The majority of people I meet want to climb above the clouds rather than stand in the rain all the time

Touching the void: 'When you go into that death zone above 20,000 feet, it's Russian roulette' mark condrenLast year I became the youngest Irish man to climb Everest. Then I lost my job two months ago so I decided to link up with a tour company to run expeditions to the Alps. I took a group of 14 up Mont Blanc two weeks ago. They were novices who never climbed anything like that before and they all got to the top.

I train people up, starting with hills in Ireland and then get them ready for the bigger climbs abroad.

I placed the ad because I would like to do another trip to Mont Blanc. I only have five people at present but need seven for a full group. I'll train these people to make climbing in the Alps a reality. A lot of people dream about doing this sort of thing but they never get there.

The majority of people I meet want to climb Mont Blanc because they love walking in the hills but want to take it a step further. They want to climb above the clouds rather than stand in the rain all the time.

It's not as daunting as you think. Once people have a basic level of fitness I get them used to the gear and the equipment, like ropes and harnesses.

When people feel safe with all that stuff and their fears about avalanches and rock falls are talked through, they get more confident about the climb. They feel like they are ready just to go and do it.

But you have to be thoroughly prepared to succeed. On the last trip there was a guy who didn't make it to the top. We went to Italy's highest peak and France's highest peak in a week and he didn't make the Italian one because he forgot a jacket.

I also make sure that they get the right instructions about eating certain foods like garlic, the importance of hydrating and taking Disprin Extra; all the things that can help with altitude sickness.

I equip them to believe that they can do it.

A lot of the people who went on the last trip hadn't even been up Ireland's highest peak. But we just went through the routine consistently every week and it gave them the confidence they needed.

Obviously people die on Mont Blanc every year, but we take the easiest and safest route. I wouldn't take people on anything crazy or dangerous. However, there's always a small element of risk.

Everest on the other hand is a different ball game to any other mountain in the world.

The danger becomes all too apparent when people in front of you go blind from lack of oxygen and nearly climb off the mountain. Two people died the day I made it to the top. One man died of a heart attack in a tent which was two tents down from us. When you go into that death zone above 20,000 feet, it's Russian roulette.

Stepping back into base camp after seven days was the highpoint for me. I had lost 12 kilos in seven days; the body burns muscle at that altitude because you are literally just trying to survive.

There are a lot of lows on Everest. You don't sleep a lot. Your body and mind are tired. You are questioning what you are doing there. That's why I prefer the Alps and taking people up mountains with lower altitudes, where they really enjoy getting to the top. There was one guy in his 40s who had wanted to do it for years and didn't know if he was up to standard. But when he succeeded it was the best day of his life.

While it's nice to say that I've done Everest, I don't know that I would ever go back. There's much more rewarding things to be doing in the mountains than being very selfish on Everest.

I could have gone up there and died very easily.

July 12, 2009

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