EVEREST 2005 - DISPATCHES

MARCH 19, 2005

For me, today is the end of the skiing season. Weather permitting, Hardwood Hills will remain open for another three weeks, but next Saturday I will be on my way to New Delhi.

The weather is picture perfect, temperature is around freezing and all the trails are beautifully groomed as always. My buddy Piotr Kielek and I decide to ski the recreational trails. I do not want to push myself too hard and risk some problems a week before departure.

After lunch Kim presents me with a Hardwood Hills flag, which I will take with me to the top of the world. Later I get a chance to talk to other skiers. As always children are the most fun to talk to. I also get my first donation. Unfortunately the donor prefers to remain anonymous and I do not learn his name. I hope that he will read this dispatch and get in touch with me so that I can say thank you to him.

After the ceremony I get a chance to do some more skiing. I try to memorize the sense of peace and beauty - I will need these memories during the expedition. Mountaineering is a very lonely occupation. I find that thinking about nice, familiar places helps me get on with the harsh reality.

Next week, the last before departure, is going to be very busy. I still have to buy a few things, get my visa from Indian Consulate and help my son Jordan to organize his trip. Jordan will be joining me at the Everest Base Camp. He will leave Toronto on May 1st and should be at the BC around May 14th. His goal is to document the climb on film. He is a first-year student of Film Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa. This trip will be his first attempt at making a documentary film. It will be very helpful for me to have him around.