The Mountain That Tested the Method: How Awareness, Resilience, and Commitment Saved a Life on Alpamayo

Credit This account is adapted from the Alpamayo Expedition Report by Kevin Pilgrim. Expedition team: Kevin Pilgrim, Dan Holder, and Brad Gizzi.

High in the Peruvian Andes, three climbers battled exhaustion, altitude, and time. Six days into their Alpamayo expedition - a near-perfect pyramid of ice and snow rising 5,947 metres above sea level.
The plan was simple: summit and descend before nightfall. The reality was far more complex.

For Dan Holder, founder of ARC, this expedition became more than an endurance test. It became a living demonstration of the method he teaches every day - Awareness, Resilience, Commitment.
The principles that kept him alive as a Royal Marine, and later guided his recovery, would save his life again.

Awareness - The Decision That Saved a Life

The team had spent days acclimatising and preparing. Conditions were punishing: deep snow, thinning air, biting winds sweeping across the ice. By summit day, Kevin Pilgrim and Brad Gizzi pushed for the final ascent whilst Dan stayed at high camp.
He already knew something was wrong. His breathing had become shallow, his energy was fading. Instinctively, he recognised the signs of danger.

“I’ve got to go down. I’m really not well.”

It was a moment of pure awareness - the first pillar of the ARC Method. The ability to recognise truth before the world forces you to. To listen to your body before it’s too late.

As documented in The Alpamayo Report (Pilgrim, 2025), Dan was developing High-Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE) - a life-threatening condition where fluid builds in the lungs, starving the body of oxygen. Without immediate descent, survival was unlikely.

That decision to turn back wasn’t failure. It was awareness in action. The moment that saved his life.

Resilience - The Long Descent

When Kevin and Brad returned from their successful summit, they immediately saw that Dan’s condition had worsened. His speech was slow, his coordination faltering, his skin pale and blue. Every breath came with a gurgling sound - HAPE progressing rapidly.

From that moment, awareness transformed into resilience.
The descent from Alpamayo was brutal. Over 1,000 metres of vertical descent across technical terrain stood between them and safety. The team carried 50 kilograms of equipment across crevassed glaciers and steep ice slopes whilst navigating fading light and extreme altitude.

Each movement became a test of endurance and trust. By the time they reached Base Camp, Dan's oxygen saturation had dropped to 52% - a level that, under normal conditions, is incompatible with life. The team adapted their pace and systems, working as one. Kevin led rope management and route finding, Brad supported Dan physically, and all three coordinated abseils and rest stops with precision.

For ten relentless hours, they descended with almost no food or water. As noted in The Alpamayo Report (Pilgrim, 2025), they shared a single freeze-dried meal and a few sips of water whilst continuing to move.

Their breakthrough came when they encountered a German couple on the mountain. Recognising the signs of HAPE, they mentioned their friend Philipp, who was running an expedition from Base Camp and had medication that could help.

Commitment - Brotherhood on the Mountain

By the time they reached Base Camp, exhaustion was absolute. Yet no one spoke of stopping. No one entertained the thought of leaving Dan behind. Commitment - the third pillar of the ARC Method - is what holds a team together when everything else begins to fail.

As the report notes, all three climbers shared an unspoken rule: “We all go down together.”

It was pure grit and determination keeping them moving. Philipp, hearing about Dan’s condition via radio, hiked up from Base Camp to help. They administered Nifedipine - a drug that temporarily eases pressure on the lungs and buys crucial time. That intervention was pivotal. Resilience now meant resourcefulness: using every tool, every connection, and every ounce of willpower to stay alive. Together with Kevin and Brad, they coordinated an emergency helicopter evacuation using Dan’s Garmin InReach device. They spent the night at Base Camp stabilising Dan’s condition.

At first light, they moved to a helicopter landing zone, with Dan on horseback and a local Peruvian carrying equipment. It took another hour and a half of careful navigation through steep terrain.
When the helicopter arrived, there was no cheering, no celebration - only quiet relief. They were alive.
The team’s shared commitment, along with the application of ARC principles in real time, had made survival possible.

Reflection - What the Mountain Taught

Every expedition tests physical strength, but this one tested something deeper. It tested the system that Dan had built through years of experience in extreme environments and recovery work: The ARC Method.

Awareness saved his life. Resilience carried him off the mountain. Commitment brought the whole team home.

This wasn’t the creation of ARC. It was yet another confirmation of it.
The same framework that helps people overcome alcohol dependency, burnout, and emotional crises had proven its worth in one of the harshest environments on earth.

Applying the ARC Method Beyond the Mountain

The ARC Method is more than a recovery framework. It’s a way of living.

• Awareness helps you recognise what’s really happening - before crisis hits.
• Resilience gives you the strength to adapt and move through discomfort.
• Commitment ensures you stay the course long after motivation fades.

These three principles apply to any challenge - personal, professional, or physical. They form the backbone of ARC’s programmes, which help people cultivate clarity, strength, and structure in the face of change.

How to Apply It in Your Own Life

If you’re facing your own mountain - whether that’s rebuilding after addiction, navigating burnout, or rediscovering purpose - the ARC Method can help you get there safely.

• The Positive Psychology Course helps you understand your mental terrain and build new emotional habits.
• The Alcohol Removal Programme guides you through structured change built on self-awareness, resilience and the commitment to be your own hero.
• The ARC 20-Day Reset teaches you to apply the ARC Method step by step, transforming principles into daily practice.

These aren’t theories. They’re lived, proven systems - the same method that kept Dan alive continues to change lives around the world.