MAKING IT HAPPEN. EXPEDITIONS 102:TIME

PEOPLE OFTEN THINK MONEY COMES NEXT, BUT RICH OR DIRT BAG, PROFESSIONAL CLIMBER OR DILETTANTE, THE THING THAT KILLS MOST TRIPS IS TIME.OR MORE, MAKING IT.

THERE’S SEVERAL FACTORS HERE; MAKING THE TIME, THE TIME IT ACTUALLY TAKES AND HOW THE TIME IS USED. OBVIOUSLY THIS RELATES MORE THAN ANYTHING TO THE OBJECTIVE YOU’VE FLOATED, BUT NEVER BEFORE HAS THERE BEEN A TIME WHEN TIME CAN BE SO LEVERAGED TOWARDS AN OUTCOME.

MAKING THE TIME THIS COULD BE ANOTHER TERM FOR CHARACTER. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING YOU WILL FIT IT IN. ANYONE CONTEMPLATING AN EXPEDITION WILL BE DOING OTHER THINGS THAT REQUIRE THEIR TIME, SO IT’S A MATTER OF REARRANGING THE PIECES. THINKING OF EXPEDITIONS AS ONE-OFF’S OR A HOLIDAY IS THE FIRST MISTAKE; EXPEDITIONS HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU SET ASIDE THE PERIOD WHEN THE THING YOU WANT TO DO WILL WORK. YOU CAN KAYAK THE UPPER SALWEEN IN JANUARY SO YOUR TIMELINE AND LIFESTYLE NEEDS TO ALLOW 3 WEEKS IN JUNE WHEN YOU CAN, WHICH WILL PROBABLY MEAN RESCHEDULING THINGS AT OTHER TIMES.

VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE THE ALL-ROUND FLEXIBILITY TO DO ANYTHING AT ANY TIME, BUT WITH NORMAL FLEXIBILITY YOU CAN USUALLY MAKE A TRIP HAPPEN. THE IDEA OF A PERFECT WINDOW IS ALMOST AN URBAN MYTH, AND WITH ATTITUDE AND PREPARATION YOU CAN SHIFT THINGS INITIALLY SEEN AS IMMOVABLE. PEAKS CAN BE DONE IN WINTER, RIVERS DESCENDING IN MICRO-SEASONS, DESERTS CROSSED IN AUTUMN. THINK LATERALLY, DO SOME RESEARCH, AND RETHINK YOUR YEAR AND MANY PEOPLE FIND THOSE DEAD WEEKS AT WORK IN JUNE OPEN UP PADDLING/CLIMBING/TREKKING OPTIONS THEY’D BEEN BLIND TOO.

THE TIME THINGS ACTUALLY TAKE SURPRISES A LOT OF PEOPLE INITIALLY, AND ONCE THEY REALIZE YOU SEE THE LIGHTS GO ON. OFTEN COMING FROM A DIET OF BOOKS WRITTEN IN THE 90’s AND REPORTS THAT LEAVE OUT THE DETAILS, SOME PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE THAT YOU CAN BE AT BASECAMP FOR A 6000m PEAK IN ASIA WITHIN 5 DAYS OF LEAVING HOME IF YOU TIME IT. YES, IT’S NICER TO TAKE 10 DAYS GETTING THERE, AND SOME THINGS TAKE FAR LONGER, BUT WITH THE WAY ROADS ARE BEING BUILT, FLIGHTS ARE BEING SCHEDULED AND RED TAPE CAN BE SORTED, WE LIVE IN AN ERA WHERE THESE THINGS CAN BE DONE.

THE BEST EXAMPLE HERE IS ALSO THE NEWEST; THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM, INCLUDING K2. THE LONG ACCEPTED FACT HAS BEEN ACCESS FROM THE NORTH MEANT LEAVING BEFORE THE SEASON MATURED BECAUSE THE RIVERS FILLED AND WERE UNCROSSABLE. THIS MEANT, DESPITE ARGUABLY THE MOST DOABLE ROUTE ON THE PEAK IN TERMS OF STABILITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT, THE NORTH SIDE WAS RARELY VISITED AND AN EXTRAORDINARY FEAT TO PULL OFF. BUT NOT ANY MORE. NEW ROADS THAT AVOID THE RIVERS, ARE CLOSER TO CIVILIZATION & AND ALLOW BETTER LOGISTICS, PLUS BETTER ACCESS TO AIRPORTS, SUPPLY CHAINS AND A BETTER ADMINISTRATION PROCESS, MEANS THE NORTH SIDE IS DOABLE. THE SEASON IS EXTENDED ALLOWING BETTER WEATHER OPTIONS, AND ACCESS TIME IS REDUCED AND STREAMLINED TO BE SAFER.

HOW TIME IS USED. THE NORTH SIDE OF K2 IS A GOOD EXAMPLE, BUT THIS EXTENDS TO EVERY TRIP. FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS, BY BEING OUTSIDE THE LARGE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY, HAS THE ADAPTABILITY TO NOT USE THE PRE-ARRANGED TRIP FORMATS THE LARGE COMPANIES DO. WHEN THERE’S 2000 PEOPLE GOING TO THE KHUMBU IT MAKES SENSE TO FORMAT THE WHOLE THING TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR; BUT WHEN YOU DOING A FIRST DESCENT FROM AZAD KUH TO THE CASPIAN WE CAN USE TIME MORE FUNCTIONALLY.

ANYONE THAT’S DONE A COMMON NEPAL (OR PAKISTAN OR KYRGYZ OR…) TRIP HAS SEEN THE WAY THINGS GET PADDED OUT WITH TOURS, EXTRA DAYS AND UNNECESSARY TIMELINES. THESE ARE USUALLY LABELLED ‘RECOVERY DAYS’ OR ‘ADMIN TIME’, AND THEY CAN BE, BUT FOR A TEAM THAT HAS UNIQUE OBJECTIVES IT DOESN’T RUN LIKE THAT.

WHEN TIME IS OPTIMALLY ORGANIZED, TRIPS CAN BE SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTER OR OBJECTIVES EXTENDED. THE KEY HERE IS ADAPTABILITY. HALF A DAY FROM ARRIVALS YOU CAN BE AT 4000m IN TIBET WHEN YOU HAVE THE ADAPTABILITY OF PLANNING THAT MAKES SUCH AN ASCENT SAFE AND CUTS DAYS OFF A TIMELINE. AT THE OTHER END OF THE NARRATIVE WE’VE HAD PEOPLE FINISH TRIPS IN EXCEEDINGLY REMOTE PLACES AND BE ON THE FLIGHT HOME WITHIN 24HRS. ALL BECAUSE WE HAVE GOT VERY GOOD AT SCHEDULING.