You can not live their dreams becoming dictate the rules of the game from the others. An exploration and adventure, born from the depths of his soul, and the free part of ourselves. Cho Oyu Expedition Trilogy was the materialization of a common dream, a sharing of energy and strength, which found in a mountain the point where achieving personal ambitions and based on the feeling of friendship, respect for rules, acceptance of risk and responsibility.
climb an 8000m mountain, open a new route, snowboarding from the top, run or ride a bicycle up to the starting point of the project involves planning and respect for basic timing and delicate and should not constraints that can not find elevino risks, they denature and amplify the effect. This is what happened in the last days is unfortunately so daring and relentless in our project, because of the restrictive measures taken by the Chinese government that suddenly, mandatory, non-negotiable and has closed its borders with Tibet, preventing anyone from entering the territory even if they have a regular entry visas and permits. It 's so began the ballet on the dates and duration of the closure of China and today we received news that on October 10 should be the first possible date of entry into Tibet (every day this date has undergone changes and shifts). On October 25 would be the last day spent on the Cho Oyu expedition to the due date for the return flight and for professional and personal commitments set out a long time. This means that we accept to make an expedition with three different activities and programs just 15 days including the time of transfer to and from base camp. Madness! A bad lesson to give an acceptance of risk, it is very expensive for a game lost at the start when considered in the completion of all three different projects (climbing, snowboarding and bike / run in Kathmandu). Then we say NO! We are not to make us accept even in the realization of our dream. It would be a demonstration of self-esteem be bad for your nose and take the piss by those who want to impose their own rules, timing and conditions contrary to those announced until yesterday and we met. We do not feel on holiday at the expense of the sponsors, nor put up by the comments of the press and friends. None groped the lot of us want and hope to achieve in an impossible time that we have prepared for years and dreamed. Freeze the Trilogy project Cho Oyu Expedition, say no thanks to the Chinese authorities, save the money of those who believed in us despite the difficult economic situation and, taking from what reason and morality requires us, we go home together without devise a fallback to design individual and save face.
We are obviously sad about the sporting side and exploratory but proud to have found a common agreement on this decision and complete. A good team from the outset, a great team in taking this decision. In 41 shipments I had never happen to me to dictate the conditions and take the nose this way and I'm glad that this time, I and whoever is with me, did not fall into the trap of blind, deaf, irrational ambition.
thank the The North Face who have supported our project and respected the decisions (although the latter) that we took. I thank the whole team of Cho Oyu Expedition Trilogy for demonstrating unity and friendship in every second of this adventure. Our exploration is not only postponed, probably until the autumn of 2010 and to maintain the soul and respect for the rules and of person. Although a bit 'sad and hurt, this piece of life I bring home is a gift ed insegna anche qualcosa di prezioso e non negoziabile, proprio come l’improvvisa chiusura del Tibet….
We cannot live our dreams by the rules which others have imposed upon us.
An exploration and adventure is born and grows from the depth of our soul, from the deepest and most free part of ourselves. The Cho Oyu Trilogy Expedition was born in this way. It is the result of a common dream, a shared energy and strength concentrated on one mountain to realise a common project, and yet within this for each to be able to realise each his own personal dream and ambition. These hopes and dreams have been based on the values of friendship, accepting the risks and our responsibilities, and respecting the rules laid down by the authorities.
To climb an 8000m mountain, to open a new route, to descend by snowboard from the summit and to run or ride by bike to where the journey began (Kathmandu), without question must be undertaken within a timing which respects the delicate and fundamental requirements of our project. This timing must not, and cannot be restricted, for such restriction would increase the risk and altogether change the spirit and nature of our project. To our sadness this is exactly what has happened during these last days, without hope that the situation will change. The problem is the sudden and unplanned decision of the Chinese authorities to categorically close the border between Nepal and Tibet. No entries into Tibet are allowed, even if the necessary permissions and permits have already been obtained. From the moment that the Chinese made their non-negotiable decision they started to play a game with the dates. Every day the date of the border opening has changed, slipping later and later. Today we had the news that the 10 th October would be the first possible date of entry, but even now no assurance that this would finally be definite. For us, the 25 th October would be the last possible day for our expedition to leave from the base camp of Cho Oyu, due to our professional and personal commitments. This means that we would be forced to accept to make our expedition, with its three very diverse elements, in only 15 days (including the time to make the journey to base camp and to return to Kathmandu). For sure this is a certain ‘craziness’.
If we played the game in this way we would give a bad example, and we would not show to others the spirit by which we choose to live. We would be forced to accept a very evident risk and the huge expense of our expedition would be paid to make a fool’s game. We would have little hope of realising our dream in the way we would choose and in its entirety – to climb to the summit, to make a snowboard descent and to return to our beginnings by running or cycling. So with sadness we categorically say ‘no’ – we don’t accept even in realising our dream that we should be forced to be contrary to our spirit. We would deny our integrity and self respect if we allowed ourselves to accept ‘outside’ influence and to be forced to play a game that is not ours. We had respected and obeyed the rules regarding permit, visas etc. and we cannot now accept to have different rules, timings and conditions to be imposed.
For each of us we feel we are not ‘on holiday’ at the expense of our sponsors and we will neither allow ourselves to be pressured by eventual comments from the press, the media, from the mountain community or from our friends. Not one of us wants to play with destiny, hoping to realise in an impossible time the dream that we have so long prepared. We have taken the decision to ‘freeze’ our project of the Cho Oyu Trilogy Expedition. We gently say ‘no thank you’ to the game the Chinese authorities wish us to play, and we save financial commitment of our sponsor who even in such difficult economic time has supported us, believed in us and given us this opportunity. We return home altogether, without each rushing to invent a last minute project, even though the opportunity would be here for each of us. Individual achievements here and now would only save our individual reputations, but would not be in keeping with our common spirit. In this way, returning home as a team, we hope to respect what our deep values and spirit tells us to do.
Without doubt we are sad to temporarily ‘break’ our exploration and dream, but we are proud that we were easily able to make a common decision. We have been a true team from the first days, and are now a true team in taking this difficult decision.
For me, in 41 expeditions I have never accepted unrealistic conditions to be imposed upon me or to allow my values to become part of another’s ‘game’. I am happy and proud that also this time, I and my friends, did not fall into the trap of blindly following ambition in a way not true to ourselves.
I take this opportunity to deeply The North Face who have supported our project and who have respected the decisions that we have had to take. I also would like to thank all the team of the Cho Oyu Trilogy Expedition for demonstrating unity and friendship in every moment of our adventure. Our dream and exploration is not ‘over’ but only postponed, probably until next autumn 2010 – in this way we keep to the soul of our project and maintain our personal integrity, self-respect and obey the rules. Even though we are each of us a little sad and hurt, this piece of life we take back home is a gift that teaches us that deep within we have something precious – as un-negotiable as the imposed closure of Tibet.
