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Always wondered how granola types like this fund these expeditions. Are they privately funded by wealthy individuals or funded personally by working jobs in the

Always wondered how granola types like this fund these expeditions. Are they privately funded by wealthy individuals or funded personally by working jobs in the off-season? Or family money?

ghaff 3y ago
Outdoor equipment manufacturers in a lot of cases.
jonah 3y ago
Mostly working jobs in the off-season and sponsorships like 'ghaff mentions. It's not _that_ expensive of a hobby. Maybe $5k of gear a piece plus travel expenses for a minimal expedition like this.
- bluGill 3y ago
  IT is expensive, but not in $$$ terms. You have to dedicate your life to physical training which takes a lot of time. You have to have jobs that let you take a lot of time off. Nothing that is difficult per se, but still not normal. It is also expensive in life terms - local guides often do dangerous work making this possible.
anon84873628 3y ago
Combination of everything, including requests for donations. I gave a bit to help a friend climb Everest. He also got free gear and food from suppliers.
LeifCarrotson 3y ago
FTA: > Rousseau ... guides climbers in Utah and beyond. > Cornell ... summers around the rock-climbing hub of Yosemite National Park, working at a restaurant (owned by Anker, a mentor) to help fund his pursuits. He lives in a 2003 Freightliner van, with 320,000 miles, [down by the river]. > Marvell ... has a few sponsorship deals and also his own welding business ... climbing up and rappelling down oil platforms, timing repair work with the tides. Per gram, ultralight climbing gear is pretty expensive. But you can only carry so many grams with you. And yes, plane tickets to Tibet are $1600. Food isn't that expensive. And yes, they had some porters and pack animals to help them walk rations to base camp at 15,000 feet. A lot of people probably spend more on golfing than these guys spent on this epic. There's a huge difference between the cost of an 'expedition' like this and the cost of adventure tourism. If you're not paying for dozens of people to carry oxygen bottles and dry clothes and tents and warm meals it doesn't cost anything to go outside. And if you structure your life around spending more time climbing/surfing/hiking, it doesn't seem like such an impossibility to not clock in for a few months.
- hutzlibu 3y ago
  "If you're not paying for dozens of people to carry oxygen bottles and dry clothes and tents and warm meals it doesn't cost anything to go outside." In some cases unfortunately it does. The local governments of the Himalayas sell quite expensive permits to climb the high summits. This one was probably free, but give it some time and popularity and you will need a expensive permit for doing this as well.
dieselgate 3y ago
Any, none, or all of the above plus sponsorships, ads, competition winnings etc. If an athlete is sponsored they might get a lot of gear and travel paid for along with maybe a cash stipend. There is a whole spectrum of what it means to be a "professional"
lispisok 3y ago
Upper middle class and wealthier parents. Even if they are living a budget "dirtbag" lifestyle they always have parents for a cash infusion if they need it. People who can afford not to work.
- mym1990 3y ago
  Source or are you just spewing out your rear end?
  - mikestew 3y ago
    I’m not going to say that it is the common method, but I’ve seen what parent describes for multiple people. I’ll be the first to admit that I probably live in an upper middle class bubble these days, but it certainly happens. OTOH, I’ve known people that live in a trailer and had a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was worth more than the trailer. So one doesn’t have to reach terribly far to find someone that is living their priorities. Just because you aren’t willing to work odd jobs and live in a van to finance your badminton career doesn’t mean others aren’t.
    - mym1990 3y ago
      I am not saying it is crazy to think that some people get by with the help of their parents, but to blatantly just generalize "these granola types" who just accomplished one of the absolute craziest climbs in history...comes off a little uneducated.
  - LesZedCB 3y ago
    well the American alpine club has an average income that's in the six figures iirc. however when there's an annual fee of $100 or so, it's a bit of selection bias. however one of their perks is the "Live your dream" grant where they fund amateur climbers to go on their dream trip once a year. it's application based but I've known people who've gone to the Karakorum on it.
    - mym1990 3y ago
mym1990 3y ago
Not related to this endeavor but I generally watch people pool enough money from jobs here and there to 'take a shot' at something like this(and obviously everyone's risk tolerance and personal achievement will vary). I do think it is difficult to have a steady career given the amount of dedication that is needed for fitness, planning, etc... for big trips.
tomjakubowski 3y ago
I think a lot of window washers do it to fund climbing trips
jasonpeacock 3y ago
Ed Viesturs' biography, "No Shortcuts to the Top", covers this well - you can see how he saves money, works various jobs, and pursues sponsorships to fund his Everest, K2, and other big-mountain expeditions. He'd get a trip all organized, then it will be aborted mid-climb due to weather or other issues, and he'd have to start all over again and take a few years until he can try again. It's also just a good read if you're interested in the topic.
czinck 3y ago
On top of what everyone else said about how they make money, lots of climbers at this level live outrageously frugally and so can easily save up. Marc-Andre Leclerc lived in a stairwell[0], and their dinners are rice and beans or "what was on sale at walmart". Think stereotypical startup incubator of bunk beds and ramen, there's only one goal and it's not day-to-day comfort. [0] http://marcleclerc.blogspot.com/2012/07/dreaded-first-blog-post.html http://marcleclerc.blogspot.com/2012/07/dreaded-first-blog-p...
- hilux 3y ago
  That is awesome. I am inspired by people who sacrifice to achieve big goals - although if the goal is important enough, perhaps you don't feel the "sacrifice."
heavyset_go 3y ago
The climbers I know who have the time and money to do things like this fall into the latter category.

Always wondered how granola types like this fund these expeditions. Are they privately funded by wealthy individuals or funded personally by working jobs in the off-season? Or family money?

ghaff 3y ago

Outdoor equipment manufacturers in a lot of cases.

jonah 3y ago

Mostly working jobs in the off-season and sponsorships like 'ghaff mentions. It's not _that_ expensive of a hobby. Maybe $5k of gear a piece plus travel expenses for a minimal expedition like this.

bluGill 3y ago
IT is expensive, but not in $$$ terms. You have to dedicate your life to physical training which takes a lot of time. You have to have jobs that let you take a lot of time off. Nothing that is difficult per se, but still not normal. It is also expensive in life terms - local guides often do dangerous work making this possible.

anon84873628 3y ago

Combination of everything, including requests for donations. I gave a bit to help a friend climb Everest. He also got free gear and food from suppliers.

LeifCarrotson 3y ago

FTA: > Rousseau ... guides climbers in Utah and beyond. > Cornell ... summers around the rock-climbing hub of Yosemite National Park, working at a restaurant (owned by Anker, a mentor) to help fund his pursuits. He lives in a 2003 Freightliner van, with 320,000 miles, [down by the river]. > Marvell ... has a few sponsorship deals and also his own welding business ... climbing up and rappelling down oil platforms, timing repair work with the tides. Per gram, ultralight climbing gear is pretty expensive. But you can only carry so many grams with you. And yes, plane tickets to Tibet are $1600. Food isn't that expensive. And yes, they had some porters and pack animals to help them walk rations to base camp at 15,000 feet. A lot of people probably spend more on golfing than these guys spent on this epic. There's a huge difference between the cost of an 'expedition' like this and the cost of adventure tourism. If you're not paying for dozens of people to carry oxygen bottles and dry clothes and tents and warm meals it doesn't cost anything to go outside. And if you structure your life around spending more time climbing/surfing/hiking, it doesn't seem like such an impossibility to not clock in for a few months.

hutzlibu 3y ago
"If you're not paying for dozens of people to carry oxygen bottles and dry clothes and tents and warm meals it doesn't cost anything to go outside." In some cases unfortunately it does. The local governments of the Himalayas sell quite expensive permits to climb the high summits. This one was probably free, but give it some time and popularity and you will need a expensive permit for doing this as well.

dieselgate 3y ago

Any, none, or all of the above plus sponsorships, ads, competition winnings etc. If an athlete is sponsored they might get a lot of gear and travel paid for along with maybe a cash stipend. There is a whole spectrum of what it means to be a "professional"

lispisok 3y ago

Upper middle class and wealthier parents. Even if they are living a budget "dirtbag" lifestyle they always have parents for a cash infusion if they need it. People who can afford not to work.

mym1990 3y ago
Source or are you just spewing out your rear end?
- mikestew 3y ago
  I’m not going to say that it is the common method, but I’ve seen what parent describes for multiple people. I’ll be the first to admit that I probably live in an upper middle class bubble these days, but it certainly happens. OTOH, I’ve known people that live in a trailer and had a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was worth more than the trailer. So one doesn’t have to reach terribly far to find someone that is living their priorities. Just because you aren’t willing to work odd jobs and live in a van to finance your badminton career doesn’t mean others aren’t.
  - mym1990 3y ago
    I am not saying it is crazy to think that some people get by with the help of their parents, but to blatantly just generalize "these granola types" who just accomplished one of the absolute craziest climbs in history...comes off a little uneducated.
- LesZedCB 3y ago
  well the American alpine club has an average income that's in the six figures iirc. however when there's an annual fee of $100 or so, it's a bit of selection bias. however one of their perks is the "Live your dream" grant where they fund amateur climbers to go on their dream trip once a year. it's application based but I've known people who've gone to the Karakorum on it.
  - mym1990 3y ago

mym1990 3y ago

Not related to this endeavor but I generally watch people pool enough money from jobs here and there to 'take a shot' at something like this(and obviously everyone's risk tolerance and personal achievement will vary). I do think it is difficult to have a steady career given the amount of dedication that is needed for fitness, planning, etc... for big trips.

tomjakubowski 3y ago

I think a lot of window washers do it to fund climbing trips

jasonpeacock 3y ago

Ed Viesturs' biography, "No Shortcuts to the Top", covers this well - you can see how he saves money, works various jobs, and pursues sponsorships to fund his Everest, K2, and other big-mountain expeditions. He'd get a trip all organized, then it will be aborted mid-climb due to weather or other issues, and he'd have to start all over again and take a few years until he can try again. It's also just a good read if you're interested in the topic.

czinck 3y ago

On top of what everyone else said about how they make money, lots of climbers at this level live outrageously frugally and so can easily save up. Marc-Andre Leclerc lived in a stairwell[0], and their dinners are rice and beans or "what was on sale at walmart". Think stereotypical startup incubator of bunk beds and ramen, there's only one goal and it's not day-to-day comfort. [0] http://marcleclerc.blogspot.com/2012/07/dreaded-first-blog-post.html http://marcleclerc.blogspot.com/2012/07/dreaded-first-blog-p...

hilux 3y ago
That is awesome. I am inspired by people who sacrifice to achieve big goals - although if the goal is important enough, perhaps you don't feel the "sacrifice."

heavyset_go 3y ago

The climbers I know who have the time and money to do things like this fall into the latter category.