5 Major Mistakes That Led To My Mountaineering Failure

Mistakes lead to failure. And failure leads to regret. One mistake can cost you a lot and I have got many.

If you’ve read about my failure story of the mountaineering course, you’d know that from procrastinating training to not being mentally prepared, the list of my mistakes could be endless. But below are some of the ones I recall and regret the most that one should avoid.

1] Failing to make the most of BMC

‘Life is short, whatever you experience..you should make every moment count. Try living it as much as you can at the moment. I wish I’d taken this seriously in September 2022. 

The first few days I was homesick, I wouldn’t put in my best effort in socializing with everyone, focusing on lectures, and doing my best in the activities. I was either living in the past or the future. Thinking that these moments won’t be back and I’d miss them getting nostalgic in the future, I’d get nostalgic during the moments, how dumb is that? It was just 28 days, why the f I didn’t make the most of it…I still think that to this day.

2] Not being mentally prepared

Underestimating the hardcore exercise I was going to face in bmc training, I overestimated that I’d manage somehow. I didn’t give much thought to how would i keep myself motivated during the course.

When every day seems like a struggle and you feel like you gotta get through just 28 days, you aren’t able to enjoy that time fully. Then you just want it to be done with when you should actually have a never give up mentality. So, mentally preparing yourself for the mountains is crucial.

3] Physically not training

As I went there and found the daily routine exhausting af, I realized I had no strength at all. This was visible to instructors during other activities as well. As I was trying to climb on the rock, I couldn’t climb after a certain point. It seemed difficult and I kept slipping. One instructor said that the reason I couldn’t climb was that my upper body lacked strength. 

When I failed the fitness test, which was a true demonstrator of one’s strength, I realized how weak I was in terms of physical strength. Completing 15 km with 16kg within 3 hours isn’t a big deal I thought as the time limit seemed a lot. But with me struggling all the way through that uphill-downhill route, how quickly would those 3 hours pass, I had no idea.

4] Lack of confidence

When I look in retrospect, I feel that I’d put myself in a kind of box…that I was an introvert or that I’d be socially awkward, and I won’t be able to socialize due to my inexperience with life and people in general. I assumed that because I’ve always had a very small circle of friends, so small that if we all stand around, it won’t even form a circle lol. 

But that wasn’t the case, I didn’t even have to make an effort, I was naturally an extrovert once I got through the introductory phase. Although I could do more, talk to more people, believe in myself, and go for the activities performing my best. But my fear prevented that. Later, I realized all I needed was just some confidence because with all the safety there..what was the worst that could happen? Whenever I made an effort, I completed those particular activities.

5] Having preconceived notions

If I had to summarise all the mistakes into one, it’d be this one. Wasn’t all the other mistakes just a result of this? Assuming things beforehand..that this would happen. 

For instance, how could I socialize, what if I seemed dumb, assuming that I’d manage the exhausting training somehow? All these beliefs, one led to another. Instead, if I just followed simply what was told, everything would be different today.

Final Thoughts

You can’t change the past, all you could do is learn from it and do your best in future endeavors. Even after 7 months, the guilt is there. Accepting that I can’t go back in time hurts the most. But that’s the painful reality of me failing a mountaineering course. That I can’t change, but just regret and learn from.

Whether it is a mountaineering course or any course on earth, preparation in every aspect is crucial to make the most out of it. Because in the end, whether you live with nostalgia or regret, it all depends on your own efforts.