Benedikt Böhm is international managing director of ski touring brand Dynafit. Since its emergence from bankruptcy in 2003, the brand has developed into a global market leader.
In his other life, Benedikt Böhm is an extreme mountaineer and speaker. In his thrilling talks, he manages with finesse to develop ties between the world of extreme mountaineering with its so-called “death zone” and the business world. Böhm is most certainly no world-weary, fate-tempting risk-taker. Both in sports and in his business life, he meticulously plans ambitious goals and works rigorously and passionately on implementation. Benedikt Böhm studied in both the United States and England; however, what proved to be most valuable to his management career was his zeal for pushing the limits in the mountains, to be an adventurer on the edge.
Benedikt Böhm is the founder of the Helping Band brand that is dedicated to the preservation and expansion of nature and marine protected areas. He also cooperates together with the WWF, which he also represents as an ambassador.
Benedikt Böhm not only climbs 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen or outside aid; he in fact does so extremely fast, using what is called “speed style.
”With this uncompromising, speed-oriented style of taking on the highest peaks, the focus is on the clock in order to limit the risk of too much time spent in the “death zone.” Böhm climbs fast and light without much of any kind of pack in one non-stop push directly from the foot of the mountain to the summit, and then back again on skis. This is done inside of a self-defined space of time (for example, 17 hours up and down Gasherbrum II and its 8,035 meters, or 23.5 hours for Manaslu, which with 8,163 meters is the eighth-highest mountain on the planet). This kind of speed ascent is a radical deviation from high-altitude mountaineering where this type of expedition would normally take 3 to 5 days. It demands absolute precision and preparation to the nth degree to conquer such a monster in such a short period of time. A part of this is an unbelievable training load and massive discipline. But it also demands the creativity to develop new technology, the courage to think a little differently, and also the readiness to take action.
Benedikt Böhm Lectures topics
- Out of the death zone: in mountaineering as well as in business
- Extreme mountaineering: Gathering strength and motivation for everyday business
- Passion and motivation: Successfully overcoming hurdles
- Mastering daily challenges with willpower
- Achieving goals: How to do the impossible and defy the odds
- From the Deathzone to the Boardroom: What Business Leaders and Decision Makers can learn from Extreme Mountaineering
Benedikt Böhm’s presentations are filled with breath-taking images and short video clips with rare footage of the highest summits of the world. The audience quickly notices that Böhm is no maniac extreme athlete. Indeed, he manages his expeditions as well as his company responsibly since his success relies on painstaking and conscientious planning.
In his presentations, Benedikt Böhm answers questions such as: How do I prepare for a quixotic goal such as climbing an 8,000-meter mountain without supplemental oxygen in such a short time? How do I create an inner momentum in order to accomplish a seemingly impossible task? How do I calculate the risks involved? What kind of role does speed play in minimizing risks, or too does patience and flexibility play in large projects such as these? How do you handle yourself in exceptional situations? What role do fear and courage play? How do you conquer fear along the path to a large goal? What is essential along the way and what is not and therefore can be skipped?
Why does innovation to Böhm mean, in particular, “lightness,” albeit not only when it comes to mountaineering, but also in business and even in his personal life? What is demanded in order to break new trails and to manage change successfully? And how do you find your way back to your original mindset after massive setbacks? Böhm is not a solo mountaineer. He thus also describes the unique nature of working with a team in the “death zone,” as well as the immense pressure on yourself as well as on the team that is a part of management. Again and again as no other can, Benedikt Böhm illustrates for his listeners the connection with the world of extremes found in the world of business.
Benedikt Böhm is also available to discuss individual customer requests.