CEO MESSAGE: 13 May 2011

CEO MESSAGE: 13 May 2011

Well I’m back in Kathmandu as my Himalayan adventure draws to an end. When I last wrote, our team had just arrived at a place called Gorek Shep on our way to Base Camp and I was preparing to celebrate my birthday! Now Gorek Shep isn’t the most attractive of places on first impressions – one of the team’s travel guides described it as a ‘medieval pestilential hell-hole.’

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Despite that harsh description, Gorek Shep will always exist in my memory as a very special place! The setting certainly helps

. At Gorek Shep it’s very apparent that you are sitting amongst the most amazing mountain range in the world and you get to experience the Himalayas at their majestic best. We were blessed with fabulous weather while we were there, however, the accommodation is very basic, the toilet facilities even more basic, a shower out of the question, and the food … well let’s just say the novelty had well and truly worn off by day seven. You can only eat so many deep fried mars bars, chicken legs, noodles and rice, all smothered in Yak cheese – and we had the prospect of a 3.30am rise the following morning to climb a peak called Kala Patthar in sub-zero conditions for the best view of Everest, before continuing on to Base Camp at the foot of the Kumbu Ice Fall.

But the team were determined to ensure my 50

th was a birthday to remember and we had an ‘R’ party with everyone dressed in an ‘R’ theme …. Rasta’s abounded, we had a Robot, a ‘Rocky’ (complete with boxing gloves and cape), a Rarotongan Madonna – a lot of creativity was on display. But the surprise of the evening was the Chocolate Birthday Cake, complete with ‘ROB’ candles on top, and the story that went with it.

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The reward was some of the most stunning views …..

And then it was several hours more walk on to Everest Base Camp. The elation of finally arriving at Base Camp for the night was a little over-shadowed by the realisation of how harsh this environment is, even before the climbers start their ascent through Camps 1 to 4 on the mountain and on to the summit. It is a huge tent village, built on rocky terrain at the base of Kumbu Ice Fall. The temperatures are well below zero, in fact when you wake in the morning the condensation from your breath has condensed to ice on the inside of your tent. To think that summiteers will spend six weeks here as they acclimatise and progress to their ascent leaves me in complete awe.

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There is a regular stream of helicopters that we have seen during our journey coming to Base camp to evacuate injured climbers or to bring home those who have lost their lives. We were aware of two climbers who lost their lives during our journey and there will be others before the two and a half month climbing season is over. It is a sobering reminder of how small the margins of error are in this harsh isolated environment.

From Base Camp, we commenced our descent. I won’t retrace our steps all the way back to the start of the journey, but the big surprise for me was that heading back down was far more challenging than I expected. The combination of the altitude and the energy reserves we had consumed to get to Base Camp began to take their toll, and I for one, had a couple of my most demanding days on the way back down the valley. But whenever I felt really exhausted, or sorry for myself, you only had to look up at the next porter who passed by … heading back up the hill, carrying his 80kg loads of stone, water, cooking oils, reinforcing steel, timber and many other products … and any thought of complaint or stopping for a breather quickly dissipated.

Now back in Kathmandu, there is a real sense of achievement amongst the team. We have all learnt a lot about ourselves, we have had a lot of time to think, we have pushed up to some physical and emotional boundaries and in some cases through those boundaries to discover what’s on the other side. We have explored an amazing part of this planet and met some amazing people, who cope with challenges, hardships and deprivations that are completely foreign to most of us in our daily lives.

I hope you have found these last three messages interesting, and that they have enabled you to share some of this experience with me. Next Friday I’ll be back in Auckland and back in the Hub, and will have my head deep back into the never ending challenges and excitement of Air New Zealand. Three weeks away has only served to remind me how strong my passion is.

Rob