Countdown to the climb: Ollie Ollerton prepares to summit Ama Dablam
Friday 7th October 2022There’s less than two weeks to go before Ollie Ollerton embarks on his mission to climb the Ama Dablam mountain in the Himalayas.
After months of intense mental and physical training, Ollie is in his final preparation stages, with Terratoura supporting him every step of the way.
Commenting on his current state of mind, Ollie said:
“I’m really excited. I’ve been watching the conditions, and they aren’t ideal for climbing at the moment but I’m hoping by the time we peak it’ll be fine. It’s better for us to have those kind of conditions now, but that’s not made me nervous. I’m super excited, not just about climbing the mountain but also going over to Kathmandu, to Nepal. I’ve not been there before so it’s exciting to go to a new place. I’m actually going there a few days before I’m supposed to just so I can get acclimatised.”
Ollie is embarking on mission Ama Dablam with Nims Purja – an experienced mountaineer and star of the documentary, 14 Peaks Nothing Is Impossible – plus his skilled team at Elite Exped. Despite the current weather conditions in the region, Ollie is embracing the challenge:
“It’s unpredictable, there’s always a window in the Himalayas or any mountainous region where you’re going to get avalanches, it’s just the norm. But I know I’m in amazing, safe hands going with Elite Exped and Nims, and that’s why I’m not worried about anything.
“I’ve said it before, nothing was ever great unless at some point you’ve doubted your ability to achieve it. If I wasn’t even thinking a little bit, this is a bit of a challenge, then my goals aren’t big enough. That’s the whole idea.
“When I’m doing these challenges I’m conquering an internal limitation as opposed to conquering the mountain. You don’t conquer a mountain, you keep pushing your boundaries, and that’s why I want to do this kind of thing. It’s really important for me to keep on pushing and stretching myself. I’ll be a different person now to the person that comes down the other side.”
When talking about the current weather conditions, Ollie continued:
“Our window for summit may change, that’s why I’m there for a month. Hopefully it will be the 11th because that is Remembrance Day, but regardless of what it is we’re there to climb a mountain at the end of the day, that’s the aim. A summit on any day will be great for me.”
Ollie is climbing Ama Dablam in partnership with Terratoura. Find out more about Terratoura here.
Follow Ollie’s journey by checking out our social channels, or Ollie’s youtube channel.
