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Untitled
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Conquering mountains and motherhood
An interview with Arlene Blum
by Cathy Olofson
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 What makes a die-hard, bred-in-the-bone mountain climber trade in the oxygen tank and hang up her crampons? Tragedy? Injury? Radical disillusionment? For Arlene Blum, who gained renown 20 years ago when she led the first American team of women up Nepal's Annapurna (the world's 10th highest peak), the answer is: none of the above.
These days Blum foregoes high-altitude drama for an altogether different type of thrill: raising her young daughter. The decision has given Blum a different perspective on climbing, risk-taking, and the kinds of trade-offs you make pursuing -- or not -- your passions. Not that Blum has much free time for intense introspection. She's completing her second book, Molecules, Mountains and Motherhood, (her first was Annapurna: A Woman's Place) and is running a thriving leadership consulting business in Silicon Valley. With Arlene Blum Lectures (www.arleneblum.com), she's channeling herinsights into team-building and leadership into experiential seminars like"Climbing Your Own Everests." She also runs cultural workshops for SiliconValley companies doing business in South Asia.
Nor has Blum, who has made more than 300 high-altitude ascents and led more than 15 expeditions, given up mountaineering altogether. She's just set her sights, well, lower -- opting for hiking in the Alps instead of summiting on Everest. She and her daughter are also planning a trek around Annapurna. If Blum's story suggests anything, life at any height can be very heady indeed.
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Meet Arlene Blum
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Arlene Blum
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