Risk management key to Air Force team's seven summits: Part 4

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kathee Mullins
"There was an immense sense of accomplishment. It was such an all-consuming venture for the past year. To see it culminate on the summit of Mount Everest was very gratifying. Yet, it was extremely peaceful, as well. I didn't notice the wind or the cold, but the moment was quite serene with the sun rising over the Tibetan plains, the entire world lighting up, and the humility of just how immense the world is," said Capt. Marshall Klitzke, member of the Air Force Seven Summits Challenge team and instructor pilot with the 557th Flying Training Squadron at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.

Klitzke was one of six Airmen on the team who stood on the highest peak in the world to honor fallen comrades and wounded warriors, and to celebrate great American values. These Airmen took their time, personal money and expertise to bring awareness to the American public for a worthy cause while using the risk management (RM) skills they learned through Air Force training.
"I really enjoyed being part of the team and helping complete this goal which brought a lot of attention to charities, promoted Air Force RM, and displayed the positive influence the mountains can have on men," said Klitzke.

"I've been mountaineering for 10 years, since being in the mountaineering club at the Academy," Klitzke said. "I've had the opportunity to take on bigger and bigger challenges, growing as a person and a mountaineer. Everest was really a natural progression for me and when the opportunity arose to join a team of great guys with an outstanding purpose behind the climb, it was an easy choice. I knew I couldn't turn down the opportunity."

The Air Force focus on risk management has evolved. Since dangers and risks are a part of everyday life, evaluating and alleviating the risks are key to accomplishing the challenges and getting home safely.

"We were constantly trying to mitigate the risk on the mountain," said Klitzke. "We knew we could never eliminate it, but we had already acknowledged and accepted risk before we took on the venture. We were constantly evaluating ourselves, those climbing with us, and the conditions to make the most practical decision that moment, all which balance the scales of what we are capable of and what risk it entails."

Accountability is the cornerstone of RM.

"We emphasized the importance of being accountable to each other as to how we felt with the altitude and to be the examples on the mountain with adherence to clipping into the fixed lines," said Klitzke.

RM, which was always thought of as black and white -- 'do this, don't do that --' actually has a lot of grey area because it's impossible to eliminate all innate risks in life. So, respecting and evaluating the hazards and making good decisions are what change the grey area to the black and white of RM.
Today's Airmen are held to a high standard for their physical and mental well-being. It's because of those standards that they go out and meet challenges head on, pushing the envelope and escaping the confines of the box. What they gain from their Air Force training is what keeps them safe and allows them to negotiate even the toughest challenges. Through good RM, the Seven Summits team was able to successfully meet their challenge.

"Dream big and dare to fail," Klitzke said. "Put yourself out there and take the chance. Big successes coincide with risking failure - of the challenge but not the mission."