Jay Morton - SAS: Who Dares Wins

Q&A with Jay Morton, new INOV8 brand ambassador

Jay Morton is a former SAS operator and two-time summiteer of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest. He was also the undercover DS on the last series of television show SAS: Who Dares Wins.

The fearless 36-year-old lives for adventure and taking on tough challenges, be that in hiking, running, mountaineering, climbing, cycling, surfing or skiing. A long-time fan of inov-8, Jay recently became a brand ambassador and has been testing the ROCLITE PRO G 400 GORE-TEX with Graphene-Grip, an exciting new addition to our lightweight hiking boot range.

We caught up with Jay to talk about his action-packed life and future plans.

Tell us about your two summits of Everest and what it’s really like to stand on top of the world…

I first summited Everest in 2017 when I was still serving in the SAS. The expedition was with a guy, John, who was an ex-SAS veteran. He’d been seriously injured in Afghanistan back in 2001, which resulted in him having only one lung and other serious injuries.

We encountered some big mistakes in our pre-training, which saw us fail on another 8,000m peak named Manaslu. The result being that this expedition ran smoothly, getting me and John on the summit and safely back down. I initially reached the summit alone, with no-one else on it. I had 30 minutes there, before heading down to re-summit with John. Standing on the top on my own, with not another soul in sight, was surreal and hard to describe in words. For that moment I was the highest man in the world. There’s an internal reward that you get for achieving anything that’s hard to reach.

The second time I summitted Everest was in 2019. I led a group of climbers of mixed ability, which saw me reach the summit and get back down safely, with three other climbers. It felt a lot more challenging than the previous summit. When you only have yourself and one other to look after, it’s simple. When you have a group of six, it brings more complications into the mix.

I shed a tear when I reached the summit, it felt amazing to be there for the second time. Everest is definitely one of the hardest challenges I’ve done. You underestimate the toll it takes on your body and mind, and the time it takes to fully recover when you get back. The tears summed up that emotion.

Jay hiking in the Lake District

Everest is the ultimate tough adventure. How did you overcome any mental fears? 

I’ve learnt, over the years, to overcome fear. The thought of climbing Everest excites me, and the fear or danger plays a part in that excitement. It is a dangerous sport, so you have to look at how best to avoid that danger but also how best to maximise success. That comes down to your preparation, and preparation is something I do every day. It’s how physically prepared you are, how much you’re willing to push your body and how well you know your body when it’s being pushed. Then it comes down to skill – do I have the skill and the training needed? Then the knowledge and experience – to know how to break down the climb and understand weather. These all play a vital role in reaching the summit. If I can stack all the odds in my favour, fear rarely plays a part in it.

You obviously can’t go into huge detail, but can you give a little insight into what life is like as a SAS Special Forces operator?

No day is generally the same. We spend a large portion of our time training and hold a large number of skills sets at which we have to be highly proficient in – whether that’s parachuting, explosives, medical, weapons and radios, to name a few.

As a Special Forces operator, you always want to be the best at what you’re doing, the culture breeds excellence. We spend 80% of our time training so that we can carry the other 20% of our time doing our job to the best when on operations.

Jay Morton in caves

What, in your eyes, makes a good tough adventure and what is top of your bucket list?

I was due to climb K2 this year until we hit the pandemic. This still remains high on my priority list and all being well with the world I will be able to climb it in 2021. Apart from that, I enjoy things that offer some form of hardship for some form of reward, so anything where I have to work hard for that perfect sunset or view is best for me.

You are a keen trail runner, cyclist, climber, surfer and skier too. Tell us a bit about your sporting background and inspirations…

I grew up playing rugby but when I joined the Army I was exposed to different activities and different cultures. I’ve always been attracted to learning more or getting better. I find sports like climbing, skiing and surfing, where every time you do them you feel yourself improving, addictive.

I get inspired by anyone that is crushing it in whatever they do and succeeding. In the mountains I used to love watching what climbing legend Ueli Steck did, he was a phenomenal athlete who unfortunately paid the ultimate price, but that level of dedication and passion is inspiring still now.

You wore INOV8 shoes for trail running before becoming an ambassador. What led you to make this choice of footwear?

I’ve done the full circle on running and training shoes and had a pair in most brands. What’s important to me firstly is fit, INOV8 give my toes space to lie flat on the sole of the shoe and keep my heel planted. They have variety too. For me, I like lightweight shoe with a grippy sole, so inov-8’s trail running shoes and training shoes are ideal.

The brand is also British, and anyone that has done a fair bit of trail running or hiking around Britain will know that the conditions are varied, challenging and some of the harshest around the world. What INOV8 do really well is design shoes to meet the challenge of this.

Jay Morton

What kind of strength training do you do, and would you ever be keen on trying to compete at the CrossFit Games?

I used to do a lot of this sport and even now when I train, I have taken what I learnt and use it in my training. The athletes that compete in the CrossFit Games are phenomenal and dedicate their whole lives to it. I’d love to be that talented and have that much focus on one thing, but I love variety and experiencing as much as I can.

You were the undercover DS on the last series of television show SAS: Who Dares Wins. Did you enjoy the role and how does the experience the recruits go through on the show compare to real-life Special Forces?

Being the mole was challenging but fun, everyone is expecting there to be one so there is lots of paranoia. Once the filming started, people had less time to be inquisitive, so I just had to not telegraph myself and look too good. The show isn’t comparable to real-life SAS training, what it does do really well is put the recruits through the same stresses that you would face on real SAS selection.

You recently tested the new ROCLITE PRO G 400 GORE-TEX boots in the Lake District – how did they fare up against some really gnarly terrain and surroundings? 

It was great to test them. They’re everything that I look for in an outdoor shoe - lightweight and durable, with plenty of flex and grip. They were ideal for the terrain I faced and would be perfect for any long or short distance hiking.

Jay hiking in the Lake District

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. How have you coped and what are you plans for the upcoming months?

I’m a positive person and can find positivity in any situation. Although the year has been tough, some great things have come from it. I’ve continued to keep myself fit, healthy and focused on what I’m doing. I also keep myself away from negative media.

I have some big plans next year, one of which is racing Praga cars, which is currently taking up a lot of my time with training as it’s something I have never done before. I also have my book SOLDIER being released in November, which I am very excited about.

Finally, what tips do you have for anyone wanting to seek out their own tough adventures?

Firstly, understand the great rewards from doing this. Then spend time looking at what excites you. Plan it well and make sure you have the right kit and equipment, and that you’re not putting yourself in danger. Then go enjoy yourself, it will be worth it.