By Terray Sylvester    
The Sopris Sun

Dave Hahn has climbed Mount Everest 11 times. A journalist and ski patroller, he has worked as a mountain guide since 1986, scaling Washington’s Mount Rainer at least 245 times, Antarctica’s Vinson Massif about 25 times, and making about two-dozen attempts on Denali in Alaska. But still, a trip up the 2,500-foot face of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley – a wall scaled by hordes of climbers every year – sent a few shivers down his spine.
Hahn will tell the tale of that adventure at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at Dos Gringos. In the meantime, The Sopris Sun’s Terray Sylvester caught up with Hahn to ask for a few of his thoughts on fear.

Sopris Sun: Did anything terrifying occur on your recent trip to Antarctica?
Hahn: No, and that is OK.  I don’t require massive hits of adrenaline, just a steady trickle with the promise of more to come if I’m not careful – or lucky. I was just guiding the highest point in Antarctica, the Vinson Massif, at a little over 16,000 feet. It is a mountain that I know about as well as anybody alive, but I still don’t take it for granted. I still worry about storms and people having accidents and stoves blowing up and airplanes crashing. It is the guide’s job to stay worried and I’d like to think I do it well. The fact that nothing bad happened on the trip doesn’t mean I’ll leave my first aid kit at home next time.

Sopris Sun: Of all the horrific things you’ve probably encountered, does any memory in particular stand out?
Hahn: More than the wow-that-rock-almost-took-my-head-off moments, it is the situational dilemmas that I find gut-wrenching. Those times when you made a little mistake and then a little misjudgment … and then you overestimated your own ability … and then you underestimated the possibility for everything else going wrong at once ... those times when you then have to sweat it out and lie awake and puzzle your way out of some jam without getting anyone hurt, those are the horrific times (which I can’t specifically cite without fear of swift legal action... sorry). Thankfully, I can’t remember all the unwashed tent mates.

Sopris Sun: As someone who’s had plenty of chances to practice, any thoughts on keeping it together under pressure?
Hahn: Just because the pressure is on, don’t forget to laugh when something funny happens and don’t forget to appreciate natural beauty in tough times.

Sopris Sun: What are some things to avoid when dealing with petrified clients?
Hahn: Their fists?  Their lawyers?  No, seriously, empathy is important in any “people” job. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t shouted a time or two when I shouldn’t have – increasing someone’s anxiety when I meant to break through it – but the key is to let folks know that fear isn’t a bad or shameful thing, and that one can be petrified and still be useful from time to time.

Sopris Sun: Would climbing be any fun without the fear in there as well?
Hahn: Yes, I still think it would be a great excuse for hanging out in the mountains and for eating and drinking to excess when back from the mountains. But sure, it is the threat of things going wrong that keeps us sharp and makes the relief so sweet when we’ve faced our fears.

Sopris Sun: And one more… Ever seen a yeti?
Hahn: No. I hope the yetis and sasquatches and abominable snowmen of the world have the good sense to stay hidden.