Transcription of the interview:

Larry: Ok Jamie, I just wanted to address some of the questions from your followers on Facebook.

Larry: Jordy wants to know the impact of modern gear. Does it make climbing easier now that you've got new equipment?

Jamie Clarke: Great question I don’t know if the modern gear makes the climbing easier but it certainly makes it safer, and that is one of the big things that I think we did really well on this trip, with HanesBrands our title sponsor, and partners like Mountain Hardwear. We really had great gear on the mountain to keep us warm, and ultimately if you are warm and functioning properly you are consuming less calories and you have more energy; so it does have a trickle-down effect to make things easier on the climb. And that's not even to talk about the technical gear - ice axes and crampons are lighter and more durable, so whether you like or not gear is a big part of succeeding and being safe on any mountain.

Larry: In your apparel what do you want?

Jamie Clarke: Well, you want it to look good.

Larry: First priority right. You got to look cool on the mountain.

Jamie Clarke: You know what’s great about a lot of the companies making outdoor gear now is that it is actually starting to be fashionable. Stuff looks good! When I was a kid you know... my stepdad was sewing stuff in the basement on the machine and he came out walking like that kid from the Christmas Carol. But obviously, you're looking for fit and performance #1, and if you can add fashion into that loop then you are pretty lucky.

Larry: Jen wants to know, "What kind of things do you tell yourself to stay motivated when things really get tough?"

Jamie Clarke: Well, they always get tough and I think the first step is to expect it, so that you are not surprised. Then, once you're in the field and it does get tough you are not shocked or worried about it. You're like, "Oh yeah, I knew this..." and you remember that you've trained for it. So the toughness is actually part of helping you to earn the right to succeed. So I actually try to welcome it when it gets tough because then I know, "Alright now we're getting into it!", so just a bit of mind shift before you go into it . And then I also... once I'm in the middle of it, whether I'm on a training run or in the middle of the climb itself, I just remind myself that if I quit today, yes the pain will stop, but then are you willing to live with the dull ache that might come with the knowledge of having given up? And I would rather try a little bit harder for a little bit longer, just so that I know I have reached my limit. And at that point quitting is the right thing to do. But we often do it a little too soon. So I am always challenging myself - just a little bit more, just so you know.

Larry: Teresa has got a question I think that follows from this because she wants to know about what you do to overcome any doubts that might get in the way of a climb, and I am wondering if you think the doubts are actually something that could be destructive?

Jamie Clarke: I think they can be almost the opposite. Those little doubts that sneak in are often a voice coming from somewhere speaking to you about potential problems. So I will actually give audience to that doubt because in it you may find a problem that you haven’t addressed, and I will take a look at it and realize "ooph" I didn't think of this, and therefore I need a strategy around it and I should think about it. And then if that’s not the case then I will just try to dismiss it. So I try to deal with it very rationally. Am I going to make it? Well... you can’t answer that question and think about that... "Is my gear going to hold up?" So there are these large doubts and little doubts that come in. I always give them audience; see if they can help me in my preparation so that I haven't missed something and then get rid of it.

Larry: Veronica is intrigued by the effects of altitude, in particular, she wonders if it is tough to sleep and also what do you dream about at night?

Jamie Clarke: That’s a great question. It’s really tough to sleep. But, I found it equally tough to sleep before I left. I was stressed and filled with doubt! So that keeps you up at night, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing - that's one of those indicators that lets you know, "Hey, we're really on to something!" You're amped up! You're excited and engaged in your life if you're not sleeping. That means something, and altitude, it happens all the time, and it's difficult. Now you don’t always have to worry about it though because just lying down in your tent you assure yourself that okay, I'm not getting nice deep REM sleep, but my body is recovering. So I will just tell myself, don’t sweat it, you are getting some recovery but altitude does rob you very quickly of your ability to sleep. When you do get some sleep it's often filled with crazy dreams. Some I don't even want to admit or talk about! Just nutty stuff. I often have big balloon people attacking me with little tiny heads, shouting things at me. I don’t know its weird, sometimes, you have wonderful dreams of flying and dreams of family, and so there is some dreaming and it’s often much more bizarre than what you experience back home.

Larry: Stephanie wants to know about family. Do you think a lot about your wife and your children up there and do you miss them?

Jamie Clarke: Oh boy... yep. A lot. You know this time on Everest was my 4th but my first time with family. I was married not long after my first trip. Well, a week after my first trip I proposed to my wife on Everest. And since then we've embarked on the adventure of parenthood. I have a 9 year old and a 6 year old at home and that was probably one of the more difficult parts of the trip. Just that... inside pain of missing people you love and being in a dangerous place. There were times when doubt creeped in, and you know I could get killed here. It's just not me that’s going to be impacted by this. I made a promise to those three people that I would be back. So yeah, Scotty and I, my climbing partner, he's also a Dad. He has a son named Obi, he's 3, and we had lots of conversations just to talk it through in the tent to at least acknowledge that we were feeling heavy and blue and sad, beaten up, and just wanted to go home. So, yeah I missed them terribly. When Kobi and Barbara and Jaela came and trekked in to base camp, well not all the way to base camp but close to it, and when they left, they left in a helicopter and Kobi was in the front seat wearing my ball cap and he looks over to me, and I've got lots of tears behind my sunglasses but I'm not letting him see it. And he's got this big smile, he's in the helicopter and he says, "Dad you go climb that mountain!" And I thought about that all the time and I was like yeah son... I'm going to go climb that mountain.

Larry: Motivating factor for you.

Jamie Clarke: Yeah huge, motivation to survive and to live, but also to know your little 9-year old buddy's back home saying, "Yeah Dad you go do it!". So yeah come on. I am going to do it!

Larry: Alright Jamie. Ryan, and many other people by the way also wrote this in: "What's the next lofty goal?"

Jamie Clarke: You know that's the most common question second to, "How do you go to the bathroom on Everest?" To which the answer is: quickly. But what's next? And you know I think at this point the question is not so much one that we should direct to me, but to all the people who followed along and hopefully are inspired by the adventure. You know, what's next for you? What's your Everest? And that’s a really important part of me with this legacy. We've gone off and climbed this mountain and had this fantastic adventure. We were able to reach the summit, but through our website http://www.liveoutthere.com I want to share these stories and inspire people to contemplate what their Everest is and then identify their theme, get some Sherpas together, buy a permit, get a route lined up, manage some avalanches and some icefalls... get up there where the wind blows and the views are lofty and stand upon their summit. So maybe we should stop asking me what's next and you know, ask ourselves, "What's my Everest?".

Larry: How can your fans keep in touch with you Jamie? Jamie Clarke: I think the Facebook page has been an amazing success, so there is the Facebook page which is one of the spots to communicate and connect, but there is also our website http://www.liveoutthere.com. It's connected to our store but it's not just about gear but about inspiring people to live their dreams and climb that mountain!

Larry: Good luck with everything!

Jamie Clarke: Thanks Larry.

Jamie Clarke 58 days ago

Wow,  "big balloon people attacking me with little tiny heads, shouting things at me".

See kids, there are healthier ways of getting high. Follow Jamie up Mt. Everest. LOL.

But, boy to live a dream and live it again ( even in memories ) is a wonderful thing.

Thanks for sharing Jamie.

Trevor

Trevor Redmond 52 days ago