Marta Misztal - Climbing the 7 summits and wanting to reach the highest peak of each European country #tolivetotravel

Marta in her own words:

 

“My name is Marta and I come from a small town in Poland called Pila. Growing up I was raised by a single mum; I had a good but humble upbringing, I always loved the outdoors and hanging out with my friends.

 

My childhood in Poland was a happy time in my life, but after my first trip to London as a teenager it all changed. I realised very quickly that living in Poland wasn’t for me anymore; I had big dreams and ambitions that I knew I couldn’t pursue in my hometown. I spent one more year living in Poland, learning English and saving ready to finally enter the ‘big world’… then I moved to London.

 

Taking this chance opened up so many opportunities for me. I got a good degree, good job, I travelled the world and had some awesome adventures whilst doing so, that I’ve decided to share them here. So, here I am, writing my blog, hoping to inspire and invite you on my journey.

 

My love for travelling has grown immensely over the years. The more countries I saw, the more countries I wanted to see. Along the way, my style of travelling changed; I had even bigger accomplishments on my agenda. So I set myself two goals: to climb to the highest peak on each continent, the challenge known as 7 Summits; and to reach the highest peak of each European country, which I call The Crown of Europe.

 

Out of the 7 Summits, I’ve already completed 5 (the highest peak in Europe, Africa, North and South America, Antarctica) and I am getting ready to attempt another one later this year… Everest. I am extremely excited about it as this is also the last continent I still haven’t seen.

 

The second goal is to reach the highest peak of each European country, which I call The Crown of Europe  There are 50 countries but 48 peaks and I have already completed 17 of them. However, this leaves plenty of adventure still ahead…”

 

*This episode was recorded in 20th January 2022 - Marta summited Everest 6.25am on May 15th, 2022.

 

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Show notes

• Who is Marta
• Moving to the UK from Poland 17 years ago
• Her goal to climb the 7 summits 
• Wanting to climb the highest peak in each European Country 
• Growing up in Poland and what her early years were like
• Not being close to the mountains as a child
• Being inspired by her father who was very outdoorsy
• Getting use to the cold weather 
• Her passion for travel
• Wanting more from travel and wanting to combine it with adventure 
• Setting herself 2 BIG goals 
• The Crown of Europe of Challenge
• Climbing Kilimanjaro first 
• Climbing Mt. Blanc and then Elbrus.
• Climbing Aconcagua in South America
• Climbing Denali in North America which was the toughest climb she’s done.
• Go to Antarctica to climb Vincent and why it was her favourite climb so far
• Taking on Everest in April 2022
• Leaving Carstensz Pyramid until the end due to the political situation and the costs involved. 
• Costs of climbing mountains and how she’s paying for the adventures 
• Going to Everest in 2021 and having her trip cancelled
• Funding her challenges
• Her fear of dying while in the mountains
• Dealing with the downtime and how she handled the waiting. 
• Handling her period while in the mountains
• Using wet wipes to shower
• Stop taking the pill when you are at high altitude as it thickens your blood
• Wearing a nappy on the summit push?
• Trying things out in advance
• Dealing with stress diarrhea while climbing 
• The mental side of the challenge 
• Dealing with stress and anxiety 
• How you can change your thinking 
• Focusing on what she can control 
• Visiting the Altitude Centre in London 
• Getting physically strong and what training looks like this year
• Developing her own training plan and being flexible with what it looks like
• Stretching for recovery and eating well
• Being anaemic and feeling tired
• Feeling more relaxed and knowing what to expect this time around
• Being guided by Nirmal Purja team 
• Elite Expeditions 
• Being inspired by Martyna Wojciechowska 
• How you can follow Marta
• Final words of advice and wisdom 
• Being a normal person and making the decision to go for it. 

 

Social Media

 

Website: www.tolivetotravel.com 

 

Instagram: @tolivetotravel 

 

Facebook: @tolivetotravel 

 

Twitter: @tolivetotravel