Tom French: “The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back”

At the end of 2019, Tom French retired from a four-decade career in business, determined to return to interests that had defined his youth and see what meaning they still held. One of these interests was mountaineering. Another was adventure travel, with a particular focus on Nepal. A third was cross-country ski racing. Over the following three years, he rebuilt his athletic strength, competed in cross-country ski marathons, and climbed some of the world’s highest mountains, including two expeditions to Everest. On the first Everest climb, a cyclone forced him to turn around high on the mountain and descend the treacherous Lhotse Face in a blizzard. On the second, he approached the mountain through the remote Makalu Barun region, the first Everest climber ever to do so, and climbed to the summit on a moon-lit night. Tom will share these experiences and read from his recently published book: “The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back”. Addressing much more than Everest, it is about beauty and joy found in wild places, about cross-country ski racing and mountaineering more broadly, and – most of all – about a journey to find meaning in life and reconnect with the passions of youth.