China and escaping Brussels airport

The journey back from China into snowy UK over the weekend was a good example of how you need to think ahead and plan for every eventuality! It all started as - after an 11 hour flight we started to descend into Heathrow on Air China CX369. The pilot announced that we had to go to Paris as Heathrow had been closed by snow! Then as we descended into Paris he announced that Paris was full and we had to go to Brussels. The low fuel landing at Brussels into a snowy and icy airport was interesting only to be followed by 12 hours of delays and frustration.

As the picture shows - in the early hours of Sunday morning on 19th December - there were NO flights planned from Brussels airport!

Air China do not operate out of Brussels so they first had to negotiate ground staff, then fuel and then a hotel room for the pilots to be able to get their statutory rest! This sequence of events brought me to the conclusion that we were unlikely to leave Brussels until at least Sunday afternoon, even if Heathrow opened again - of which I had my doubts.

I decided that since I only had hand luggage (my general approach to business travel no matter how long I am away now), that I should get myself home!

Talking my way out of the security in the airport and using my UK passport to claim my rights as a European citizen and as such free to travel anywhere across European borders, was interesting!

I then found my way to the train station, caught a train to Brussels central station, bought a Eurostar ticket for the late afternoon and then presented myself to board the 09.30 train to London. The staff told me it was full but that if I was prepared to take any seat they would put me on standby... I got a seat!

As of Monday afternoon the Air China plane was still on the tarmac at Brussels and the passengers still there!

The lessons for me in all this are:

1. don't believe anything officials tell you about what to do and where to go. In a crisis they don't know any more than you do if you have a web based phone and access to the Internet!

2. don't believe it when people tell you there is no food or water - toilets have water and an emergency couple of items in the bottom of your bag (I always have something!) mean that you don't have to queue with 200 other people to get calories.

3. don't believe it when the ticket man says there are no tickets to where you want to go. Buy whatever he has and get to the next place where there will be someone different with a different attitude. Harassed people tell you whatever is easier for them to be less harassed - not what you might need to know!

4. don't believe it when people say trains are full - there is always standing room somewhere and most trains and planes keep a seat for last minute staff transit - if you hold your nerve a friendly staff member will let you on at the last minute.

5. don't believe it when you start to think being resourceful doesn't seem to be working - keep focused on the goal and keep trying. There is usually more than one way to solve a problem.

6. don't believe it when people say "you can't" - they usually have not thought of how you can!

At the end of the day I am home and that is a wonderful place to be for Christmas!

Outperform new web site

Launching soon 1.1.11 Outperform.co web site.

The New year will signal the end of this blog and the opening of the new Outperform web site with all the courses we run complete with case studies and other information about how we can help businesses develop from the outdoors in.

The site is already live but more will be added in the New Year.

All feedback is welcomed

Here is the new logo for Outperform. Our approach is around challenging your people to take the lead and by so doing changing your business from the outdoors in.

Using the expertise of myself and a small group of highly experienced adventurers and trainers we offer the chance for businesses to create bespoke training and development experiences focused on the four key areas of Agility, Responsibility, Leadership and Communications.

Look out for the links in the last few blogs on this location.

Almost the last post and a new era for Outperform

I have been working on a brand new website which will be launching soon. This blog will move to the new site for Outperform - the leadership and outdoor business which will be offering leadership and development skills training from a new perspective... 'building business from the outdoors in'.

I have been providing courses and outdoor experiences for a variety of individuals and businesses for some years and have brought these together under the Outperform organisation to formalise the mainly ad hoc offers from the past.

The links are not 'live' yet but look out for more specific links as I close down this blog and move to the new home at Outperform.co

Speaking out on leadership and the outdoors in China

I am currently in Phoenix Arizona on the next leg of my round the world trip. I am here to speak with some of the leaders of the global organisation with whom I have my day job! However, I came here from speaking at an event in Beijing to which I was asked to contribute because of my outdoor leadership training experience. The Tienjian economic development Agency, along with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICEAW) organisation in China ran a leadership seminar at which I was one of three speakers. Co presenters included Ling Lai, Vice President of BP in China and Graham Durgan, Chairman of global training company Emile Woolf International.

It was wonderful to hear Ling Lai talk about how BP in China is facing up to the challenges of the recent Gulf of Mexico disaster and how that has refocused the organisation on getting the basics right. Both he and Graham had fascinating stories to tell of how their personal experience of leadership is grounded in the same principles which I encounter and train in the outdoors... agility, taking responsibility for your actions and clear, effective communication. Indeed Graham Durgan and I share the same hero - Sir Ernest Shackleton!

This was my second invitation to speak in China and as I left there was enthusiasm for me to return.... the outdoors really does have something to bring to the field of leadership development.

A break in South Africa

I am just back from a long break in South Africa (on holiday for a change!). It is an amazing place with wonderful landscapes and wildlife. I have been before but the trip this time took me to Knysna and the Wilderness National Park on the Southern coast of this vast land. It was spectacular scenery and a highlight included riding bareback on

elephants as well as watching dolphins in the sea only a short distance from

the accommodation.

I also managed a run up Table Mountain on

day one before getting into the serious matter of sampling the food and wine of the Cape region!

Outperform in China

I spent last Friday in Shanghai delivering a morning seminar on leadership and branding at the Shanghai National Accounting Institute. Invited by the Institute as part of a month long course for high flying leaders in the finance world of China I was the last keynote speaker of their training.

It was both a pleasure and a real honour to be invited, both in my capacity as the marketing director of the organisation I work for, but also having been identified as an interesting individual worthy of presenting to this important group because of my like of places that are high and cold!

The gathering of 55 finance directors from some of the largest companies in China was respectful and engaged for almost 4 hours as I talked about the responsibilities of leadership in the outdoors and in the board room as well as playing a few 'games' with them to help cement some of my thoughts.

The feedback has been great and I now hear that they want me to go back at some stage to meet the senior officials in the Ministry of Finance! A great expereince!

Outperform - Sweatshop leadership course - Wales

Last week I was out in the Welsh hills again taking a group of managers from the retail chain Sweatshop for a leadership development course in Mid Wales. The team experienced the joys of creating their own shelter in the wilderness and then sleeping rough under the stars. We covered around 18km of wilderness over the two days up and down some pretty taxing terrain. Each person had the opportunity to learn new skills and consider the tools and techniques of navigating and wilderness crafts in the somewhat varied weather of the region to the East of Aberystwyth.

Apart from ensuring that every team member was equipped to survive the rigours of the Welsh weather I was working with them to assess their Agility, Leadership, Responsibility and Communication skills on the hill. It was a great experience and the feedback was excellent.

This is the second year the UK retailer has taken a course with me and I am hopeful that others will follow.

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - the ride home

There is nothing which can describe the helicopter ride back to Kathmandu - it was quite simply the best thing! What a way to end the expedition - two helicopters arrived for us. Fighting against the thin air one came to pick up our bags, and drop off some clearly essential supplies (flat screen TVs, microwaves and an assortment of other carefully wrapped packages. A mother and small child clambered on top of our bags and were whisked off ahead of our chopper which again unloaded everything from newspapers to what looked suspiciously like a flat packed wardrobe!

We were then treated to the best way to view the Himalayas from the hovering diving and contouring helicopter which had to land at Lukla (after only 15 minutes!) to pick up more fuel and then we were back in Kathmandu within an hour!

A wonderful end to a wonderful expedition.... I wonder if the wife will look kindly on the plan for a repeat visit to get to the top.....

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - the walk down

Back at Chukung we found a slightly recovered Pete but going down had been the best thing to do. Both marks were full of the climb but we were not at all envious of them. The whole team had done our utmost to reach the top and it had only been a combination of physiological and physical barriers which had prevented us from doing so.

There is still unfinished business on Imja Tse (as the Nepalese call the mountain)!

Will we go back? maybe. Was it memorable? Definitely. A wonderful exhilarating, physically demanding and psychologically draining experience.

The decent from Chukung the next day was a tremendous push as we flew down the mountain as fast as we could. We called in on our friend the head monk at Tembouche to thank him for his prayers and to broach the idea of Mark Ws to set up an Internet link for the Head lama in the region to be able to use Skype to broadcast his daily prayers... seemed to go down well and mark is now to get back in touch to arrange a more detailed exploration of the idea with the Lama next year.

We descended to Namche in one go - a huge distance and a very long day which saw us arriving in the dusk. We were tired and most of our limbs ached but it had been fantastic and the views on the way (pictures) were nothing short of spectacular!

The next day was to bring its own exhilaration too - I had booked another helicopter.... well it seemed a good idea at the time... to take us back to Kathmandu direct from Namche - weather permitting.

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - Attack Camp (part 2)

The day dawned slowly but with a clear and spectacular view around us. Behind us Island Peak's ice wall sat on the top of the immediate horizon (pictured) whilst around us were the most clear and beautiful mountains I had ever seen. It was as if Mother Nature was saying - 'OK you've had a lot of mist - just now look at what you have missed!' (pictured).

Pete got up to admire the view too but he was not in a good way and after a few hours he announced that he needed to go down, Looking at him I noticed his lips were blue and he was slurring his speech. Definitely time to descend and one of the Sherpas took him down to base camp 350m below us and then on back to Chukung.

I sat and waited for the others to come down. Around 15.30 I saw a couple of specks on the high horizon and signaled to one of the Sherpas to join me going yup to meet them. Very sensibly he grabbed a thermos of hot water, some mugs and tea and set off at a pace that I could not match!

I climbed up to around 5700m and met the two marks as they came down. they had had an amazing time but were unable to reach the top as it turned out to be too dangerous to scale the last 100m! We descended to Attack Camp and some food before packing everything up and then descending back to Chukung down the very steep tracks for the 8.5km trek.

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - Attack Camp

We arrived at 'Attack Camp' (pictured) in the mist - getting used to it now! - after a very hard slog up the valley from Chukung. WE climbed glacial moraine out of Chukung and then passed just about every glacial feature known to geomorphologists! It was a spectacular array of glacial lakes, U shaped valleys with braided rivers and huge 'glacial erratic' boulders dumbed all over the valley floors in a series of random locations as the glacier had retreated after the last ice age. It was wonderful!

We sorted out the camp and had some food before trying to sleep. We had decided to leave as soon after 02.30 as we could in order to get to the summit in the early dawn - the best time for the snow to hold our weight on the high cornices. It was at this time that the lead guides decided to mention to us - in typical frank Nepalese style - that we were to be the first people this season to try to get to the summit and, just so we knew, three Japanese climbers had fallen off and been killed last year in an early attempt! So we spend the 'night' in 'the tent of awake'!

We were 'woken' at 02.30 with a cup of tea and the news that the two lead guides had 'popped up to the top' last night to have a look! They hadn't made it - forced back by a huge crevasse and a massive avalanche which had torn away the upper snows and cornices of the peak! 'Should we be climbing?' we asked. "Yes - we might as well have a go since you are all here" came the reply - not massively reassuring.

We set off at 03.30 with Pete and I relieved of our packs for the first section as Pete was still weak and I was suffering from increasing headaches and bouts of 'wow is that the ground?' dizziness. After only 30- 40 minutes of climbing it was clear to me that if I carried on I would have fallen off! The dizziness spells camp thick and fast and the last one was so bad Mark W had to stop me from walking off the edge. Time to go down!

Pete was sent down too - he was in a bad way and despite a minor protest he knew it was not in the interests of the team to carry on.

We descended and left the two Marks to go up with the two sherpas.

Once back in camp we both went back to bed and I managed to drift off to sleep as I listened first to the distant sounds of climbing and then just to the wind.

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - Chukung

Only four or five dwellings, that double as lodges in order to add to an otherwise very meagre subsistence existence, make up Chukung (pictured) at 4743m. This is a godforsaken place with holes in the ground for toilets and no hot water. However, the lodges are clean and the people always ready with a smile. How on earth they manage to be so cheerful in this place is a mystery to me and an example to all the miseries in the cities of the western world bemoaning their situation - they have no idea!

We arrived around noon, having left Pheriche at 08.30 in the mist - again! Pete is suffering and pretty ill having picked up a bug from our designated cook (Sucre Sherpa) - who will not be going any further with us and who is quarantined at the end of the building! After a light lunch we got all our climbing gear together and headed out to the nearby hillside for a quick 'crash' course on using the 'gris gris' and other equipment we would need on the ice and snow of the final ascent.

Pete is an already accomplished climber so chose to go to bed to try to get rid of his 'cold'. The rest of us were shown the ropes - quite literally - and then after about an hour of huffing puffing and climbing up and down a steep scree slope the head guide (Singi Sherpa) pronounced himself satisfied with our cack handed efforts and said he thought we would "probably not fall off the mountain"! With this reassurance we all tramped back to the lodge across the swollen river for a cup of lemon tea and to reflect that the next time we had the bits of equipment to use it would be on the mountain and at 5800m!

The rest of the afternoon was spend resting and reading before we had an early meal and turned into the sleeping bags. Tomorrow we would go to 'Attack Camp' at almost 5500m!

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - Pheriche

Pheriche (pictured) is, as much as I could see in the mist which hung over the settlement for most of the day, a very small hamlet in a glacial outflow valley bottom. Just up the valley is a yak farm where the yaks which are used for the major Everest expeditions are kept. They roam across the valley floor in a never ending stoop for elusive edible grasses which do their best to hide in the nooks and crevices between the rocks. Looking up I could - very occasionally during the day - get a glimpse of the mountains which the others assured me were towering above us. I could not see a thing - it could have been Snowdonia except my breathing - or difficulty doing it - along with the headache - kept reminding me that this was a little higher up than Snowdon!

As I lay in bed - in my sleeping bag for the first time having had a look at the sheets and made a hasty grab for the down of my Russian made bag! - I listened to the rats scurrying about their business in the walls. I must admit I felt a huge sense of achievement that I had made it this far without suffering too much. Altitude sickness could have kicked in at any time and I fully expected it to do so within minutes of me landing at Lukla. This was a great feeling and the next day was to be a push to the highest I had ever been (as was this) and a place where there is only 50% of the oxygen that is available to the average Brit on the Clapham Omnibus in London! After a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, a walk to Namche Bazzar and only one rest day before we ascended to here I was astonished that I wasn't crawling back down the mountain with AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness)... it was only a matter of time.

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - Namche Bazaar via Tengboche to Pheriche

Before I give details of the Outperform leadership and communications course in Wales I thought I have better finish off the Island Peak story!

After what turned out to be the last foray with warm water for the next 6 days we set off from Namche early on the 2nd September bound for Pheriche at 4240m. 10.5 hours of walking uphill later we arrived as darkness was settling on this small outpost of humanity in the high and barren landscape below Everest and the Khumbu Glacier. We had stopped en route at the famous hill top Buddist monastery of Tengboche at 3867m (pictured). There we met with the head of the monastery (pictured) who took us to his private rooms and gave us a blessing for our travels and prayed for good fortune and good weather - we needed a good bit of both if we were to achieve our goal!

The day was a mix of light drizzle and heavy drizzle, followed by more light drizzle... Goodness knows what we would have had without the blessing!

Outperform - Himalayas wait whilst Wales calls

More to follow soon but for now - Wales calls.....

There will be more updates to finish the Himalayan story - but I have to take a team out into the wilds of Wales now...

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - Lukla to Namche Bazaar

... a wonderful roller coaster helicopter ride in the early morning mists and low clouds got us from KMD to Lukla at 2804m.

It was an amazing start to our adventure but we were now significantly behind schedule. We all knew that we would now be working against the clock, not only the time but also our biological clocks and their ability to assimilate enough time to be able to ensure that Mark Kelly and I - who had not already been to Everest base camp - had time to acclimatise without the dangers of suffering altitude sickness on the way up.

After a quick cup of tea - we started walking up to Namche Bazarr at 3440m.

There is not much to say about the walk to Namche... it just kept going up, and up, and up and when we got bored of going up it gave us a little flat bit .... then went up again!

We were walking pretty fast for a team in this altitude and few stops but plenty of water allowed us to cover the 10.4 miles to arrive in Namche as it was getting dark at around 18.30 after a really hard day which left me fighting for breath as the altitude and reduced oxygen kicked in.

The route was pretty spectacular not least from the deep ravines and high wire bridges but also because over the last few weeks there had been torrential rain with the monsoon season lingering in the mountains far later than normal. The result was a significant number of landslides which required us to pick our way around on a regular basis.

WE managed to call in at Monjo village - whrre Mark Wood has adopted a local school and provided laptops and links to the outside world via Skype for the school and the teachers. We arrived to find the school recently painted by the last expedition Mark had taken up a week before but the lap tops were all stored neatly away and not in use due to a big meeting in the technology room earlier that week by the village. We could only hope that the laptops would be out and used again soon by the children.

Namchee was the last place we would be able to have a hot shower and - still gasping for breath and with a rising headache from the altitude - I gratefully indulged in the last hot water for 6 days!

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - more details

... the next day was equally frustrating but with a twist! We again turned up at the airport .... waited for 4 hours and then everything was canceled. We hired a van to take us back to the hotel and on the way back there was a mood of irritation and frustration until someone said.. "It is such a shame we couldn't just get a helicopter!". we all looked at each other.... why not?!!! A series of telephone calls to our local fixer and we had booked a helicopter for the next day! Maybe we would be out on the mountains after all! The good thing about the helicopter is that it needs 500m less visibility than a plane and that is the length of the runway at Lukla!

Unfortunately the next day the weather in the mountains was even worse and nothing moved. We again went back to the hotel and the smoothie bar!

The 1st September dawned bright and cloudless.... we sped out to the airport and mobbed the helicopter team. There was much shaking of heads and sucking of teeth (I wondered if they had met my plumber!). No there was no good weather... no it was a bad flying day... yes we could wait in the lounge ... no they didn't think we would go.... an hour later Mark K came up the stairs two at a time with a tray of coffees in his hands - nice guesture... "What are you guys waiting for!?!" he yelled and we tumbled down the stairs after him... we had an hour window of good weather - and were off!

Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - more details

In response to a number of questions here is some more detail of the Island Peak expedition in the Himalayas last week....

I was sitting in a hotel room in Mumbai - as you do - when the phone rang. It was Mark Wood from Lukla - it was also 05.30!

There had been a fatal plane crash. Our team (the Everest Base Camp expedition run by Mark's company - Snowball Expeditions) were not involved but there were 15 dead and the flights into and out of Lukla were all cancelled. There had already been enough bad weather to stop flights for the 10 days before and Mark wanted to get a note to his blog to reassure all people at home that all was well and the team would get out as soon as they could.

This was the start of a whirlwind 10 days of my own expedition to climb Island Peak in the Everest range.

Thank goodness that mu son (Tom) was safe and that the team were now in a lodge in Lukla on the final leg of their journey out of the Himalayas.

The next day I flew to Delhi and then to Kathmandu.

There remained a day of waiting but the team managed to get two aircraft out of Lukla in the afternoon of 26th August> There was a good deal of work to do to get the team out of KMD as although everyone had insurance cover - the insurers were less than helpful in many cases. Mark Kelly - one of my fellow explorers for Island Peak - and I sat in the reception of the team hotel with laptops and one after the other helped sort insurance and flights for the team to get away. By later evening we had everyone sorted with a few stragglers dealt with the next day.

It wasn't over though.... After seeing Tom off on his early morning flight on the 28th one of the team members (Lizzy) called from the departure lounge of the airport. She had fainted and cracked her head on the way down - there was blood everywhere and the airline were refusing to let her fly! Mark Kelly and Pete Bradley (our medic for Island Peak) rushed off to take her to hospital which Mark Wood and I got the remaining team members away... and we hadn't even got our flights out sorted yet!

The next 24hours consisted of hospital visits, Mark K and Pete flying round KMD in an ambulance with sirens and everything dealing with Lizzy and then... eventually Lizzy booked on a flight - with the (poor) help of her insurers. I had spend a good deal of time on the web and the phone working with Lizzy, doctors, insurers and airlines to help get her away.... Now we could turn to our own adventure!

We had booked a flight the next day (already a day behind on our already tight schedule) and duely arrived at the alloted hour (06.00) at the airport ready to go. After 4 hours of delay they canceled the flights to Lukla for the day! We returned to the hotel frustrated and fed up. We then retired to our haven of quiet in the hubub of Kathmandu - a smoothie and coffee bar in Mandeala Street - which would have not looked out of place in central London or Manhatten!

A number of cappuchinos and banana smoothies later and we decided to try again the next day....

Outperform leadership development course - Wales

Having just about had time to breathe after the Himalayas - where we had roughly 50% of the required oxygen available to us on the Island Peak expedition - I have just finished packing for the Outperform training course in the Mid Wales mountains this week.

I will be taking a team of 8 people out into the wilds of Wales for an 'extreme experience' tackling some of the remoter areas of the region to the East of Aberystwyth. The team will be assembling at 18.00 on Tuesday after which 'anything could happen' - and probably will! All they know is that they will be back home on Thursday evening - and that I can promise they will. between arrival and then, though - they are in for a few surprises!

Outperform and Snowball Expeditions Island Peak Himalayan expedition

I am now sitting in the departure lounge at Kathmandu airport about to leave for the UK after an incredible week in the high Himalayan region of Nepal with Mark Wood of Snowball Expeditions and two other guys, Mark Kelly (Triathlete) and Pete Bradley (Medic).

The expedition was a success with both Mark W and Mark K making it within 100m of the top of Island Peak. Unfortunately altitude sickness prevented both Pete and I from reaching the top though I managed to get to 5,700m later in the day to take tea up to the returning duo.

It has been the most amazing trip, full of trials and tribulations. The key issue has been the speed of our ascent. We have been operating well within the safety measure set by medical advice but I still suffered from headaches and the bout of dizziness which put paid to my final ascent was a clear warning that we were right at the edge of the envelope.

The pictures say it all and you can see more at markwoodexplorer.com

Weather continues to frustrate departure

We reached the airport at the allotted hour today and passed through all security and waited to leave. There have been no scheduled flights to or from Lukla since the team came down last week! We waited for 4 hours but to no avail. The weather remains very bad in Lukla with visibility less than 1500m. The helicopter pilot informed us that, understandably, they will not fly until they are totally certain they can land and get back. The accident last week has certainly meant significantly increased safety procedures for all aircraft, which is good. We are now back in the hotel but have left all our bags in the helicopter ready to go. We will be there at the airport at 06.15 so we can fly as soon as the weather clears even a little in Lukla and we get the thumbs up to land and for them to be able to take off.

We have pared down our kit to almost Alpine style travel so we can move fast and light with the Sherpas. Whilst we will not compromise on the rest days going up - so as to ensure Mark Kelly and I (both of whom have not been up to Everest Base Camp already) can acclimatise properly.

We have decided to go slowly but to do long days on the way up to get us as high as we can without the danger of altitude sickness kicking in. We will have to come down fast and with long days to ensure we can return to Lukla to get a flight back in time to get back to the UK!

Inevitably there is a concern that we can not get back from Lukla in 10 days time but the weather is improving slowly and the view is that we should be able to get down OK according to the locals who have never had such a prolonged period of bad weather like this ever before they say.

We remain determined to go through with the expedition and are also looking at delaying our departure back to the UK by a day to increase the 'slack' in the system and increase the margin of safety and decrease the time pressure.

We are dealing with the extremes of Mother Nature here and she is not in a good mood in the Everest range right now! Extreme adventure always has its price and whilst we push ourselves from a physical perspective there is little we can do when nature takes over. Mountains are dangerous places at the best of times and whilst we are trained and experienced in them nothing can be more top of mind than safety. we all want to live to tell the tale!

For now it is more sitting in the hotel, drinking coffee in the Mandela Street coffee and smoothy bar and eating steak!

We will see what Mother Nature thinks about us flying tomorrow.

Kathmandu and problem solving

Kathmandu is a weird and wonderful place at the best of times and this early morning scene is the calm before the storm of traffic which fills every street to bursting by 10.00 when the shops reopen after a late close at 10.00pm. The rubbish in the streets remains as a stinking and rotting mass until someone decides to burn it. There is the acrid smoke of smouldering remains of everything from dead animals to plastic bottles and general paper waste. The heavy humidity means things burn slowly and badly. Even the burning of the dead along the rushing tributary of the Ganges which runs through the city is a slow and ponderous affair. Set amongst this backdrop of decay it is amazing that the people remain broadly good humoured and even generally optimistic.

We have spent a day of frustration working with doctors and the bureaucracy of both insurance companies and airline officialdom. In all instances you learn from bitter experience that process is everything and trying to speed up procedure and system never does more than frustrate you and cause further antipathy and delay. We now await final confirmation of the insurance company's final decision about the flights for the client.

The helicopter is ours and booked so we have a good deal of flexibility for our flights tomorrow and we are very hopeful of departure for all concerned during the day tomorrow.

We have all had to draw on our reserves of patience, resourcefulness and problem solving over the past few days but we remain focused on our goal and are keeping the trip timing under constant review. We remain confident of our achieving all goals.

Still in Kathmandu!

We are still in Kathmandu. We have had to postpone our helicopter flight until tomorrow. One of the last remaining people leaving last night unfortunately fainted in the airport just before checking in and hit their head. As a result they were refused access to the aircraft and to fly out! We had a panic phone call at 19.30 and sent one of the team to collect them from the airport and take them to hospital.

We have now had to rearrange everything and assist the client, deal with the local hospital doctors and get a discharge and 'fit to fly' certificate. This has to be sent to the insurers for confirmation that the client can be repatriated to the UK on the next available flight.

We will not leave until we are sure that the client is well and confirmed on a flight.

We have, however, decided that three of us will take the helicopter tomorrow in any event and one will stay behind to ensure the client leaves OK.

Following a review of the arrangements myself, Mark Kelly and Pete Bradley (medic) will fly out in the helicopter at 08.30 tomorrow. Mark Wood will stay with the client if necessary and return to the UK. If all goes well Mark will be on the flight tomorrow with us.

Fingers crossed!

Helicopter transfer to the mountains tomorrow

We had a very frustrating wait at KMD airport for our flight to Lukla this morning. After a very early start getting up at 03.45 we were finally told that all flights for today to Lukla were cancelled but not until 11.30am! By this time we had formulated several plans for alternative schedules depending on the weather for tomorrow. We really have to leave for the mountains tomorrow but the weather forecast is poor for aircraft. We have now hired a helicopter which gives us a much better chance of getting to Lukla due to the ability to grab a clear weather window. We now have a flight ready for us in a 5 seater helicopter with local pilots which will allow the 4 of us as well as all our kit to take off and land safely. In true British style and resourcefulness we have overcome the problem and are really looking forward to a sensible and timely start tomorrow.

After something of a frenetic day yesterday we were actually a little relieved not to get out today as no one really had a decent night last night having managed to get all of the Everest Base Camp expedition sorted with flights out today.

Our expedition will be 12 days of trekking which will, all being well, include the ascent of Island Peak at 6189m and we are all looking forward to the off!

Everest Base Camp Expedition team members leaving KMD

Now working with Snowball Expeditions to help team members return to the UK. The weather and air crash at Lukla earlier in the week have played havoc with flight arrangements and bookings. Mark Wood and his team are doing a great job to help people get out and back to the UK. Their safe return home is our first priority. we will deal with the planning for the Island Peak climb once all the Everest Base Camp Expedition team members have left.
Our current plan is to head out on Sunday but this could well change. At present we are obtaining the relevant documents for our entry to the National Park and Everest region. In the midst of everything else we still have to stay focused on sorting personal kit and arranging our own transport back into the mountains.

Everest team arrive back KMD

Good news an hour ago - as the team walked into the hotel in KMD! Good to see my son and to hear of their adventures stuck in Lukla with food getting in shorter supply! The whole region is totally reliant on the daily flights to replenish supplies and the delays caused by the recentpoor weather have created quite a strain on the local hotels, shops and other supply systems.

Back in KMD the team is full of enthusism and broadly very happy! Now only need to sort their flights back! We can then start planning for our own trip!

Everest Base Camp Expedition back in Lukla

I have just heard from the team recently at Everest base camp that they are safe and sound in Lukla. The bad weather has meant that they are unable to fly out of the airport and an incident there has closed the airstrip temporarily. They are all fine and glad of the hot food, drinkls and showers they can enjoy whilst they wait to leave for Katmandu. I am flying to Delhi later today and will then repack all my kit for the transition from traininer to treker and climber!

Delhi and Mumbai - preparation continues

Sitting now in a hotel in Mumbai having just run a training session for a business here. The hot and humid conditions will be a far cry from the snows of Nepal in a few days time. The team on the base camp challenge run by Snowball Expeditions have made it to base camp and their progress can be read by logging on to markwoodexplorer.com where the regular updates have been posted.

It will be good to team up with Mark who will be leading the Island Peak Expedition. Also will be great to see my son Tom who has been on the trip and who has been testing some of the kit I'll be using on the climb.

Finding time to do some gentle training in the hotel but this is not the time for too much vigour as the last thing I need is an injury right now!

India and the Himalayas

Sitting here at Heathrow about to board a flight to Delhi. Spending a couple of days in Delhi and Mumbai doing some work then fly to Kathandhu on Wednesday to start the preparations for the trek to the base of Island peak and then up it!

Regular blog updates can be found both here at at markwoodexplorer.com

Hot weather training in Turkey

Whilst running up and down Turkish mountains in up to 45 degrees of heat might not seem the best way to train for the Himalayas it certainly improves your fitness! With only 10 days to go before I start up the Nepalese hills for Island Peak I used a short break to pack in some additional training on steep ground.

The concentration required in the heat of recent days in Southern Turkey was significant. There are is also always real danger from sun stroke with sun this hot so diverting to the shade regularly and staying hydrated is essential!

The Lycian Way is a 509 km long distance footpath across Southern Turkey along the beautiful coastal regions from Fethiye in the West to Antalya in the East. The best site to review this amazing route is at www.lycianway.com and I was using the section around Kalkan which I have come to know reasonably well over the last 8 years of visiting the region.

As you can see from the photographs this route requires a combination of good climbing and decent skills coupled with a head for heights and determined navigation skills to follow the distinctive (but sometimes obscured) paint markers which denote the route through sometimes very dense undergrowth.

6 days of 2 - 3 hours a day left me fitter and stronger and ready for the challenge ahead which starts next week with a flight to Kathmandu.

Fun though!

Training in Turkey

Setting off tomorrow for Turkey for a week in the Southern region. 'Holiday' is the theory but I will be training in the local mountains to build the final fitness needed for the Island peak expedition.

Check out the attached link to a recent Island Peak expedition to get a perspective on the challenge.

Really looking forward to this - the next big challenge!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcsR2nWmWhU

Planning for Island peak and Everest base camp

Just back from a hectic week in Chicago, Singapore and Kuala Lumpar! The work front severely hampered training this week so have had a strong gym session to make up for it today! The kit list has been checked for my son who is out on the Everest base Camp expedition from next Monday (9th August) He will be celebrating his 21st birthday in Katmandu before setting off with Mark from Snowball Expeditions and a team of 20 others to trek to base camp before returning in time for me to meet him as I set off from Katmandu on 27th.

The outdoors in certainly getting to be a family affair at present though I think the spell in the village in the Himalayas earlier this year gave him a taste for the high peaks in the region.

Kit list complete and a new set of crampons purchased today make me even more enthusiastic about the climb.

Island Peak and the Himalayas

Planning is now at an advanced stage for the climb of Island Peak in early September this year.

I am currently squeezing in training between trips to Beijing, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and the US. The work with senior leadership teams around the world is exciting and absorbing but playing havoc with the schedule to develop the fitness for the climb. Having said that there is much excitement in the small team about the prospect of a 'proper climb' this summer. The rest of the group will be leading on Everest base camp expeditions in September so I will have to get acclimatised quickly when I arrive in Kathmandu in late September for the attempt.

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

I am delighted to report that I have now been accepted as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. This is a prestigious honour of which I am most proud and I am grateful to those who petitioned for my nomination.

Founded in 1830 the RGS is the world centre for geography and exploration. The RGS has long been associated with Polar and other extreme exploration and I am am most proud to be counted amongst its fellows along with such luminaries as Michael Palin, Stanley Livingstone and many others.

Beijing and the Fragrant Hills

Whilst it has been some time since my last post I have not let the grass grow under my feet. I have been traveling around the world, both with my day job and Outperform, doing some interesting walks and exploration in places as varied as Puerto Rico where I was barefoot running on the beaches to climbing the Fragrant Hills outside Beijing.

The Fragrant Hills is a popular spot about 30 m outside Beijing with a 557m (1827ft) hill at its heart.

The park was first built in 1186 but underwent extensive planting in 1745. The Fragrant Hills derives its name from the masses of pine-cyprees, maple and trees as well as many perfumed bushes and flowers planted there. The climb is a steady and smooth one but at 30 C and 60% humidity it was a heck of an afternoon!

I was there to teach a local English/Chinese interpreter and guide how to guide less fit people up the hill. Techniques involved a focus on breathing, resting, hydration and managing groups efficiently. I was the only non Chinese on the hill and attracted a good deal of attention!

The Peak District and Dove Dale

The few days in the UK in February allowed Outperform to take a walk on the wild side with friends and kids in the White Peak.
A slightly cool day was a perfect time for a family walk though Dove Dale where friends children were introduced to the wonders of the mining history and the unusual sight of tree trunks and tree stumps full of old pennies and coins! Dad and I braved the 'long way round' to experience the beauty that is the Peak district White Peak at its blowy and blustery best!

Yorkshire 3 Peaks Ice snow and a 'First"

Just back from completing a very icy and cold Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge with three very intrepid colleagues! The Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough were completed in 11 hrs 50 minutes with the last 4 hours in the dark. We had decided to make the attempt (locals said it was the first of 2010 with a peak tackled at night!) taking in the most direct route and accepting this would mean ice and snow sections in the dark.

Crampons would have made some sections easier but we took a series of precautions and avoidance measures to ensure that whilst the ice and snow was significant in places, we managed to complete the route without the use of 'extra assistance'!

This was one of the hardest attempts I have done. There were some very icy sections on the approach to both Whernside and Inglebourgh and the route off Ingleborough was extremely icy indeed.

The guys did a great job on all sections although due to injury we lost one just before the last peak and left Tom in the Old Hill Inn to wait for us to pick him up. He suffered a torn hip muscle and there was no way he could have dealt with the ice wall and subsequent climb up to the top of Ingleborough. It was a tough choice to bail out but he made it and it was the right call.

A wonderful day with a torrid end to the night but a very satisfying and successful Three Peaks day out!

China and the Great Wall

Just back from 10 days in China. An amazing place. Working with the leadership of a reasonably sized Chinese business on their marketing and business development strategy..... and of course taking the chance to relate this to the great outdoors!

New Year in the Berwins

The first day of the New Year, and a new decade, was spent in the Welsh Berwin Hills. It was a perfect, blue sky, winter day and ideal for a low level trek though the woods and lower reaches of the hills. The tops were beset by fierce blizzards so it was simply safer to take my 'snow novice' around the interesting snow filled lanes and tracks to the South East of Corwen. Fantastic day and some idyllic scenes. Temperatures at around -5 degs and a wind chill of more like -10 degs made for an interesting day out! Sastrugi filled the upper lanes head and wind blow made for a great drive home the following day.