Canmore Climber Margo Talbot in CNN for Addiction to Mentor Story

Margo Talbot is an author, speaker and coach based in Canmore who works with organizations and associations looking to enhance their well-being through a focus on vitality in the work place and runs experiential learning programs for youth-at-risk battling addiction. She was featured on CNN this week in a story by Ryan Bergeron called, “Ice climbing helped her out of addiction; now, she’s pulling others up.”

Her work has taken her from the High Arctic to Antarctica, guiding clients on expeditions to the South Pole and Antarctica’s tallest peak, Mount Vinson. She’s climbed hundreds of classic ice and rock routes around the world.

Her book, All That Glitters: A Climber’s Journey Through Addiction and Depression was a finalist at the 2011 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. She is the creator of The Vitality Spectrum, a process for both recovery and optimal mental health as outlined in her 2013 TEDx talk.

It’s like landing in Antarctica, but different. #fortchipewyan #northerncanada #whitewilderness

A post shared by Margo Talbot (@margo_talbot) on Feb 8, 2018 at 11:39am PST

In her book, Talbot shares her compelling story of healing and self-discovery amid the frozen landscapes of the planet. As her website states, “Rescued from the depths of drug addiction and crime by the lure of climbing frozen waterfalls, Talbot rises from the brink of suicidal depression in a jail cell to being envied by a client in Antarctica for having a ‘dream life.'”

Talbot is an inspiration on many levels and continues to climb hard. She spent much of February ice climbing in Quebec.

In his article, Bergeron said, “Focusing on the glittering beauty and repetitive sounds, Talbot thinks of her time ice climbing as a ‘moving mediation.’ The pounding of her crampons into the ice, the scraping of the ax to remove loose snow and the blunt whacking as the ax plunges into the ice: It’s the soundtrack of escape and a chance to “climb away from reality.” And for Talbot, she found wielding her ax was a helpful outlet for emotional release. People find ice climbing very empowering, especially women.” Watch her TEDx talk below and read the article here.

Talbot’s Talk