.
So I try to train, but early inthe night, when they are
sleeping and when I'm havingbreakfast, I wake them up and we

(58:21):
have this energy time together.
Probably I'm wasted but, theyare still very energetic and
this is kind of the balance.
So on the afternoon we try todo everything together with with
, with mom, and she trains also,and she trains every day too,
but of course she has to work inthe office, like me too.
So this is the balance.
That, ok, tuesday you're youprobably going to focus more on

(58:45):
emails and I will be more withthe kids.
On Tuesday and Thursday we'regoing to switch the role and I
will be doing the office andshe's with the kids.
So on the end, everything is isinvolved with organization
Absolutely.
And the beautiful thing is thatwe get older and we always try

(59:07):
to do things better and we arenot smarter, but we are more
experienced.
So sometimes, when, when you aregetting older, you look back
and say we should have done itmany years ago already this way.
But life teaches you not knowingthat from right on the first
moment, because it's it.

(59:27):
This is the key to be a dad.
That that's a whole new lifewhere you're studying and you
just try to understand.
And, of course, this littlechapter that the kids are
growing gives you every time alittle bit more breath, gives
you a little bit more space, andthis.
More space means that your kidis more independent and his
reading or his the entireafternoon with his friends and

(59:51):
you feel this freedom for a fewminutes or hours and then you
start to have this relationshipagain.
That means like, ok, kids arenot around, let's go for a walk.
Wow, I've done this in many,many years, so this is the
beautiful thing of growing yourown kids.
Of course, if you have them allday with the nanny, you
probably are not going to feelthis so intense, as if you have

(01:00:14):
them at home and you have toorganize schedules and
everything.

Speaker 2 (01:00:18):
Yeah, I feel that.
I mean I think that you hit ona few really good points.
I mean one yeah, my wife is themaster of keeping the family
organized and making sure thatwe get back to that circle of
balance, and you know it's hardto it's hard that that breath of
space is a little sad in ways,right when it's like it's nice
because it's like great, I dohave more time to get back to

(01:00:38):
some of these things.
But you know, I feel reallyconflicted about it too, because
I'm like, oh man, they, theydon't need me as much, like
pretty soon they're going to bewith their friends and then
they're going to be like toocool for dad.
And the next thing I knowthey're driving and they're
graduating and then they maybego to college somewhere else.
And so, yeah, I go down theserabbit holes where I feel really
conflicted and I don't know ifthat ever goes away, if there's
ever a good answer for that.

(01:00:59):
But it certainly helps me totry to remember, to be present,
to take those walks, to get thatextra time, especially when dad
is feeling tired and notfeeling like I want to sit and
play Legos or play Train.
So, yeah, I love that.
Well, I know that you mentionedthe business of yours and that's
a really important part of itand, like one, before we dive

(01:01:22):
into that, I just really justwant to applaud you for all that
you're getting into Again.
I think this is why I loveexploring this topic, because on
the surface, people just seethe athlete and the things that
they're accomplishing and I lovehow much of just your life as a
human, as a dad, as a husband,as a friend, you really revealed

(01:01:44):
for us today, and I havecertainly taken away a lot of
really valuable insights here.
But I know the business is areally important part of yours.
So, koum Raitoures in Ecuador.
I would love if you could tellus a little bit more about that
business and how people can getinvolved with it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:01):
Well, thank you for mentioning it, ben.
Well, this is a family business.
My wife and me we're just twoand we run a tour operator here
in Ecuador and we actually selltours all over the world and
normally I'm the head guide, I'mguiding all the seven summits,
I'm organizing expeditions, Ihave some meetings with my

(01:02:21):
clients, I teach them how totrain, how to prepare, how to be
in shape and everything, and onthe same time, we have almost
40 guides working for us here inEcuador running tours, hiking,
trekking all over the mountainsand also traditional touring.
If someone doesn't want to goto the summits and do something

(01:02:41):
easier, well, we are based herein Ecuador, but we are worldwide
.
It means we are selling toursKilimanjaro, himalayas, the
Andes and the Alps andeverywhere.
So it's beautiful because I'mdoing what I love, since I was
probably 15 years old and I'mstill doing the same, which is

(01:03:05):
showing why I love mountains toother people and being part of
their dreams and guiding them tothe top of their dreams.
Sometimes it's like should Imake it?
I'm capable of doing it.
Yes, you can do that, but stepby step, doing things right and
getting prepared, and so on.
This is the reason why I'venever stopped guiding, even
being a professional guide, anathlete.

(01:03:27):
People always ask me why areyou still guiding, carl?
This is definitely anothertraining.
That means you are tired allthe time.
You are not in shape to trainhard, but for me it fills my
soul to take other people to thesummit.
I put my feet to the earth whenI see how much they fought to

(01:03:50):
reach the summit and when theyare there they are crying.
You are part of it and you'rewhere the guy is, motivating him
and feeding him and giving himsecurity to achieve his dream.
I definitely come back hometired but happy.

Speaker 2 (01:04:03):
Man, I love that and that's amazing.
The international options, thepersonalized coaching, all that
sounds like such a greatexperience.
I mentioned before in our firstcall that I had mentioned to a
friend that's a guide that I waslike what love to get to
Ecuador?
He said when you do, you've gotto hit up this guy, carl.

(01:04:23):
He runs this amazing companydown there.
I'll make sure to link all thatin the show notes so folks can
check it out.
I'm a firm believer that and I'msure you are everyone at some
point should try to climb amountain.
It's a religious experiencelike no other.
I love that.
This is a big piece offulfillment.
I've certainly felt that as theperson being guided with the

(01:04:46):
guides, that they were such animportant special part of that
you mentioned to have theopportunity to help fulfill
someone's dreams in this veryunique way, where it's a
struggle, that is the ultimatedream realization.
I really love hearing about thebusiness and love that it's a
family business as well.

(01:05:07):
I know we're just about a timeand I just have two more
questions for you.
The first thing I'm curiousabout and we've hit on a lot of
wonderful wisdom that you'veshared One I'd be curious if you
have anything, any partingideas that you want to make sure
we hit on to leave thelisteners with.
I would love to hear that first, and then would love to know
what's coming up next for you.
We're going to be this episode.

(01:05:28):
If you're listening to it, it'sthe new year, carl.
I'm curious what's coming upthis year for you personally,
professionally?
What's coming up for yourfamily Any parting wisdom you
want to make sure we get to andthen just excited to hear what's
coming up for you this nextyear.

Speaker 1 (01:05:43):
Well, thank you for both questions.
First, I'm going to answer thesecond one.
The big goal right now is to doa new world record on speeding
up and down Everest.
This is going to happen onspring 2025, so I still have 15
months to train like hell.
Definitely, I will be focusingall my year and attention on my

(01:06:07):
best shape ever Sleeping high,training high, trying to be, as
far as I can, the epoxy machine,sleeping in altitude tents and
being fast and training myathletic version.
But I think the biggest goal in2024 is we will be moving to
Switzerland, the new chapter inour lives, definitely a huge

(01:06:31):
adventure coming for us.
We have lived and grown up inEcuador, but right now it's time
to change the ambience.
For sponsoring reasons, we aregoing to Switzerland, so we
can't wait to be there and mykids are very happy.
My wife is learning fluentlyGerman, so she's happy For me.

(01:06:51):
German is my father's language,so I grew up with languages and
I'm happy to speak them.
So 2024 and 2025 probably willbe the strongest years in my
life, mentally and physically.
I can't wait to do all theseprojects.
I think, answering your firstquestion, what advice could I
give everyone out there?

(01:07:12):
And, being a dad.
I think the most importantthing is just don't forget what
you really love in life.
So sometimes we are focusingjust our attention on work, or
we are just focusing ourattention on kids and we are
just focusing our attention onearning money.
And the most important thing isjust think what are your goals?

(01:07:35):
Have you been working for thosegoals since you were a teenager
?
What is in your bucket list?
What would you like to do?
So everything as an order inlife to do.
Of course, growing with smallkids needs more attention than
when they are growing up.
You have more time for yourself, but don't forget to live your

(01:07:57):
life.
On the end, we are dads, butour life keeps going.
So this is the advice that Igive it to all the audience.

Speaker 2 (01:08:07):
Amazing.
I think that sums it upperfectly.
I love that.
And, gosh, I love Switzerland.
It's one of my favorite placesI've ever gone to the land of
cheese and chocolate andaccessible mountains.
It really doesn't get anybetter than that.
So I'm thrilled for you and thefamily.
And last thing, I'm justcurious, so folks have the
context what is the speed recordon Everest?

Speaker 1 (01:08:28):
The speed record on Everest is advanced base camp,
summit.
Advanced base camp, up and downwithout artificial oxygen in 22
hours and the goal is to do itfrom base camp.
That means to up and down 50more miles to run and to become
the first humans to do base camp, summit base camp, without

(01:08:49):
support and without artificialoxygen.

Speaker 2 (01:08:53):
Wow, that's incredible.
So is this north side, then, orsouth side?

Speaker 1 (01:08:56):
North side.
Yes, you just figured out,absolutely.

Speaker 2 (01:08:59):
Awesome, my gosh.
I hope people realize howincredible that is, considering
that my think most folks are onthe mountain for months trying
to acclimatize and do such afeat.
So amazing.
Carl, I'm thrilled to get tofollow along with your journey
in Switzerland and with 2025Everest speed records and, most
importantly, as life as dad.
I have so much gratitude foryou taking the time today and I

(01:09:21):
really appreciate you impartingsome wisdom in this conversation
for us.

Speaker 1 (01:09:25):
No, it has been a pleasure, brian.
Thank you so much and sorry formy English.
I gave my very best today.
I will keep learning and, yeah,thank you very much for your
time.
It has been a pleasure talkingto you.

Speaker 2 (01:09:39):
Hey, everyone, just want to take a minute here to
share some resources with you.
So we have taken all of thegreatest insights from our first
season of the athlete dad anddistilled them down into a guide
, a free guide for you 10 lifelessons from athlete dads, where
we're going to hear all aboutthe best stuff that they talked
about around modeling, ambition,seeking balance and intentional

(01:10:01):
integration.
You can get this guide for freeat the athlete dadcom slash
guide.
That's the athlete dadcom slashguide.
To pick up your free copy ofthis amazingly distilled
resource that I know you'regoing to get a ton of value of.

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#11: Karl Egloff (Mountain Athlete) - Balancing family with racing up the world's tallest peaks

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}#11: Karl Egloff (Mountain Athlete) - Balancing family with racing up the world's tallest peaks