Justin Sackett, an AMGA guide who googled "hardest hike" in college and ended up on a 20,000-foot peak in Ecuador with zero mountaineering experience. That failure lit a fire that led him from complete beginner to professional guide to running his own guide company at 28—all while training single-mindedly for Everest without supplemental oxygen. This episode explores his rapid progression to being an alpine guide, the mentor who gave him the technical foundation most climbers take years to develop, and the Liberty Ridge storm where 60mph winds and inadequate gear taught him lessons about weather forecasts and risk tolerance. We discuss the Rainier ice block incident that made several of his friends quit guiding, why he started his own company instead of working for established services, how he vets guides, and what training for Everest without oxygen actually looks like when you're also running a business. Justin opens up about the genetic lottery of altitude performance, why the West Ridge of Everest represents the ultimate objective in his mind, and how he's preparing mentally for both success and failure.

Topics include: becoming a mountain guide, AMGA certifications, Liberty Ridge conditions, guide company management, hiring guides, Everest without oxygen training, altitude acclimatization, post-objective depression, risk tolerance at 8,000 meters, and balancing business ownership with personal climbing goals.

Watch the full episode on Youtube

#amgaguides #highaltitudeclimbing #mountaineering #alpinism

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