From Adventure Travel to First Ascents with Rebecca Coles

Rebecca Coles has led expeditions, travelled, and climbed on all 7 continents and in over 70 countries. Her experience ranges right from overland travel from Nepal to the UK, to first ascents, and a love for mountaineering from little old Wales to big and huge peaks.

In this episode we explore her huge depth and width of knowledge, talking about being the first all-women’s team to climb the 4000m peaks in the alps, tackling first ascents in your comfort zone, pushing into the uncomfortable on well known terrain, dealing with the cold and why you should take 4 pairs of gloves to Scotland, why Rebecca adventures, and so much more!

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all other platforms; just search “Between The Mountains” or Ask Alexa! (“Alexa, play Between The Mountains Adventure Podcast!”).

Coldest Place vs. Coldest Felt

Rebecca has been all over the world climbing from the continent of Antarctica all the way to the Himalayas. From -30 Celsius with wind chill on Aconcagua to the same again during a first ascent in Western Nepal, Rebecca has got a huge amount of experience in dealing with the cold. So much so, she’s written up some of her best tips and tricks about it.

So, with that kind of background, you’d expect the coldest Rebecca has been to be her time in Antarctica right? What about trying to sleep in sub-zero temperatures on the side of big, unclimbed peaks?

Nope. Good old Scotland strikes again. Bringing the wet and the winds, the coldest she has felt is right at home, at the top of the UK, in Scotland. On that note, find out from Rebecca in the podcast as to why you need four pairs of gloves in Scotland.

Feeling Comfortable in Remoteness

Feeling remote, in Rebecca’s view, can get be achieved right from Antarctica and Tajikistan all the way to the top of a Munro in Scotland. But, for Rebecca, she is not only comfortable in these places, she not only enjoys it, but actively seeks out the feeling of remoteness, like so many of us.

With that in mind, feeling remote – or even alone – isn’t for everyone. Rebecca has seen her fair share of people around her beginning to under-perform when in wild, remote place. Both the comfort levels of risk and perception of risk starts to play in their mind and what could be easily achieved in a more populous location suddenly becomes the so incredibly hard. Somewhat like walking a tightrope 1 metre off of the ground or 10 metres off of the ground; it’s the same action, but the mindset gives way. In a remote area, even a minor injury could be devastating when help and medical attention are so far away.

Rebecca Coles

Rebecca is an extremely accomplished mountaineer, as you may already know and will definitely hear in the interview. You can follow her adventures on her Instagram, check out some tips and writing on her website, and even sign up to her Patreon to receive tailored support and advice to your mountaineering and outdoors needs.

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