"One has to realize his dreams."

In part two of our interview, Stefan Glowacz, the trailblazer of many climbing routes with the highest degree of difficulty, talks about his fears and dreams right before the start of his expedition to Venezuela. There he intends on traveling through the jungle without any technical equipment to then be the first person to climb the north face of the Acopan Tepui table mountain.

In the jungle, challenges that you have never experienced before await you. Which of these gives you the most butterflies in your stomach?

The climbing and the trip along the river are what we have a handle on. But I’ll admit: I already have a queasy feeling now about the dangerous animals – the snakes, scorpions and poisonous insects. Another unknown factor will be how much we will have to struggle against the climatic conditions, the heat and the moisture.

And what experiences are you especially looking forward to?

To the impressive landscape with its forces of nature, which we simply are not familiar with from our latitudes – we will travel for quite a few days before we even start getting close to the table mountains.

On your expedition, a camera team will also be accompanying you, which will capture the entire adventure in a documentary film. Does this factor influence the course of the expedition and the behavior of the participants?

A noninvolved camera team, which would be sent from some television station, would actually be a burden for us. But the cameraman and the photographer who will be accompanying us are full-on expedition members, with whom I have worked together for years. For example, the camera assistant is also our physician. It just would not work any other way: in extreme situations, during times of great sacrifices and in dangerous situations, everyone has to rely on each other one hundred percent.

You give regular public lectures on your adventures. From which of your experiences can ordinary mortals also benefit?

In my inspirational lectures for managers, I compare expeditions with everyday life in business: here and there, for example, the most significant issues are teamwork and the passion for a mutual goal. But most of the time, I tell people the same thing that I tell my kids: do it like I do, don’t let things remain just as dreams, instead, realize your dreams!