Interview with Roy Patael-Yohai

Age: 36

From Israel

Amateur mountaineer

 

Climbed Annapurna base camp in Nepal – 4-day trek, Mountains in the Israeli desert – 2-day trek, a mountain in Kamikochi, Japan (amongst others).

 

Q: What do you like most about mountaineering?

A: The feeling of freedom, the fact that a mountain is always there. I am more focused on myself when I’m climbing a mountain, it’s relaxing.

 

Q: Would you say your favorite part about climbing is being in the moment?

A: I would say so. It’s also being connected to my basic needs (when I’m hungry, when I need to sleep etc.)

 

Q: What do you feel when you reach the summit?

A: I don’t like it more than the way itself. The first few times I climbed a mountain I was disappointed when I reached the summit. I thought I was supposed to feel things that I didn’t feel. After the first few times I learned to treat it as just another mark along the way. 

 

Q: Why did you decide to propose to your wife on a mountain?

A: We love nature and traveling. We had the feeling as a young couple we were going to conquer the world as a team, and that there was no summit we couldn’t reach together. It’s a metaphor but I think it goes deep in your heart and it is something you think about when you reach other summits in your life. 

 

Q: Were you happy that you chose to propose there?

A: Yes. It was perfect.

 

Q: At this point I descripted our mountain climbing simulation on telegraph hill. I asked Roy what he would recommend us to do to feel more like we’re climbing a real mountain. 

A: I think you should meditate in order to clear your mind and put the noises from the day to day environment aside.