David Lim

David Lim is a Singaporean mountaineer and motivational speaker who led the first Singapore Mount Everest Expedition in 1998. Between 1994 and 1998, he led and organised a team from the flat tropical island nation to the top of Everest. Sustaining an injury on the summit push, he did not make the summit himself though two other team members succeeded in making the top on May 25, 1998. A week after his return, and not related to the climb, he was stricken with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare nerve disorder where the immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. Paralysed from eyes down, he spent six months in hospitals, and emerged partially disabled in both legs.

He returned to mountaineering, and since 1999, has led more than 15 expeditions, including the first all-Singapore ascent of Argentina's Aconcagua (6962m), and the world's third solo of Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world (6893m). In summer 2005, he led the first Southeast Asian team to climb virgin peaks in the Tien Shan mountain range on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border. The team summitted three peaks, now officially recognised as Temasek, Singapura I, and Ong Teng Cheong peaks.

He has also authored two books, Mountain to Climb: The Quest for Everest and Beyond and Against Giants: The Life and Climbs of a Disabled Mountaineer, both published by Epigram Books.

Lim is owner of a leadership and coaching consultancy and travels extensively, combining experiences in leadership in the mountains with corporate models;...
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