Meet record-breaking mountaineer, Bianca Adler, as she shares how determination, self-belief, and mindful courage have helped her rise to extraordinary heights – on and off the mountain.
At 17, Bianca Adler is already an accomplished mountain climber, with achievements that defy her age. While most teenagers are navigating high school, Bianca has tackled glaciers, storms, and the thin air of the Himalayas – proving that strength and courage can take you to the top of the world.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START CLIMBING MOUNTAINS?
I grew up in the mountains of the French Alps and always did lots of hiking. My parents are both mountaineers and I always loved hiking with them and my brother. As I discovered my love for the mountains, I progressed from hiking to rock climbing, then mountaineering.
WAS THERE A MOMENT WHEN YOU REALISED, ‘THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO’?
I was only 12 when I reached the summit of Mt Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps! It was incredibly hard, but I fell in love with pushing my body and mind. It was then that I knew I’d continue climbing and get serious about training.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR BODY AND MIND FOR A BIG CLIMB?
I train quite hard! I do long, multi-day hikes carrying a big backpack, where I practise walking for 10–15 hours at a time. I go to the gym 4–5 times a week, and I do lots of cardio and strength training for both my upper and lower body.
My mind gets stronger as I practise staying consistent with training. I have to show up even when I’m tired and don’t feel like it!
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO REACH THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN?
It’s probably not what most people would think! On one hand, it feels great to reach the top and stop climbing uphill. However, I am often so exhausted due to having climbed many hours through the night, that I can’t fully appreciate it, and I still have many more long hours of descending. My mum would always say that the summit is only halfway! I can’t relax until I am safe and descended because accidents happen most often on the downhill climb. I can celebrate and have a party when I get back down to base camp!
Let’s take a moment to recognise Bianca’s incredible achievements. She currently holds two world records, including a Guinness World Record as the youngest female to summit Nepal’s Mount Manaslu (8,163 metres) – an extraordinary feat which she achieved at 16 years old.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE CLIMBING MOUNT MANASLU?
It was my first 8,000 metre peak, which is a big deal in mountaineering because the altitude enters the ‘death zone’, which is so high that no human can survive there for more than a few days. As you get higher, there is less and less oxygen, making it harder to breathe. Seemingly small tasks, like putting boots on, are a huge effort!
It was a very long expedition, lasting over a month on the mountain. It challenged me mentally, having to spend so long away from home, whilst staying focused on the mountain when my body and mind were exhausted. The summit day was by far the hardest, it was 25 hours straight of exhausting climbing!
This was with no sleep, and almost no food or water. You can imagine I was pretty tired. I didn’t know I had the record until I got back down, and I was thrilled!
This mountain taught me so much about resilience, perseverance, and determination, and that pushed me on to dream bigger!
In April of this year, Bianca left her home in Melbourne to climb Mount Everest in Nepal, the highest mountain in the world at 8,849 metres. She pushed through ice, altitude, and exhaustion, getting within 400 metres of the summit, before dangerous weather forced her to make the toughest call of all – to turn back.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO CLIMB MOUNT EVEREST?
I knew I had enough experience from my numerous climbing expeditions, and I wanted a bigger challenge. I have always dreamed of standing on top of the world! With the experience and training I had, my parents and I knew it would be possible.
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGES ON THIS CLIMB?
In general, the greatest challenge was the length of the expedition. It was about 60 days long and most of those days were spent at a high altitude, so my body was constantly fatigued. It became very hard to eat, sleep, and do anything really, because of the low oxygen levels.
My summit attempt was extremely difficult because the oxygen levels were at about 30 percent of the oxygen there is at sea level. It was so hard to climb, and I had to take a rest every five steps or so.
Making the decision to turn back was incredibly difficult as it felt like I was abandoning my dream. However, I’m so glad I did turn back, because there was a high risk of me losing fingers or toes, or even not coming back at all.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT THIS CLIMB?
In our group, only 15 percent of climbers were female. I was almost the youngest, so I was nervous about the physical aspect, and whether I would be able to endure the consecutive long days. I was surprised to learn that I was much stronger than I thought.
I was very happy that all my hard work at training had paid off! I learnt that females can be just as strong, or even stronger, than males on the mountain!
HOW DID IT FEEL TO TURN BACK FROM YOUR ATTEMPT TO CLIMB THE SUMMIT?
Honestly, it felt very frustrating because I felt strong enough to continue, and I thought I could have reached the summit. The weather was crazy though; there was wind blowing everywhere! I was sad to turn away from my dream, but I wanted to prioritise my safety and not have the possibility of any frostbite.
WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH ON A CLIMB?
I love to have mantras to repeat to myself when it gets very hard. I say to myself, ‘I am brave, I am strong, I am fear-facing, and I can do this!’ This really helps to distract me from the pain.
HAVE YOU EVER FELT SCARED DURING A CLIMB? HOW DO YOU HANDLE IT?
Yes, I have been scared when climbing along very steep ridges, with a one kilometre drop on either side. I take a deep breath and remind myself to stay focused and perform each movement slowly. Most importantly, I just try to calm myself down because stress definitely does not help with my performance.
IS THERE ANYTHING WE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
For people that only know me for my climbing and extreme sports, they would be surprised to know how girly I am! I love hot pink, wearing flowy dresses, doing face masks with my friends, experimenting with makeup, and dancing at parties. I even did a face mask in my tent on Everest!
DO YOU HAVE A LUCKY CHARM OR SOMETHING SPECIAL YOU BRING WITH YOU ON YOUR CLIMB?
I have many! I have a 4-leaf clover charm from my grandma, a flag with my school logo, another with my friends’ faces on it, the traditional Buddhist khata scarves, and bracelets given to me from my friends and family. All these things make me feel safe and a little closer to home.
WHAT HAS MOUNTAIN CLIMBING TAUGHT YOU ABOUT YOURSELF?
It has taught me that I am so much stronger than I think.
It has made me believe in myself more in my daily life than I previously would have.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A YOUNG PERSON WHO WANTS TO TRY MOUNTAIN CLIMBING?
I would tell you to not listen to what people say about your age or gender impacting your climbing ability. Focus on yourself and gain experience by starting small and building up.
WHAT’S YOUR DREAM CLIMB – EVEN IF IT FEELS FAR OFF FOR NOW?
I would love to climb K2, which is the second-highest mountain. It’s very technical and dangerous, but I think with enough preparation and experience, I can do it sometime in the future.
Follow Bianca on Instagram @bianca_adler1 and read about her Everest summit attempt at adlers.com.au.
This article was originally published under the title She’s Got Altitude in Issue 48 – From the Heart. You can get this issue here to enjoy more mindful inspiration.
