Mountaineer Annabelle Bond climbs an ice-climbing wall on the opening night of the Somerset House Ice Wall on November 23, 2005 in London, England. Photo: Getty
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Why climber Annabelle Bond believes discipline is the key to happiness and success
The British OBE – who broke records after completing the world’s Seven Summits in less than a year – talks about being a single mother and trekking across Africa for Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
Hong Kong-based climber, adventurer and socialite Annabelle Bond has learned the value of time. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
“I don’t like to waste time,” says Annabelle Bond, who earned the title of fastest woman climber in the world in 2005 after scaling the highest peaks across the seven continents in just 360 days. She underwent intensive training in Chile six months prior to tackling Everest, and became the fourth British woman to stand on the summit.
“You can do so much if you are disciplined,” says Bond, who also joined Albert ll, Prince of Monaco, on an expedition to the North Pole in 2006, a project for the WWF to raise awareness of global warming. “Those who have accomplished many things in life have done it by being respectful of time.
“I have learnt a lot through sports about dealing with other people. I have done the MacLehose Trail, where you are as good as the slowest person. With climbing, you have to look after each other, but it’s a team sport until it’s not. We had a rule that above 7,000 metres you are on your own as you can’t just collapse at the summit and scream, ‘You have to carry me down’, because you don’t know what state everyone is going to be in. It’s sort of a responsibility.”
As a single mother of daughter Isabella, her daily routine is completely disciplined. “The hardest thing for me was becoming a mum,” says Bond, who calls Hong Kong her home, having lived in the city for more than 35 years. “Kids respond to routine. My daughter likes to know exactly what she is doing – when she has dinner, when she goes to bed. We get up at 6.15am, she’s on the school bus soon after and then I do my run. I get back home around 8.30am and often bike twice a week with a trainer. So when school starts, it is like a military operation.”
When school is out, they still do not waste time, choosing adventure holidays over the beach. “An adventure holiday you will talk about for the rest of your life, you never really talk about lying on a beautiful beach, it’s always the drama you remember,” Bond says. “I like my daughter to learn, so she has been on a pony camp, we did two weeks of tennis camp in Nice, we have been canoeing.”
Bond likes taking on challenges for a worthy cause. Close to her heart is the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and Just Challenge. “We just took 100 people across Africa and raised US$450,000 for Laureus Sport for Good,” she says. “We are taking another 100 people across New Zealand, around a remote part of Queenstown, next March. This is not a trek or a climb but walking 100km, 25km a day. It’s got to be achievable, it’s got to be challenging. It is to remind people how beautiful nature and the environment are. It’s about using sport as a tool to give back to society, and at the same time it’s healthy and good for you.”
Annabelle Bond’s preferred watch
IWC’s Portuguese Chronograph Laureus Sport Automatic Limited Edition. Photo: Handout
“This IWC was made for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. It was given to me when I finished the seven summits, so it means a lot to me. Whenever I wear it, it’s a reminder to keep doing good work.”