John Amatt

John Amatt is a mountaineer, adventurer, and leadership speaker who has been leading expeditions to remote regions of the world for over 35 years, making many first ascents of previously unclimbed peaks. At age 20, he spent two weeks sleeping on tiny ledges while completing the first-ever climb of Europe’s highest and steepest mountain face, the 5,000-foot Troll Wall in Norway.

A Lifetime of Pioneering Expeditions

Amatt is a long-time resident of the Canadian Rocky Mountains whose expeditions have pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible. He led an early climbing expedition to Western China that used camels to approach a 24,757-foot mountain before skiing to the summit, believed to be the highest peak in the world to have been ascended and descended entirely on skis. He is the founder of One Step Beyond and has dedicated his career to translating the lessons of extreme adventure into frameworks for leadership and risk management.

Leadership Lessons from the Edge

Amatt’s expeditions provide a rich library of stories that illustrate teamwork, risk assessment, preparation, and performing under extreme conditions. His keynotes deliver powerful presentations on leadership and decision-making in high-risk environments, teamwork and trust when the stakes are life and death, risk management and the courage to push boundaries, and the adventure mindset that drives extraordinary achievement in any field.

What does John Amatt speak about?

John Amatt is a mountaineer and adventure leader who has led expeditions to remote regions of the world for over 35 years, including as principal organizer of Canada’s first successful expedition to summit Mount Everest. He speaks on setting realistic goals, embracing calculated risk, avoiding the trap of complacency, and building trust within teams, drawing on an Everest expedition that suffered four tragic deaths before six climbers reached the summit.

What is John Amatt’s background?

John Amatt is known for: Leader of Canada’s first successful Mount Everest expedition, first ascent of Norway’s Troll Wall, founder of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, author of Straight to the Top and Beyond.

Who books John Amatt to speak?

Meeting planners book John Amatt for leadership conferences that want a firsthand account of leading a team through real tragedy on Everest, not a borrowed mountaineering metaphor.

No Mountain Too High: Challenging Change with the Adventure Attitude

The challenge of change is forcing us to rethink our values and to rekindle our spirit of adventure. It will take courage, resourcefulness and endurance to meet this challenge – the courage to try, to commit and to take more risks; the resourcefulness to be innovative and creative in finding new ways of doing old things; and the endurance to keep moving forward despite all the setbacks.
John Amatt knows about tough times and the value of struggle in bringing out the best in teams of people. After all, he was a leader of an Everest expedition, which suffered four tragic deaths in two unpredictable accidents before putting six climbers on top of the world. His experience on Everest taught him about the danger of falling into the trap of complacency and the importance of always questioning the status quo in seeking new ways of adapting to a rapidly changing world.

In his acclaimed keynote presentations, he addresses the following themes:

– Setting Realistic Goals and Expectations
– Taking Calculated Risk and Being Adventurous
– Embracing Fear and Anxiety
– Avoiding the “Trap of Complacency”
– Understanding the Values of Commitment
– Learning from Setbacks and Applying the Lessons
– Questioning the Status Quo by always asking “WHY?”
– Building Trust within an Effective Team
– Remaining “Positively Dissatisfied”
– Anticipating the Future and Being Prepared

Climbing Your Own Everest: What it Takes to Get to the Top

Straight to the Top and Beyond: Nine Keys for Meeting the Challenge of Change

Teamwork: No Matter Who Stands at the Peak, The Team Achieved the Goal

Peak Performance