The desire to reach high has been with Sky already since its start in 2009. It was in Linköping’s highest house, The tower that Sky started almost 10 years ago, and when the company got its name. Since then, Sky has expanded to Stockholm and will soon open another hotel in central Linköping. To aim high, reach new goals and constantly develop has been important for the owners Mia Langborg Ziherl and Per Thulin. With that in mind, it was exciting for them to continue supporting rock climber Magnus Fred towards new challenges. Magnus, the 45-year-old family father from Älta outside Stockholm, has always enjoyed challenges. Since 2014 he has been interested in mountain climbing and has climbed Kebnekaise 8 times. He has reached the top of Mont Blanc and most recently Island Peak in the Himalayas. The goal is to aim really high in 2020 and reach the Mount Everest peak. We have asked Magnus for his preparations for reaching Peak Lenin and it´s 7134 meters during the summer.
What drives you to these adventures?
What primarily drives me is challenging myself, it’s not the mountain to overcome, but your own set limits. Magnus refers to a quote from Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first to climb Mount Everest.
“It is not the Mountain we conquer but ourselves”
What do you consider to be the most challenging when climbing mountain?
What is the biggest challenge is that you are away for a long period of time. You have difficulty eating, sleeping and you lose weight. It’s cold, there will be many nights in the tent and you’ll feel the height. That’s where it’s about having the right mental attitude to continue and struggle to reach the goal, maybe a bit like real life.
You work everyday with personal development and mental leadership. What have you learned most during your expeditions that you move on to those you train?
Yes, it is true that in the last two years I have studied to become a mental trainer through the Scandinavian Leadership College in Örebro. With mental training you can practice visualizing how you want to live in life and in my case how to get up on the mountain. You also get powerful tools to use to reach your goals.
What I bring from my previous climbs is that it rarely happens as you imagined in the mountains. The higher the mountains, the more surprises. With a positive attitude towards what you’re going to do, it’s usually good. I have also learned that when it feels as impossible as possible, there is always a chance to go further, no matter how tired physically as psychically you are then. There is always 50% more to give. When you climb these high mountains, you are sometimes outside of your comfort zone, as you can feel very exposed. However, once the challenge has been completed, it creates an inner sense of security and gratitude for life.
What tips to give to individuals and organizations who want to work towards high-level goals?
To have a joint target for each team or organization. To work with goal management and a schedule, set the goal boldly, not too easily, you should fight for it.
Partial goals along the way are important to ensure that you are in the right direction. The goal should also be long-term as there is a strength in long-term goals. You are likely to encounter obstacles along the way, but that’s ok. Sometimes you need to look back and reflect and even perhaps changing direction from time to time. Create a powerful target image and visualize it.
Everyone in the Sky team wishes Magnus all of luck on both the preparations and the trip to the top! We will follow the climb with excitement! / Clara Callmeryd, Sales & Marketing Manager, Sky Hotel Apartments