He paid over $170,000 to climb the Seven Summits — despite being 'terrified of heights'

Vivian James Rigney is nary casual traveler.

The enforcement manager and talker has visited much than 80 countries and lived connected 3 continents.

He's besides climbed the highest mountains connected each 7 continents, the alleged Seven Summits.

It's a feat that took him 14 years — one, helium estimates, that less than 1,000 radical person completed.

And helium did it contempt being "terrified of heights," helium said.

In an interrogation with CNBC Travel, Rigney talked astir what helium learned — and however overmuch it outgo him — to scope immoderate of the highest points connected earth.  

Rigney estimates he's paid betwixt $170,000 and $180,000 to ascent the Seven Summits, helium said.

"Everest is, by far, the astir expensive," helium said, adding that helium paid astir $80,000 erstwhile helium climbed it successful 2010.

"You person to prevention and physique a plan," helium said. "That's wherefore it took maine years. I started, past I went to concern school, each my wealth was gone into that, past I started again, got a caller occupation … Piece by piece, I gradually got done it."

But there's different outgo — the clip distant from work, said Rigney. Luckily, helium said his employers supported his goals.

"If you person a bully leader … they tin spot [personal goals] arsenic thing which tin assistance assistance the spirits of the company," helium said.

In summation to costs, the Seven Summits alteration considerably successful presumption of climbing difficulty, said Rigney.  

He said Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro is "easy," calling it "technically not challenging astatine all."

But it is precocious capable to consciousness altitude sickness, helium said, which stops immoderate climbers from reaching the top.

Kilimanjaro tin beryllium climbed successful a week, helium said. Antarctica's Vinson Massif tin instrumentality 2 weeks — "if you're lucky" — and North America's Denali 3 to 4 weeks.

But Mount Everest is simply a "massive logistical operation" that takes astir 2 months, helium said. It's by acold the astir hard and unsafe climb, helium said, calling the acquisition "excruciatingly painful."  

"Every compartment successful your assemblage is saying you shouldn't beryllium here," helium said. "Your intuition is going nuts."

He said helium arrived "bulked up and ace fit." Despite consuming 7,000 to 8,000 calories a time — chiefly potatoes, pasta and adust nutrient — helium said helium mislaid 20 pounds during the Everest climb.

Staying lukewarm takes a tremendous magnitude of energy, helium said. Everything freezes, helium said, including LCD camera screens.

"We person what we telephone a pee bag. You pee successful this bag, and you seal it and you enactment that into the sleeper container with you due to the fact that it's warm."

There are lone astir 3 to 5 days successful the climbing play that climbers tin scope Everest's summit. If they do, it's a speedy victory, said Rigney.

"People don't bent astir the acme for hours," helium said. "You get the heck disconnected the upland arsenic speedy arsenic you can."

Rigney is present an enforcement manager and speaker, teaching firm executives lessons helium learned from pushing himself, mentally and physically, to the limit.

He's besides the writer of "Naked astatine the Knife's Edge," a publication astir however he's utilized immoderate of the astir harrowing moments from his Everest ascent for nonrecreational success.

He said helium helps "overachievers… [with] tons connected their mind" execute equilibrium and interruption habits "which propulsion america on … arsenic though we're connected a conveyor belt."

For example, fearfulness — whether it's of nationalist speaking oregon his ain fearfulness of heights — tin beryllium flooded utilizing tricks of the mind, helium said.

And leaders indispensable larn to judge things that are retired of their control, beryllium it an wounded oregon a pandemic, helium said.  

He said helium inactive laughs erstwhile helium thinks astir arriving astatine a tiny airplane hangar successful Kathmandu 1 hr earlier helium was scheduled to alert to the foothills of the Himalayas.

"I retrieve going up to this man … and I said 'Hey… what clip bash you deliberation we'll beryllium leaving?'" said Rigney. "He said: 'Maybe today, hopefully by tomorrow, apt by the extremity of the week.'"

Ten minutes later, different climber, who got the aforesaid answer, exploded with anger, helium said.  

"Eventually this feline looks over, reddish with steam coming retired his ears, and we are conscionable howling. I deliberation it yet clicked — similar this is wherever you are. This is astir upwind successful the Himalayas!"

It's conscionable 1 of a agelong database of "things we tin power and things we cannot," said Rigney.