What Eight-Thousanders Taught Me: Mára Holeček on mountains, fear, and decisions at the edge

At an altitude of eight thousand metres, everything suddenly changes.You stop thinking about emails, missed calls, or dozens of notifications. Instead, you think about whether you have enough food, whether you’ll sleep at all, and whether you’ll even be able to crawl out of the tent the next day. Things we take for granted in everyday life become luxuries up there.

I was curious about what goes through a person’s mind in a place like that, which is why I invited Czech mountaineer Mára Holeček to Episode 10 of Talks 21. Mára has completed dozens of expeditions—from the high mountains of Asia to Patagonia and Antarctica—and has received numerous awards for his ascents, including the Piolet d’Or (Golden Ice Axe) twice. He climbs eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen, without Sherpas, and often only with his climbing partner.

A guy from a Prague housing estate who reached the highest peaks in the world. A climber who isn’t interested in “collecting metres” but in clean ascents and first ascents.A father who, after returning from an expedition, goes back to a normal life in the lowlands.

We talked about what drives him, how he thinks about risk, how he makes decisions at altitudes where mistakes aren’t forgiven, and what he brings back from these extremes into everyday life. We also discussed when it makes sense to push on and when it’s better to turn back, what preparation for the next expedition looks like, and what freedom means to him.

You can listen to the full Episode 10 of the Talks 21 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or directly on my website.

Key takeaways from the episode

• Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to carry it without panicking.

• Anyone can push harder—but knowing when to turn back requires experience.

• A first ascent isn’t about fame, but about inner motivation.

• The hardest part isn’t climbing, but making decisions in uncertainty.

• Every return from the mountains is a return to a different reality.

• We don’t raise children through words, but through how we live ourselves.

• Living life fully isn’t about speed, but about the intensity of presence.

• Fear never disappears, but you can learn to work with it.

• Patience in the mountains is just as important as physical fitness.

• A good climbing partner matters more than perfect equipment.

From a Prague housing estate to the roof of the world

I knew Mára Holeček from documentaries, interviews, and his books. But when he sat across from me during the Talks 21 recording, one thing surprised me most: how naturally and without big words he talks about things most people consider extreme. Eight-thousanders, high-altitude bivouacs, decisions about life and death. For him, it’s all just part of a journey that began on the sixth floor of a panel building in Prosek.

From an early age, he was drawn outdoors—and he was lucky. His parents allowed him to test his limits. They didn’t protect him more than necessary. They gave him trust. And according to Mára, that’s the greatest gift a child can receive.

In the podcast, he talks about his upbringing, how much freedom of movement meant to him, and why it’s important for children not to be afraid of falling—and even scraping their knees. According to him, it’s precisely this physical experience that forms the foundation from which the ability to handle uncertainty, pressure, and fear later grows.

Why risk is an inseparable part of our lives

According to Mára, risk isn’t anything extraordinary. You don’t need to climb an eight-thousander to encounter it. You just have to step outside. Get into a car. Quit your job. Say out loud what you really think. We’ve simply grown used to surrounding ourselves with certainties and creating the illusion that we’re in control. But we aren’t. The mountains just reveal that fact a little more quickly and clearly.

Mára doesn’t talk about risk as an adrenaline rush. He doesn’t climb for danger. But he knows that risk is part of every expedition. It’s a constant tension you must learn to live with—and above all, learn to recognise when it’s real and when it’s created by our own comfort or pride, which can cloud our judgement.

When he talks about it, he sounds calm. He doesn’t need to emphasise everything he’s survived. Instead, he reminds us that sometimes the bravest decision is to stay in base camp.

How to train the mind for discomfort

You can train your body by racking up elevation gain, dragging yourself through rain with a heavy backpack, and strengthening your arms, legs, and back.But how do you train your mind?

Mára says it’s not rocket science. It’s simply about repeatedly being in discomfort—and staying there. Not looking for an immediate solution. Not trying to get it over with as fast as possible. Just staying. Observing what it does to your body and your mind. And then doing it again.

According to him, this is how you build the space in which you’re able to make good decisions even when you’re tired, hungry, or under pressure. Fear doesn’t disappear. But you can learn to be with it. Don't let it control you. And at the same time, do not underestimate it.

As he spoke, it struck me that this kind of training isn’t just for mountaineers.It can be as simple as not picking up your phone for a while. Not running away from an uncomfortable situation at work. Staying silent when you want to speak.

What freedom means to him

Freedom is a possibility. That’s how simply Mára put it.And then he added that he received that possibility largely by chance, like when a window opened in 1989. And he simply stepped through it.

When he talks about it, he avoids grand statements. What comes through instead is gratitude. Not everyone in the world is lucky enough to live in a place where they can choose what they want to do. Where they can change direction. Where their life isn’t pre-written by where they were born.

He sees climbing as one form of that freedom. Not an escape, but the ability to go where he wants. To decide. To do things his own way—and to carry the consequences.

For him, freedom begins primarily in the mind. In how we think. In how aware we are that we even have a choice. And that it’s not a given.

Listen to Episode 10 of Talks 21

Are you curious what Mára Holeček has in common with the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan?When it still makes sense to take risks—and when it doesn’t?

Or how he thinks about death, the finiteness of life, and the moment when a person actually stops living fully?

I invite you to listen to the full Episode 10 of Talks 21 on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or directly on my website. This conversation isn’t just about climbing. Whether you’re preparing for your first eight-thousander—or facing a difficult decision at work—it might help you think differently about risk, about why slowing down sometimes makes sense, and about what it really means to have the freedom to choose.