People often ask me what the mountains have taught me.
They expect answers about strength, resilience, or courage. And YES, the mountains taught me all those things but I (Caroline Leon) also learnt some very quiet, less obvious, deeper, and far less glamorous lessons.
After nearly losing my life in a climbing accident in 2015, and then choosing to return to the mountains but much higher, colder, and more unforgiving ones than before, here are three things the world’s highest mountains have taught me.
1. The mountains taught me how to listen — really listen
Before the mountains, I thought listening happened in the mind. But the highest mountains taught me something very different. They taught me to listen to the voice that doesn’t speak in sentences. The voice that lives deeper in the body, in the gut, in the chest. The one that doesn’t argue or explain itself.
This voice is not loud. It doesn’t chatter. It doesn’t try to convince you. It arrives as a sensation, a sudden stillness in my chest, or sometimes an unexpected calm. It speaks through feeling, not language. And in everyday life, it’s easy to ignore. We drown it out with logic, ambition, and noise. We trust the thinking mind because it feels familiar and controllable. The mountains changed all that….
At altitude, the mind becomes unreliable. Oxygen deprivation dulls cognition. Overthinking becomes exhausting. The mental chatter that usually dominates fades away, and what remains is the body. On the mountain, listening becomes a survival skill. You learn to notice subtle shifts, a feeling that something isn’t right, a quiet inner resistance, a deep “no” that has no story attached to it. A quiet, GO!
You also learn to recognise the moments of alignment, when, despite fear, something inside feels steady and clear. The mountains taught me that this inner voice doesn’t shout to be heard. It waits. And the more you listen to it, not just on the mountain, but in life, the stronger it becomes. The more you ignore it, the quieter it gets.
Climbing at extreme altitude taught me to locate truth not in my thoughts, but in my body. To ask “What feels true right now?”
Sometimes that truth led me forward.
Sometimes it told me to stop.
Sometimes it asked me to turn back.
And it was always right.
The mountains didn’t teach me to choose.
It taught me to listen.
2. You don’t climb mountains to escape life…. you climb to meet it
There’s a misconception that climbing mountains is about escaping: escaping the office, the noise, the responsibilities, or even yourself. That’s how it’s portrayed in movies, on social media, and the questions I get asked the most….. “Do you climb to escape?” “Are you addicted to adrenaline?”
But the truth I’ve learned on the world’s highest peaks is far more profound: mountains don’t offer escape. It’s F**cking grim, cold, brutal. There is no adrenaline in the mountains! But they reflect. They strip everything away: distractions, ego, excuses, until all that’s left is life itself, raw and unfiltered.
At altitude, the noise of the mind quiets. There’s no room for multitasking, overthinking, or pretending. Your breath, your steps, these become your only reality. The mountain doesn’t give you adrenaline for fun; it gives you presence. And in that presence, you meet yourself entirely and unavoidably.
Meeting life in the mountains means noticing what really matters: your family and friends, the little cup of coffee with your mum, the sunrise, and a walk with your dog.
You meet the world in its entirety, the people who carry, guide, and support you; the weather that refuses to obey your schedule; the silence that speaks louder than words. You see life in its interconnection and unpredictability, and you can’t escape it, even if you wanted to.
3. The greatest lesson: what’s really important in life
When you’re standing on a ridge at 6,000 meters, or on the summit of Mt Everest, breathing shallow and lungs burning, it suddenly becomes very clear what truly matters.
It’s not the handbag on your arm, your car, your watch, the gadget, or the Instagram-worthy achievement.
What matters is LOVE, connection, family, and friends. The people who hold space for you, who carry you when you can’t carry yourself, and who celebrate with you when you reach the top.
On the mountain, I’ve seen people risk everything for ego and I’ve seen people thrive because of love. I’ve felt the invisible thread that ties me to my family even when I’m halfway across the world. I’ve understood the weight of friendship in the Sherpas who guide you with care, the team members who share their warmth and courage, and the quiet support of those who wait at home.
The mountains remind you that life is not about accumulation; it’s about presence and connection. And when you return from the climb, that clarity doesn’t fade. It follows you into the small choices of everyday life: the calls you make, the time you spend with those who matter, and the love you give.
In the end, what the mountains teach you is simple but profound!
