‘Adventure Guy’ just goes for it

As John Rost stood at the peak of Mt. Everest, he had to keep his excitement in, knowing that his journey wasn’t complete until he had made his way back down the mountain.

In May 2004, Rost and two other team members returned from a nine-week expedition, reaching the highest peak of the world and back. Rost had spent a year before the climb at the gym six days a week as he readied his body for Everest. He dedicated an hour each day to climbing the StairMaster with a 60-pound backpack, reaching a target heart rate of 160.

When the year of training was up, Rost was physically ready to climb the tallest mountain on Earth. However, physical strength was only a portion of what he needed to accomplish the expedition.

“Twenty-five percent is physical, 25% is skill, but 50% is mental,” he said.

It’s that dogged will that has earned the Huntington Beach resident his nickname, “Adventure Guy.” Rost, the founder and president of Fiesta Auto Insurance, claims on his website to be the 35th American to climb the tallest mountains on all seven continents. Photos of his expeditions line the wall of his office in Huntington Beach — along with pictures of the private plane he build from scratch.

Rost said his spontaneous nature was one of the main drives for his successful adventures.

“Most people are too afraid to do what they want because they think about it too much,” he said. “I don’t think about it; I just sign up. Because then you’ll be forced to show up, and there’s going to be commitment, because then you’re stuck.”

Rost recalled the days during the expedition when he would sit alone in his tent as he waited for snow blizzards to pass. Days of solitude can break a person down mentally, he said. But those challenges are exactly what he looks forward to overcoming.

“It’s breaking that point that always keeps me going,” Rost said.

Within three years of climbing the first summit, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Rost completed the last of the Seven Summits on Antarctica’s Mt. Vinson in December 2004.

Other than mountain climbing, Rost also enjoys surfing, scuba diving, automobile racing and especially aviation.

Rost is not an average pilot who limits himself to flying a plane. In 2007, he built his own plane over an 18-month period in his two-car garage, then worked another two months at Chino Airport, where the final building stages occurred.

He has been recognized several times by the National Aeronautic Assn. for breaking record speeds while flying his aircraft cross-country.

Rost has taken a different kind of journey with Fiesta Auto Insurance. In 1998, he started his business catering to the growing Latino population and built his company around the importance of having a strong relationship with his clients.

There are more than 100 Fiesta Auto Insurance branches around the nation. But Rost remains focused on expanding his company more. He often travels outside of the state to visit other branch sites. Instead of flying first-class, he makes his business trips interesting by flying himself.

Rost looks forward to April, when he and his girlfriend plan to sail the British Virgin Islands with their families. Even though no trips have been planned until then, that doesn’t mean “Adventure Guy” is on hiatus — especially because Rost still has an unused plane ticket good for anywhere in the world.

“I might just go to Egypt this weekend,” he said.