John Gluckman: Runner, Climber, Adventurer
John Gluckman in the European Alps 2013
by Sophie Kotova
John Gluckman was born in 1950 to Laurie and Ann Gluckman, the second of four boys. Growing up in an exceptionally academic and studious family, John found that unlike his brothers, his interests lay elsewhere. He found greater enjoyment in the outdoors, in being physically active and challenged. John's love of the outdoors turned into a career in dairy farming and led him to seize every opportunity to take part in competitions and expeditions all over the world. His love of outdoor sports had begun during an Outward-Bound course in 1968. One adventure would lead to the next, but it was not until 1989 that his interest in climbing turned into a passion. Having already picked up alpine climbing skills over the years he found, to his surprise, that he had ample experience to take part in a climb of Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica. Already proficient at climbing using crampons, rope work, carrying out self-arrests and step cutting, he brushed up on his ice climbing by climbing up a frozen waterfall in The Remarkables and generally maintaining his fitness in preparation. On the 12th of December 1990 he made his way to Chile en route to Antarctica.
During the expedition, he had the opportunity to witness a snowbow, a rare atmospheric phenomenon resembling a rainbow. He also narrowly avoided an avalanche during his climb, which sent massive ice boulders tumbling down the steep northern slope of the mountain. Accompanied by a Chilean guide, John successfully reached the summit of Vinson Massif on Christmas Eve. After completing the ascent John thought he had reached the peak of his mountaineering career; “the Antarctic climb had been the climb of a lifetime, and it seemed like an excellent swansong.” However, on his trip to Antarctica, John inadvertently met Rob Hall and Gary Ball, two New Zealanders who would go on to become the founders of 'Adventure Consultants'. Rob and Gary would soon reach out to John and lead him on a successful ascent of Mount Everest. John's time in Antarctica allowed him to gain more knowledge and experience of expedition climbing than on all his previous trips combined. Antarctica had become his invaluable classroom and prepared him for the challenges that lay ahead.
John left for Kathmandu on 17 March 1993. Preparing for a Mt Everest expedition is an intensive process. After an 11-day hike, John and his group reached Base Camp at an elevation of 5340m. Base Camp is a village comprised, at the time, of 70 tents, 200 people, and 15 nationalities. It would take them seven weeks to meticulously prepare, practice, recover, and acclimatise before embarking on the final ascent, referred to as the "walk out." John likens the extensive preparation involved in mountaineering to a military operation. Altitude sickness poses an ever-present threat, requiring continuous monitoring and in order to survive in such an extreme environment, the body needs time to acclimatise to the lower levels of oxygen. Typically, the human body can adapt to elevations of up to about 5500m but beyond this point the body struggles to function and it leads to extreme weight loss. Above 7000m the body’s condition deteriorates faster than it can acclimatise. Therefore, the strategy is to ascend in stages first to camp 1 before descending and recovering at Base camp, and then subsequently to higher and higher camps while recovering at Base Camp in between, with the goal of having ascended and descended from camp 3 before the final climb. By staying between 5500m and 7000m for shorter periods, climbers can avoid rapid deterioration and allow their bodies to adjust to the lower rates of oxygen to enable them to tackle the final ascent to the summit at 8848m. The adaptability of one's body to these extreme conditions ultimately determines whether they can attempt the full climb. In John’s group, out of the seven original clients, only three remained for the final ascent.
Mount Everest poses numerous dangers, the high attitude, weather, and treacherous terrain are a deadly combination. Despite the frozen landscape, the thin atmosphere can also cause severe sunburn and snow blindness and at times John’s tent felt like a furnace. Tragically, both Rob and Gary, the founders of 'Adventure Consultants', who led John’s group lost their lives in subsequent climbs in the Himalayas. The book ‘Into Thin Air’ recounts Rob’s final expedition and was later adapted to the film: ‘Everest’. John Gluckman's climb was also not without tragedy. Sherpa Lobsang, assisting with the expedition, fell to his death during the descent known for being the most perilous phase of the climb.
The Sherpas, one of the Tibetan ethnic groups who live in the high mountain region in the Himalayas, played an essential role in the expedition. They are well-adapted to the climate and climb with ease. John’s team observed Sherpas carrying enormous loads, often passing them by while climbing the icefall at twice the speed of the climbers. “For the Sherpas, it was all in a day's work.” Before the start of any expedition, a ceremony called Puja is held where burning juniper fills the air with a distinct aroma. Sherpas believe this ceremony will bring blessings and good luck from the gods, thus ensuring their safety. Although John isn't religious or superstitious, considering the dangers of the journey he welcomed any help he could get. During the Puja, the Sherpas presented each member of the expedition with a loop of red string for good luck. John wore the string around his neck for the remainder of the expedition to show respect for their culture. He describes the Sherpas as phenomenal and is certain that expeditions “would fail without them”. John regards the contributions Sir Edmund Hillary made to Sherpa society, such as schools and hospitals, as by far Sir Edmund’s greatest achievement.
To overcome the challenges of climbing Mt Everest, determination and persistence were needed. John also notes that positivity and patience play a crucial role. His first view of the route up the mountain filled him with “horror”. He was confronted with “a sheer wall of ice about 25 metres high. A ladder led up to an icy platform about 3 metres from the bottom, but the last 20 metres was accessed by means of a rope climb up a 70-degree wall.” It was a section that he would have to climb many times as part of the preparation. Parts of the final climb became so difficult that it left John moving at a snail’s pace. At one point during his trek up to camp three, each step he took was followed by six deep breaths before he could take the next. In his book John describes the process known as association that enabled him to push through. “I focus totally on what I am doing, and it becomes my total universe.” “At this point on the mountain, I was using association as there was no other way, I would reach that tent. I felt so tired that I could easily have lain down in the snow and never got up again.” Doubts are normal during climbs, but frustration John explains is the real enemy. John even at one point “wondered briefly what it was that drove people like me to do dangerous and unreasonable things.” On May 10, 1993, at 1pm John stepped onto the summit. The exhaustion meant that his overriding feeling was relief. After spending 20 minutes on the highest point on the planet, John and his team decided it was time to begin their descent. The feeling of exhilaration and the magnitude of his achievement set in two days later once he had safely returned to base camp.
One of the challenges John faced during the descent was the constant filling of ice in his goggles obstructing his vision. He also developed superficial frostbite, characterised by blackened tips on his toes and fingers which took a year to fully recover. It was also during this dangerous descent while John was alone that he experienced the sensation of another presence with him. A strong and unshakable feeling that others in perilous situations have experienced. It quickly disappeared once he caught up to Guy, one of the men assisting with the expedition. Afterwards the Sherpas presented all who had reached the summit with a white scarf which they gave as a sign of respect for their achievement. Reflecting on his experience, John describes it as “the most fantastic adventure he has ever had and the best two months of his lifetime.”
Much has changed on Mt Everest since John’s expedition. Overcrowding of the trail is increasingly causing hazardous delays. This year, 2023, saw 17 deaths on the mountain, the deadliest climbing season to date. John readily admits that he would not want to climb there today. The commercialisation of Mt Everest has meant safety is less of a priority than it should be and people with insufficient experience are allowed to take part. The advice he gives to those interested in climbing is to build up their skills, practice and prepare so that they can be an asset on the mountain instead of a liability. It is the preparation and the love of climbing that John insists is behind his accomplishments, rather than natural ability. “I do not claim to be a good climber, far less a great climber, and I am at best a very mediocre athlete. In fact, I am a very ordinary man who climbed an extraordinary mountain.” Each mountain John climbed is unique in its challenges, but Mount Everest was the most difficult due to the extreme altitude. In some ways however, his climb of Mt McKinley was more challenging. There were no Sherpas to carry their loads and the temperature, snow, and high winds made for a very harsh trek.
The mountaineering and endurance sports community are a diverse group of people who come from all walks of life. Travelling and meeting them adds to the joy of the experience. One insight John has discovered about them is that they share a love of collecting. Rather than collecting physical objects they collect accomplishments. In this regard, John is a prolific collector. Over the years he has completed triathlons, marathons, sailing and ski-touring expeditions, cross-country skiing competitions and races. John’s best New Zealand Masters games performances were in 2013, winning gold in the 400 metres and the 1,500 metres and silver in the 800 metres. John also had the privilege of carrying the New Zealand flag at the 2015 Winter World Masters Games and winning a bronze medal five days later in the cross country ski race. In 2017 he won gold in the 5,000 metres, silver in the 1,500 and 800 metres and bronze over 400 metres. John qualified as a downhill ski instructor in Canada in 2006 and as a cross country ski instructor in New Zealand in 2022. He competed in his 4th Winter World Masters Games In January 2024, on top of having competed in four Summer World Masters games in athletics. John has climbed the highest peak and completed a marathon on all 7 continents, in 2004 becoming the first person on record to have accomplished this. However, it is the journey rather than the destination that attracts John the most. He explains in his book what drove him to climb Mt Everest: “My motivation was totally internal. I was performing for myself, and myself alone. I do not climb to please others, or out of some inner desire to prove something to myself. I climb because I enjoy it.”
Based on John’s book ‘An Enthusiastic Layman’s Ascent of Mount Everest’.
John’s additional achievements are many. He lists a number in concluding his book:
Beyond Everest
This memoir has focused mainly on my Everest ascent and my earlier Antarctic trip. In the 28 years since I have had many more adventures, including reaching the highest point on every continent, and skiing to the South Pole. It would take a great number of pages to write about all of them in any detail, so I have summarised them as follows:
In 1994 I competed in and completed a full-length Iron Man Triathlon in Auckland, which consisted of a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bicycle ride and a 42.2 km run.
In 1996 I reached the summit of Denali (Mount McKinley) via the West Buttress route. After returning to our high camp I crossed Denali Pass to descend the other side of the mountain via the Harper and Muldrow glaciers and walked out across the tundra to Wonder Lake.
In 1997 I reached the summit of Aconcagua, which I had failed to reach eight years earlier. Nine months later I ran in the Everest Marathon, the world's highest marathon at the time, which started at Gorak Shep near Everest Base camp and ended in Namche Bazaar. Despite being well acclimatised to the altitude, the combination of high altitude and rough terrain made for a far slower time than in the marathons I had run at sea level, including the 15 marathons I had run earlier in New Zealand and all my overseas marathons after 1997.
In 1998 I climbed Gunnbjorn Fjeld, the highest peak in Greenland and the Arctic - a considerably easier climb than the highest peak in the Antarctic. In fact, on that expedition I climbed all five of the highest peaks in the Arctic, which are all in the Watkins Range.
In 1999 I climbed Kilimanjaro via the Umbwe route and descended by the Mweka route. I had previously climbed the peak in 1978 via the Marangu route (the tourist route).
In 1999 I also climbed Koskiuscko, Australia's highest peak - one of the seven summits.
In February 2000 I attempted to climb Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in both Europe and Russia; however, I missed the top by 300 vertical metres, defeated by a series of storms that winter.
Three months later I was with a group that made 14 first ascents of unclimbed peaks in Dronning Louise Land in northeast Greenland. On three of these ascents I was the very first person to reach the summit.
In August 2000 I reached the summit of Elbrus during a summer attempt. I had now successfully reached the highest point on all seven continents.In 2001 I reached the summit of Cotopaxi, the second highest mountain in Ecuador. On that same trip I reached the 6000 m summit Huayna Potosi in Bolivia.
In 2002, several months before running the Antarctica Marachon, I competed in the World Masters Games in Melbourne: I finished midfield in the 5000 m, 10,000 m and half-marathon events in my age group.
In 2002 I ran in the Antarctica Marathon on King George
Island, off the coast of Antarctica. Having run marathons on two continents, I then decided to run marathons on all seven continents.
In 2003 I went on a ski-touring expedition on Baffin Island, the largest island in Canada, where I skied to the highest point on the Penny Ice Cap. It is not quite the highest point on Baffin Island: Mount Odin is higher, at 2247 m.
In 2003 I ran marathons on the Gold Coast in Australia, in Frankfurt in Germany and in New York. The day before the New York marathon I had the honour of carrying the New Zealand flag in an international four-mile friendship run.
In 2004 I ran the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania and the Santiago Marathon in Chile - thus completing the goal of running a marathon on all seven continents. In doing so I became the first person to have climbed the highest peak and run a marathon on all seven continents - a double grand slam.
In 2005 I ran my final marathon, the Polar Circle Marathon near Kangerlussuag in western Greenland. This was not, however, the end of my running career.
In 2009 I competed in the World Masters Games in Sydney in the same three events as I ran in Melbourne and, in addition, reached the finals in the 1500 m.
In 2010 I competed in the 10 km and 30 km events in the inaugural Winter World Masters Games near Bled, Slovenia.
Later in 2010 I cycled by mountain bike from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmandu in Nepal.
In 2013 I climbed to the summit of Mount Wilhelm, the highest point in Papa New Guinea - a far easier climb than Carstens Pyramid on the Indonesian side of the island.
I competed in the 800 m, 1500 m and 5000 m races at the World Masters Games in Torino, Italy in 2013, and again in the same three events in 2017. In 2013 I had competed in the New Zealand Masters games, in which I won the 400 metres gold medal in the men's 60-64 year-old age group.
In 2015 I competed again in the Winter World Masters games in Quebec in the 10 km and 30 km cross-country ski events and won a bronze medal in the 4 x 5 km cross-country ski relay. To me the medal represents the hard work I had put in as much as the actual result. I also had the honour of carrying the New Zealand flag at the opening ceremony.
Later in 2015 I joined an expedition that crossed South Georgia Island on skis to celebrate the centenary of the first crossing of the island by Ernest Shackleton.
In 2016 I climbed to the summit of Mount Khuiten, Mongolias highest peak.
I hiked to the top of Fujiyama two weeks later.
In 2017 I joined an expedition to ski across Vatnajökull, the largest icecap in Iceland.
On an expedition in 2018 I skied across Greenland from west to east.
In 2019 I was in an expedition that skied the last degree of latitude from 89 degrees south to the South Pole.
In 2020 I competed in the 15 km and 30 km events at the World Winter Masters Games near Innsbruck, Austria. I also competed in the 4 × 5 km relay, but our team did not win.