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Residence: Canmore, British Columbia

Will Gadd climbing Mach 3 in Switzerland Photo by Klaus Fengler

Career Highlights
Will Gadd is one of the top ice climbers and paragliders in the world. In 1998 and 1999, he won every major ice competition he entered, including the X Games and France’s Courchevel Invitational. He also won the 2000 Ice World Cup. In paragliding, Gadd is the current World Record distance holder (263 miles) and was the first to paraglide across the US.

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(MZ) My most memorable experience in climbing came when...(WG) I realized that you didn’t have to be superhuman to put up new routes, just have at it! All of the sudden the mountains got a lot more exciting.

I’ve been successful as an ice climber because...I climb like crazy all winter. There’s just no substitute for mileage on ice - even after bashing icicles for 20+ years I still learn lots every winter. Ice climbing is totally unlike any other form of climbing in that it’s so variable - I do certain routes almost every winter, and each time it’s a very different experience.

The last thought in my mind just before I head up an ice wall is...hell yeah, game on!

I am most proud of...staying after it for so many years. I’m damn near 40 now, but still loving it as much as ever. I never thought I’d be able to do this for so long, with such good people, in so many cool places around the globe. I don’t drive fancy cars or make huge amounts of cash, but I get to do what I want most days. That’s the reward for me.

My experience has helped me...stay alive.

Confidence is something you...get from experience, and being honest with yourself. Failure sucks - I use every failure as a lash to figure out what I did wrong and why, and then do better next time. I’m confident that I’ll get up a route not because I have some sort of innate belief in my skill, but because I’ve developed the skill to be standing there. If I’m not confident of climbing a route reasonably safely then I run away. I run away a lot.

I am different from most other guys in that...I don’t think I’m all that different than your average guy - I’ve got skinny arms, I’m getting old and I’ve got a kid on the way. All the more reason to get after it.

I live by the phrase...no time like the present.

If I had a younger brother, one piece of life advice I would give him is...money is less important than doing what you like. But if you get good enough at something you like you can probably get paid to do it, which takes care of the money part and is sure a lot more fun than making more money doing something you don’t like. Give ‘er!

— MountainZone.com Staff