Climbing the Tallest Mountain in Europe – Guest Post from Chad Madden

Guest Post from one of our producers, Chad Madden.

Brian asked me a while back if I’d be willing to film a group of climbers attempting to summit Mount Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe at 18,510 ft. Of course this meant I would have to climb the mountain as well, otherwise the video would be one shot of the group walking away from me, which isn’t good video.

I grew up in Houston, which couldn’t be flatter, and I now live in Dallas, which is, well, flat. The last time I remember even climbing a hill was in elementary school, when I went to Colorado with a friend and climbed what we thought at the time was a mountain. We planted a flag (a burlap laundry bag with my name on it) at the top of the small hill, which probably was a federal offense or something, littering in a state park.

All that to say that I was woefully unqualified to climb a mountain. But I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so I said yes.

The group I went with was climbing to raise money for The Last Well, a movement started by Todd Phillips “to provide clean water to the entire nation of Liberia in the name of Christ.”

Weird. Climbing a mountain to raise money for water. That’s what I thought, but it’s funny how much you think about water on a mountain. Staying hydrated is crucial up there. That and not falling off the mountain. Or being eaten by a Yeti. (We actually met someone looking for it. Seriously.)

What seemed at first to be a strange connection turned out to be, I think, a great idea. Basically, these guys took something they love to do and found a way to help people while doing it. It could have just been a mountain climb, but by using it to raise money for clean water, it connected them to something bigger. It gave them a greater sense of purpose, and I think ultimately it made the journey much more satisfying.

And the non-mountaineering video guy survived without losing any fingers or toes to frostbite, which was also quite satisfying.

While on the mountain we also filmed a four-part Bible study called Keep Climbing. In it Todd Phillips draws parallels between the challenges of climbing Mt. Elbrus and the difficulties we face in life, and how God uses them to draw us closer to him.