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Founder

How a failed mountain climb is like founding a tech start-up

Within 10-mins of hiking my first 14er in the Rocky Mountains on the weekend I was out of breath and my lungs were burning. I realized very quickly that if I was to reach the top, I’d have to slow the pace right down!


The trail was also really unpredictable. At times the snowy trail was packed tightly from those that had tread before us, but other times it was soft and without warning I would find myself knee deep in snow. This was all new to me so I had to quickly learn how to assess where it was safe to step, including at times quite literally stepping in the foot prints of the person in front of me.


Once we found our rhythm we were able to remember to occasionally pause to take in the beauty of our surroundings. There were some magical moments when a clearing in the trees would reveal incredible mountain vistas.


Then at 11,500 feet we stepped beyond the tree line. Without the protection of trees we were completely exposed to the elements. The head wind was bitterly cold so we quickly added more layers of clothing, switched to ski goggles so we could see, and covered our faces to ease the freezing wind burn. 


My face was so numb I didn’t even realise I had frozen snotsicles hanging from my nose!


I could see people choosing to turn around and head back down the mountain at this point. That hadn’t crossed my mind (yet). I felt confident that we would make it to the summit. We were well prepared and I felt strong. So we stayed the course and continued up the mountain.


Then 3.5-hours into the hike the wind reached 65mph and was hitting us sideways. A few feet to the left of the trail was a dramatic drop off. The wind pushed me off balance and I stumbled to the ground. That scared me. I quickly assessed the situation. I could see that in a few hundred yards we would be facing the wind and able to start the final incline to the summit. All I needed to do was make it this few hundred yards. I tried again. The wind knocked me to the ground again. Down on my hands and knees in the snow I had to admit the danger and risk had become too great. I felt like I was letting the team down, but together we made the decision to turn around and head back down the mountain.


Once we were back in the protection of the trees we sat for lunch and debriefed…What we did well, what we could have done better, and what we will do differently next time. (And yes there will be a ‘next time’)


Why have I shared this experience with you?


Well on reflection I think that climbing this 14er mountain is much like founding a tech start-up. It’s a marathon; it’s unpredictable; you are constantly learning and doing things you’ve never done before; you need the help of others; it can be magical when you remember to take stock of where you are and what you’ve achieved on the journey; it requires you to respond and adapt; you need to be resilient (really really really resilient); you need to keep assessing what is going on around you; you need to get back up when you get knocked down; you need to be able to identify risks; you need to work as a team; know when to say ‘no’ or change the plan; and know there is always another way and another day to do it all again!

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