The Mindset of a Mountain Hero with Sport Climbing and Paragliding Champion, Will Gadd

By Ty Johnson | Introduction by Ainsley SchoppeL

National Geographic’s 2015 Adventurer of the year, Will Gadd, isn’t fearless—he notices the power of our planet, respects it, and explores it in extreme ways. Born in Canada, Gadd is a prominent Canadian ice climber, mixed climber, and paraglider pilot. He has held the paragliding world distance record—with a flight of 423 km—won the US and Canadian Paragliding Nationals, flew over the Grand Canyon, climbed icebergs off the coast of Labrador, won three gold medals at the X Games, and ice climbed in underground mines in Sweden. He has also become the first person to execute a one-day solo ascent of the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, Mount Robson.

When not high above the ground, Will has hosted a Discovery Channel docuseries, Fearless Planet, in which he educated viewers about Earth’s geology and the ways in which some natural structures are created.

Recently, Gadd was named a Mountain Hero as part of the UN Environment’s partnership with the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation. This initiative selects extraordinary athletes from around the world who dedicate their time to raising awareness of environmental issues, particularly mountain protection efforts, where early indicators of the effects of climate change are already apparent.

Through his chat with FtC, we get a glimpse into what it takes to be an extreme athlete as Gadd shares his mountain philosophy; the ways in which different environments inspire him; and why we need to think about others, vote, and act now to help redirect climate change.

You were born into a lifestyle full of adventure and outdoor sports. How have your early days exploring the mountains and backpacking with your family helped to shape your perspective of nature and life?

All the time outdoors as a kid made me, not surprisingly, really comfortable outdoors, and also gave me a base-understanding of how the mountains work. I find a lot of people are strong technical climbers or skiers, but to succeed in genuine exploration you also have to be comfortable living in wild places, and know how to not get killed. A lot of the time, the climbing is the easy part of exploration.

You mention that your daughter is already doing all the stuff you did as a kid. Why do you believe that engaging in outdoor activities is so important for youth development, and what whether it’s opening a business or making key life decisions. We need are some benefits?

Not every kid needs high-stimulus, super engaging activities, but for kids who do, the mountains or something similar are really important; like oxygen. To a kid, so much of the world is arbitrary. The mountains are solid: listen, learn, grow. A lot more kids would benefit from mountain time than are getting it.

Throughout your career, you have established the hardest mixed ice climbing lines in the world, kayaked down dozens of first ascents across North America, and set the world distance record for paragliding— twice! How do you embrace or dance with these extreme moments of fear?

I listen to my fear, and work through what’s causing it and why. My fear is the primary reason I’m still alive, honestly. If I’m afraid in the mountains, it’s a very serious sign we can— not make it up. that something is amiss and I need to unpack it right away. Fearless people or those who “overcome” or ignore their fears tend to die fast in the mountains.

You touch on the “Power of Noticing”, and the importance of awareness and observation in the sport of climbing. Can this approach be carried over into everyday life for all people, and what do you see as the takeaways of doing so?

Yes. One of the most important mountain skills is to notice what is going on around you instead of just moving through life. The same is true in any meaningful environment, whether it’s opening a new business or making key life decisions. We need to listen to the world and search for the most solid reality we can—not make it up. Again, those who search for what is rather than what they think is tend to live longer.

Along with climbing mountains, you spend a great deal of time in the air and on water (paragliding and kayaking). Is there any one specific activity that you would recommend or insist everyone try at least once, and why?

All these activities are somewhat more dangerous than normal life, but if they fire you up then absolutely do them! I love to bike, hike, climb, ski, fly, paddle—after a while all these sports start to fit together. I love that feeling of understanding how the air relates to the water for example, and moving cleanly through each physical zone. The world is a cool place, and these sports are just tools to learn about the world, and ourselves, really.

You represent the United Nations through your work as a Mountain Hero. In addition to the focussed issue around climate change, we are currently facing an environmental health crisis that impacts all life. When we look at soil degradation, air and water pollutants, food scarcity, nutrient density, food systems, and healthcare systems, there is obvious room for improvement. Why is it important that we are aware of this holistic picture, and how our actions impact the world?

There is only one earth, and as a species we are now at a point where we can really affect our planet’s future. There is no plan B—we’ve got to make this one work, for all of us. And the earth doesn’t need us; we need it. So, it’s time to make individual choices on how we operate on Earth, but even more importantly than that it’s time to make global choices. This is possible; we’ve done it before with the ozone hole and certain chemicals, and now it’s urgent we do so again. Vote. Engage. That’s what we now need. ymore info: www.willgadd.com IG: @realwillgadd

In your open letter about hard mountain truths, you mention rationality, evaluation and management of risk, the joy of experience, and the reality of death. How can these same variables/principles be considered when we think about the holistic relationship between mankind and our Mother Earth?

I tend to think in terms of consequences, good and bad. If we’re wrong and Earth is fine with continued carbon inputs then we don’t lose much, we just get a cleaner planet and a brighter future. If we’re right about increased temperature— and the overwhelming data says we are at this point—then we can’t live with the consequences of doing nothing.

There is only one earth, and as a species we are now at a point where we can really affect our planet’s future. There is no plan B—we’ve got to make this one work, for all of us. And the earth doesn’t need us; we need it. So, it’s time to make individual choices on how we operate on Earth, but even more importantly than that it’s time to make global choices. This is possible; we’ve done it before with the ozone hole and certain chemicals, and now it’s urgent we do so again. Vote. Engage. That’s what we now need.

If we are able to consider our highest selves, embodying a spirit not limited by our individual lives, can we agree that each and every day we are collectively fighting a battle between life and death, not only for ourselves, but for every future child that will hope to one day live the very experiences that make your life worth living?

The real tragedy of climate change is that it’s going to be harder on the lower income people globally. Richer countries can turn up the AC and harden their infrastructures to some extent, but poorer countries can’t. This is a massive human tragedy waiting to happen, and I do not want to stand by and watch it happen. Fight.

You often speak of the joy which climbing brings you, and also of the uncomfortability that it has presented you with (through fear or other forms of resistance). Can you speak to the importance of finding joy in difficult moments, and of the importance of both recognizing and working with resistance?

As I get older and see more death and trauma in the mountains, those experiences shape my future actions. I cannot pretend that mountains can be made safe; that’s a ridiculous idea. Once we know that we’re just specks in the universe then we can operate from that position of clarity, and try to survive each day. The dissonance between the great joy we feel in the mountains and the perpetual loss is just tough to experience, but it is necessary to feel this in order to have a clear understanding of mountain life. Going back to the power of noticing: see the mountains for what they are, not what we want them to be.