Exploring feel and motivation with recreational and elite Mount Everest climbers: An ethnographic study

Abstract

Although a considerable amount of research provides insight into why people participate in high altitude mountaineering, it neglects to consider how climbers stay motivated and surmount the obstacles that are inherent in the activity when they perform on the mountain. Through this ethnographic study, we explored the multidimensional experience of feel and motivation of a small group of Mount Everest climbers (N = 4) as they scaled the mountain in order to shed light on factors that sustained their drive toward reaching their goals. The qualitative data collected via participant observation and multiple interviews was subjected to a content mode of analysis. Results revealed that the climbers’ motivation was influenced by the various ways in which they felt on the mountain. Differences and similarities between the felt experiences of the recreational and elite climbers, and their ability to regulate how they felt through preparation and how they responded to obstacles in order to sustain their motivation, are discussed