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Dave Campbell in Sichuan
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| What are two things you definitely do not find in Hong Kong? High Mountains and frozen waterfalls. (The closest you get is the Vodka bar in Lang Kwai Fong and there it is not the altitude that makes your head spin.)
Dave Campbell is an enthusiastic America who has been working for Outward Bound Hong Kong for six months and lives to play in those two elements missing from Hong Kong. (Previously Dave lived in Sichuan for 8 months and he studied Chinese languages.) He was awarded the first adventure grant of 2006 to help fund an attempt on the difficult and very high Abi Mountain in the Shuangqiao Valley of Sichuan, China. This area if famous for the Four Sisters mountains, a popular destination for hikers and scramblers but Dave and Hong (Another instructor from the School) decided to try and attempt the hardest mountain, in the middle of winter!
The pair never made it to the top; Hong suffered from altitude sickness at about 4500 metre and they were forced to retreat. This mountain is over 5000m high, which is a long way up, especially for people living at the Outward Bound School that is at sea level. Never ones to give up, the pair tackled the technical ice in the surrounding valleys, some of it up to grade WI 4, not bad for Hong who had never used crampons before! Dave is looking for a partner to return and finish what he started so if you own very warm clothes and don’t mind dangling at the end of a rope very high off the ground then give him a call.
The Photos are of Abi Mountain and of Dave lead climbing on ice in the valley.
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Eric - Cycle Adventure
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 Eric is one of Outward Bound Hong Kong's longest serving instructors. He acts as a mentor to new staff, offering an unrivaled knowledge of the local area and the courses that we run. In August 2005 Eric undertook an epic cycle trip; ridding from Hong Kong to Shanghai.
The trip took twenty six days with Eric and his two friends in the saddle for up to ten hours a day. Every day they traveled a minimum of 100 miles with the longest day being 155 miles.
When asked why he would under take such a long journey Eric gave one of his famous grins and explained that he liked challenges and had never seen most of the areas he rode through. The trip offered opportunity to see things that were new and exciting; hill top tea plantations, vineyards and mountain passes.
The group traveled up the East coast of China avoiding as many large towns as possible. Route finding was often difficult because of poor maps and small roads, on a number of occasions they had to backtrack many miles to find the proper road.Other hazards included land slides, dogs, and two typhoons.
Eric reports that his legs are now super strong and that he has plans to cycle West to Beijing when he can get another month of work.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
---- Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken |
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Hong in Yosemite
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 Hong has been an instructor with Outward Bound Hong Kong for just under a year. His love of climbing predates his time with us and he is now a familiar face at many of Hong Kong's crags.
In May 2005 Hong received the Outward Bound Hong Kong Adventure grant which he put towards a trip to the USA with the goal of climbing two of the worlds best known big wall routes.
Yosemite is a valley in California with 3000-foot rock walls and incredible climbing. It is an outlet for the energies of the world's most passionate and adventurous people. Yosemite inspires the souls of climbers and non-climbers to reach for something beyond themselves and to travel to a place, physical and mental, where they have never been before. Few climbers can resist Yosemite; nearly every climber who has the opportunity to get to Yosemite manages to make the trip.
Yosemite climbs feel weird and insecure. They demand strength and technique not easily acquired in Hong Kong. The slick, glacier-polished rock has few handholds. Instead, you jam your hands and feet in cracks and smear your feet on, well, sometimes on nothing. There is more balance and subtlety involved than brute strength.
Hong chose to tackle The Salathe Wall, El Cap's most natural line and possibly, as Royal Robbins dubbed it, "the greatest rock climb in the world." containing pitch after pitch of exceptional climbing. The route is 2900' high and its 35 pitches took Hong and his team four days to climb. Hong and his team reached the summit after 102 hours on the route, tired but elated.
The second route the team tackled was even harder. Astroman 5.11c
Astroman is one of the best long free routes in the United States. When first established this climb was the domain of only the most honed climbers in the world. Today, still considered a Valley test piece, Astroman has lost little of its stature or mystique. Climbers who have the skill and nerve to attempt Astroman will find tremendous exposure, flawless rock quality and mostly solid protection. The climbing involves every technique imaginable from balancy face moves and boulder problems to sustained hand jamming and a squeeze chimney.
The route is over 1100' long and Hong and his team free climbed the 11 pitches in one very tiring day. These two routes are an amazing achievement and a culmination of hard work, training and determination from Hong. Climbing in Hong Kong might just feel a little small after this. |
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Felix Shum - Marathon des Sables
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Felix has worked for Outward Bound Hong Kong for over six years. At every opportunity Felix is off on an adventure; he has won Outward Bound Hong Kong Adventurer of the year twice!
Ranked as the toughest foot race in the world, the Marathon des Sables is a 250km, 6-day ultra marathon across the Sahara desert.
Felix ran this grueling event in April of this year. Accommodation was basic, even by Outward Bound standard. The tents were made of old black coffee sacking that don't quite reach the ground, and the heat had been imported directly from hell itself. By the end of the week, it had topped 120 degrees during the day, and been down to near freezing at night. The tents kept the sun off, but had proven totally useless when it came to sand.
Running in the desert isn't like running on road. Ok, so that's obvious: it's sand after all. But the Sahara is not just the classic dunes of The English Patient. There are plenty of those, for sure, but the majority of the running was over vast plains of sand, gravel and rocks the size of tennis balls. No shade, no paths, the scariest route in the world.
The distance covered was 243km run over 6 days which is equivalent to five regular half- marathons. In addition to that, competitors have to carry everything they will need for the duration on their backs in a rucksack ;food, clothes, medical kit, sleeping bag etc. Only water and a tent are provided at each night's camp.
The heat, distance and rubbing on your feet cause severe trauma. Mental stamina is just as important as physical fitness. Many of the participants starting the race give up before the end.
Felix not only finished the race but also came in with a very respectable time of 32 hours, being placed 94 out of 784 people.
A true testament to his preparation, attention to details and perseverance.
(Just don't ask to see his feet.) |
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