Some may say that life’s a climb, or give a cheesy quote referring challenges to mountains that must be overcome. However,  32 year old Tom Bicksler could probably give whatever inspirational mountain mantra desired, while standing at the top of one the seven summits in the world.

The former Claremont resident and CHS alum set out to climb one of the seven summits annually, starting with Mount KIlimanjaro in Tanzania back in 2012. Since then, Bicksler has also climbed Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, Acking Ogwa, the highest peak in South America and attempted to climb McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. Determined to conquer McKinley’s peak, Bicksler plans to attempt to scale the summit once again.

It takes a lot of endurance, training, and mental acuteness to conquer any mountain, figurative or literal. Battling diabetes and crohn’s disease, Bicksler has had to climb some medical mountains in his own life as well .Bicksler has used his goal to climb the seven summits to stabilize his health, a task that seemed out of reach when he was first diagnosed with Diabetes.

In order to stay in shape, and summit some of the tallest peaks in the world, Bicksler climbs local mountains and does exercise programs, similar to crossfit, on his own in the gym. However, he does have to take breaks from climbing because of the tremendous wear and tear on his body. He goes mountain climbing with backpacks to mimic what he and his team will be doing on the actual climb.

“You want to be strong, but you also want to keep your weight down,” Bicksler said. Through his climbs, Bicksler has learned how to store his insulin in a way that will prevent it from freezing, which would make it unusable. Keeping his diabetes in check while climbing can be very difficult at times. Bicksler has to find a solid ratio between his carbs and how much insulin he is taking to make sure that his blood glucose doesn’t drop, which could be detrimental towards his health and performance.

Although Bicksler has had to overcome obstacles to achieve his goals, he believes that i there is no limit on what he can do.

“Don’t ever doubt yourself and don’t be afraid to be out of your comfort zone,” Bicksler said, “Set your goals high and have confidence, there’s no goal out of reach, you can achieve anything that you put your mind to.”

Bicksler knows that life’s a climb, but he isn’t going to stop until he has made it to the top of the highest mountains, all seven of them. Regardless of the struggles that he has faced,  Bicksler has found a way to continue pushing himself in order to one day achieve his goal. He has not let his health conditions hinder his desire to do what he loves, and will power to reach new heights.