Ain’t no mountain high enough
Océ people are independent and driven. That’s why Roland Valckenborg and five friends set themselves an exciting challenge. To explore an isolated and uncharted mountain range in Western China. Their goal was to climb peaks no one had ever scaled before.
Live your dreams
It started with an extraordinary dream. Roland Valckenborg and five experienced climbers wanted to scale mountains where no one had been before. It was a daring idea but Océ people are pragmatic as well. So Roland and his friends spent a year researching potential locations, planning logistics and preparing themselves physically.
Help the environment
They chose the Kunlun Mountains in Western China. But Roland and the team didn’t want the expedition to be just for themselves. So they asked people to make donations to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Himalaya Climate Project. Sponsored by Océ they set off in early July 2007.
The ultimate challenge
After acclimatizing in neighboring Kyrgyzstan they scaled several unclimbed peaks in the Kunlun range. With only a rough map of the area, they were climbing unexplored territory. Finally they braved harsh weather conditions, stomach problems and potential avalanches to reach the summit of Koskulak (7,028 m) on 14 August 2007. This was followed by an exciting descent on skis. All in all the expedition was the ultimate challenge.
For a full account of the expedition see: kunlun.climbing.nl (in Dutch)
More about People Beyond the Ordinary
