In 2018, Jen Drummond survived a car crash that should have taken her life. Instead of retreating into fear, this near-fatal accident became the catalyst for an extraordinary journey that would write her name in the history books as the first woman to conquer one of mountaineering’s most formidable challenges.
“The accident was a huge line in the sand for me,” Drummond reflects. In its aftermath, she spent 2019 contemplating a profound question: Why was she saved? This led to creating an extensive bucket list of experiences she wanted before “checking out of this place.” Among them was a seemingly modest goal: climb a mountain for her 40th birthday.
What began as a plan to climb Ama Dablam in Nepal evolved dramatically when her son questioned her choice: “Mom, if we do hard things, why are you climbing a mountain called ‘I’m a dumb blonde’ instead of a real mountain like Mount Everest?” Though amused by his mispronunciation, Drummond was struck by the challenge. Why not Everest?
While discussing training with her coach, Drummond mentioned her fascination with world records. Her coach later suggested an even more ambitious goal: becoming the first woman to climb the “seven second summits” – the second-highest peaks on each continent. These mountains aren’t mere consolation prizes; they’re often more technically challenging than their taller counterparts. Only one man had ever completed the feat.
The timing seemed impossible. It was 2020 – COVID had just begun, and Drummond was homeschooling seven children while running a business. Most significantly, she had never even slept in a tent. Yet she embraced the challenge with creativity and determination.
“I think when you get really clear and focused and you say, okay, family first, business second, athlete third. And then you build your calendar around those activities,” Drummond explains. She transformed her home into a training facility, placing 12-inch step platforms throughout the house to squeeze in exercise while brushing teeth or helping with homework. During Zoom calls, she wore a weighted vest while walking on an inclined treadmill, using a note-taking app to record important details when exhaustion affected her focus.
The mountains themselves presented extreme challenges. On Mount Logan in Canada, Drummond’s team spent days inching up the glacier, testing each step for hidden crevasses. During one terrifying night, as howling winds threatened to tear their tent apart, they spent 14 hours preparing for death, writing final messages to loved ones.
“Fear is along for the ride,” Drummond says. “We don’t get to get rid of it, but we don’t have to let it drive the car.”
Between December 2020 and October 2024, Drummond completed not just seven but nine mountains to account for all geographical disputes about continental boundaries. While most consider Indonesia part of Asia, some classify it as part of Australia – requiring an additional climb. Similarly, some geographers place Russia in Asia rather than Europe, necessitating a climb in Switzerland to cover all bases.
Her final ascent of Sumantri in Indonesia – postponed for years due to a civil war in the region – brought “a feeling of full integrity, full authenticity, full alignment.”
Through these experiences, Drummond developed powerful insights about resilience, which she shares in her book “Break Proof.” Perhaps most compelling is her concept of “acclimatizing” – understanding that progress isn’t linear but requires adaptation. When climbing Everest, mountaineers must repeatedly ascend and descend before attempting the summit, allowing their bodies to produce more red blood cells to function at higher altitudes.
“When we hit this point of failure, it doesn’t mean quit,” Drummond explains. “It means go back to base camp. What did we learn? What’s going to make us go further and higher and stay in integrity?”
She also emphasizes the importance of team-building. “Big mountains take big teams… when we set these big goals, and they start getting hard, that’s not a cue to negotiate with yourself and dial it back. That’s a cue to say, ‘Who can help me?'”
Drummond’s extraordinary journey proves that life’s greatest challenges – whether mountains or metaphorical obstacles – require not just personal strength but adaptability, teamwork, and the courage to face fear without being controlled by it.
Key Quotes
- “Fear is along for the ride. We don’t get to get rid of it, but we don’t have to let it drive the car.”
- “When we hit this point of failure, it doesn’t mean quit. It doesn’t mean stop. It means okay, let’s go back to base camp. What did we learn?”
- “Big mountains take big teams… when we set these big goals, and they start getting hard, that’s not a cue to negotiate with yourself and dial it back and make it easier. That’s a cue to say, ‘Who can help me?'”
- “After that car accident, I realized I don’t get to choose when I die, but I sure get to choose how I live.”
Key Takeaways
- Resilience Through Acclimatization: Progress isn’t linear. Like mountaineers who must repeatedly ascend and descend to adapt to altitude, we need to view setbacks as part of the adaptation process.
- Choose Your Line in the Sand: Don’t wait for a traumatic event to start living intentionally. Choose your own “line in the sand” moment to pursue what matters to you.
- Fear Management: Fear will always be present in challenging situations, but you can acknowledge it without letting it control your decisions.
- Creative Problem-Solving: Drummond found innovative ways to train while balancing family and business responsibilities, showing that constraints can foster creativity.
- Team Building: Major achievements require support teams. When goals get challenging, that’s the time to build your team, not scale back your ambitions.
- Integrity in Achievement: Going beyond the minimum requirements (climbing nine mountains instead of seven) led to a deeper sense of completion and authenticity.
To learn more about Jenn Drummond, visit jenndrummond.com
Instagram: @thejenndrummond
Facebook: @jenndrummondutah
TikTok: @thejenndrummond
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