Some Things You Can’t Muscle Through
This last weekend, I tried for a summit attempt on the north side of Mount Hood. I felt strong, confident in my climbing, and was with a great group. When we made the call to turn around just under 10,000 feet because of overhead hazard, I was a little bummed. Still, I was also incredibly grateful for the situational awareness of my climbing partners and the good times we had already had.
If you spend enough time in the mountains, you’ll eventually face the climb where you don’t reach the top. It can happen to anyone (novice or seasoned alpinist) and it’s one of the most humbling realities of mountaineering. Success in the mountains isn’t defined solely by standing on a summit. It’s also about making smart decisions, staying safe, and learning along the way.
Here’s how to think about, and deal with, not summiting, whether the factors are within your control or entirely out of your hands.
Heuristics: How Our Brains Can Work Against Us
Mountaineering environments are ripe for cognitive traps. Heuristics (mental shortcuts we use to make decisions) can cloud judgment when stakes are high and adrenaline is pumping. Ian McCammon, an internationally recognized expert on accident avoidance has identified common decision-making errors such as the “familiarity heuristic” (choosing what feels comfortable over what is safe) and “commitment heuristic” (pressing on because you’ve already invested time and effort). Being aware of these tendencies can help climbers pause and reassess more rationally. The key is to stay objective, especially when emotions are running high.
Controllable and Uncontrollable Factors: What’s in Your Hands — and What Isn’t
There are plenty of variables you can influence before and during a climb. Fitness, gear, nutrition, hydration, and mindset; these are all your responsibility. Underestimating the physical demands of a big alpine day or failing to stay hydrated and fueled can lead to exhaustion and mistakes that jeopardize the climb. Staying proactive about your self-care helps you and your team.
But then there are the factors no climber can control. Weather windows, avalanche hazard, rockfall, route conditions, and the decisions of others on the mountain can all conspire to shut down a summit attempt. For example, deteriorating snow bridges or high winds can close off a viable route overnight on Mount Rainier. Even the most prepared climbers sometimes turn around because the risks outweigh the rewards. As climber and former RMI Guide Ed Viesturs said, “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”
Mental Preparation: Finding Success in the Climb
Not summiting stings. But it doesn’t have to define your experience.
One of the best ways to handle a change of plans is to reframe what “success” looks like before you even clip into a rope. Research from Harvard Business Review on building resilience emphasizes the importance of seeing setbacks as part of the growth process; feedback, not failure.
Mountains aren’t just for standing on top of; they’re for being in. Gritty ice underfoot. Wind tearing at tents. The silence of early morning snowfields. The way a group of strangers becomes a team. These are real wins, even if you don’t get the perfect summit photo.
"Although the mountain’s infamous weather system ultimately prevented our team from making a summit bid, we are deeply satisfied with the gifts that The Great One has provided us. We were awed by the austere beauty of the Kahiltna and and vastness of the surrounding peaks and ridges. We were pushed to our limits and learned to dig deeper than ever before; whether it be cramponing on blue ice, being blown around on Windy Corner, struggling with all things altitude, or keeping our extremities warm in -40F windchill. We - a group of strangers prior to May 13 - became not only friends but teammates, encouraging each other in our hardest times, cheering each others’ successes, and cracking the most ridiculous and obscene jokes all day and late into the night."
- RMI Climber Grace, on Mount McKinley, 2025
Your Guide’s Role: Managing Risk for the Team
Experienced guides often recognize warning signs long before a climber does: the early fog of hypothermia, the shift from fatigue to dangerous exhaustion, the way someone’s stride changes when they’re hitting a wall. In a group setting, the guide isn’t just watching one climber; they’re managing an acceptable margin of safety for the entire team. That means, tough as it is to hear, your summit attempt might end early if your pace or actions are putting others in danger.
Their job isn’t to push you to the top, no matter what. It’s to bring you home safely, and to make the call when the mountain says no.
“One of the inspiring and simultaneously frustrating pieces of mountaineering is that no climb is the same. The complexity of the route, matrix of risks, and physical demand continually change. What worked on one climb may not in a subsequent one. Those differences are what keep you in the moment and are a critical component of the reward.”
- Pete Van Deventer, RMI Expeditions Guide
Having a professional at the helm allows you to focus on your own experience while they keep the bigger picture in mind.
Sometimes the climb that teaches you the most is the one that ends just shy of the top. Every step on the mountain, even the ones that turn back, is part of a bigger journey toward becoming a more vigorous, more self-aware climber.
Sources
- McCammon, I. (2004). Heuristic traps in recreational avalanche accidents: Evidence and implications. Avalanche Review.
- Harvard Business Review (2021). How to Reframe Your Failure Mindset. https://hbr.org
- National Park Service. (n.d.). Mountaineering: Safety Tips. https://www.nps.gov
