Interview: Revelstoke mountaineer Greg Hill to speak at Axis Mundi Harvest

He’s faced grim news of fellow mountaineers swept off mountains and Revelstoke local Greg Hill himself survived serious injury in an avalanche last year.

He has been humbled with rehab from the resulting leg injury, a temporary roadblock in his adventuring career, but with his 40^th birthday around the corner this December, Hill’s insatiable thirst for pushing his body’s limits are as keen as ever.

Revelstoke’s Greg Hill is a speaker at the upcoming Axis Mundi Harvest festival. Photo: T. Chandler

Hill’s side career to mountaineering is motivational speaking and he will be one of several speakers secured for Revelstoke’s brand-new creative community festival Axis Mundi Harvest, which runs from Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20.

Hill will discuss a variety of stories and lessons learned from his extensive background in mountaineering that has seen him named one of the Top 25 Fittest Guys in the World in 2011 and includes a worldwide summit count growing over 200.

Originally from Quebec, when Hill is not completing astonishing feats, he’s at home in Revelstoke home with his wife and two kids. The Revelstoke Mountaineer caught up with this local for a quick Q&A.

See Greg Hill at Axis Mundi Harvest: Sunday September 20, 1 p.m. at the C3 Church, 108 First Street West.

Q&A

How do you make your seminars different and compelling each time?

I wouldn’t call my talks “seminars” more of a motivational entertainment. I am always changing my talks, slowly honing it to what I am aiming for.

This keeps them fresh for me and fun. It’s also about the audience, figuring out what they are looking for and adapting my talks to best suit them. It’s fun never knowing how it’s going to go. I have had some great talks in my past and some doozies. And it’s the doozies that I learned the most from.

What drives you to take on these extraordinary challenges?

I just have a need to know my personal limits, and complacency gets to me. I feel like we should always be growing and evolving and if I am not then it begins to grate on me. So these goals give me tangible proofs that I am continue to strive for more.

What has been one of your greatest achievements to date?

Each one had its place and time. When I was pushing my daily limits and went from 10 to 20 to 30 to 40 and finally up to 50,000 feet in a day, that was huge.

But then, my yearlong goal of two million [feet] was a great feeling to have accomplished. I guess my two million, since it was the only one where I cried when I completed it — so much time and drive was committed to that silly little number.

Greg HIll with his wife Tracey and kids Charley and Aidan. Photo: from GregHill.ca

When do you think you will slow down?

Age and satisfaction that I have lived life to its fullest. But it is all relative, my 100 per cent from a few years ago is not my 100 per cent now.

I watched some 65-year-olds ride off at Macpherson today and was inspired. They were toned and psyched.

Before you got into mountaineering, what was your impression of the sport? Did you ever imagine or intend to get into it? What advice would you give to others that are interested in mountaineering?

I remember reading “Banner in the Sky” a fictional account of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. At the time I lived in the Appalachians and knew next to nothing about mountains. But it resonated with me, the challenges the kid overcame, the reality of the hazards. I never believed I would become a mountaineer. But everything I did eventually led me to here.

Skiing from two to 16, then becoming a mad climber from 16 to 24, and then dislocating my shoulder and finding ski touring from then onwards. It has been an interesting path for sure. Advice I would give is to find mentors, learn from the experienced and develop your own mountain sense from their knowledge.

Why have you made Revelstoke your home?

Revelstoke was an undiscovered gem when I moved here in 2000, and it has grown into a great little mountain town.

It has the best snow I have ever found, consistently (except last winter [2014/15]). Untapped wilderness and endless adventures right out the back door. The outdoor community has grown and blossomed into a great crew of families and shredders.

Why do you think the Axis Mundi festivals are a good fit for our town?

I think our town has set itself apart in terms of skiing and adventures but it needs to develop its arts and culture side more.

This festival will add that to our town. Blending in great bands, with a variety of talks, plus the running race, it makes it one of the most well rounded best weekends in Revelstoke that I have ever seen.

For more: Want more insight into Hill’s adventures? Read his candid recounts on his website and blog.

Watch

In this short clip, Hill explains what happened when he got caught in an avalanche.

Hill was named one of the Top 25 Fittest Guys in the World 2011 for climbing and skiing two million feet in a year (about the equivalent of climbing Toronto’s CN Tower three times a day for a year).