By Land Podcast
The By Land Podcast is an interview-based show about the outdoors and the people who spend their time there. I talk with people from different backgrounds and walks of life to learn from their experiences, perspectives, and adventures.
I cover everything from backpacking and hunting to conservation, personal growth, and what it means to make the most of our time outside.
My hope is that each conversation leaves you with something useful, something to think about, or simply a little inspiration for your own adventure.
—Emory, By Land
P.S. I hope you come back and tell me all about your adventure.
By Land Podcast
#179 Back to the Mountains with Tom French
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In this episode, I sit down with Tom French, author of The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back, to talk about what happens when we step away from the expected path and make room for a different kind of experience.
Tom spent his pre-career years climbing, ski racing, and traveling around the world before leaving that life behind to build a career, get married, and raise a family. When he retired at 60, and before moving into the next stage of life, he decided to return to the mountains to see whether the interests that had shaped him as a young man still held meaning decades later.
As expected, our conversation became about much more than mountaineering. We talked about the seasons of life, accepting that parenthood and work will temporarily change how we experience the outdoors, and trusting that the mountains will still be there when we are ready to get back to them. Tom also explains why a gap year is not just time off, but a “conscious interlude”—an opportunity to step outside the normal flow of life and have experiences that may shape whatever comes next.
We also dive into the less visible sides of climbing: the long hours spent waiting inside a tent, the emotional discipline required to manage uncertainty, and the balance between physical ability, risk management, and mental resilience. Tom shares what it was like to return to Everest after his first attempt was cut short, climb Cholatse with his daughter, and rediscover a part of himself that had never completely disappeared.
This is a conversation about adventure, but it is also about identity, aging, parenting, and giving ourselves permission to return to the parts of life that continue to matter to us.
Key Takeaways:
- The interests and hobbies we set aside during demanding seasons of life are waiting when we have the space to return.
- A meaningful gap year is not about doing nothing; it is a conscious interlude filled with experiences that everyday life may not allow.
- Success in mountaineering depends on more than physical strength. It also requires risk management and emotional discipline.
- Parents can give their children an important gift by allowing them room to choose their own path rather than automatically following the expected one.
- Returning to an old passion later in life can offer more than nostalgia; it can reveal what continues to provide meaning and direction.
Chapters and Links:
- Growing up inside an outdoor store
- Choosing a different path from his father
- Why some interests move into the background
- The mountains will still be there
- Finding room to think again
- The untold reality of expedition life
- The three parts of successful mountaineering
- What a gap year is really for
- Giving children permission to choose
- Returning to the mountains at 60
- Climbing Cholatse with his daughter
- Supporting the Himalayan Trust
- Tom's Book: https://amzn.to/3QbYyO3
- https://tomfrenchauthor.com/
- https://himalayantrust.org/
Thanks for tuning in! Check out the links below to learn more, connect, and support the show.
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