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A YEAR AGO, IN THE LEAD UP TO RESTARTING OUR EXPEDITIONS TO K2, THE GASHERBRUMS AND KARAKORAM IN XINJIANG, WE STARTED MENTIONING CHHOGORI DESIGNS, AND EVER SINCE THE CURIOSITY HAS BEEN INTENSE. DOZENS OF CLIMBERS HAVE ASKED ABOUT THE UNUSUAL, PSYCHEDELIC COLOURED GEAR IN PHOTOS AND WANTED TO KNOW HOW WE DO CERTAIN THINGS, THOUGH THE REAL STUFF WE DO WITH CHHOGORI IS BEHIND THE SCENES, HARD TO NOTICE IN PHOTOGRAPHS. OVER THIS TIME CHHOGORI DESIGNS HAS BECOME A MYSTERY AND FOCUS OF CURIOSITY TO SOME, WHO WANT TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE AND HOW THEY FIT INTO THE GAME.
CHHOGORI DESIGNS IS AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS, ON OFF-SHOOT OF INDUSTRIAL AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN THAT GETS APPLIED TO CLIMBING. WHAT PEOPLE SEE IS USUALLY THE 100g SUMMIT PACKS AND 120L CAMEL BAGS WE USE THEN ASSUME CHHOGORI IS JUST ANOTHER PACK MAKER. THIS IS INCORRECT.
CHHOGORI DESIGNS IS A PROTOTYPING BUSINESS, AND THE STUFF PEOPLE SEE ARE SOLUTIONS NOT PRODUCTS. THIS SOUNDS LIKE JARGON BECAUSE INDUSTRY CORRUPTED THE TERM, BUT HERE IT IS VERY MUCH THE CASE. CHHOGORI IS NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF PRODUCTION – MASS OR OTHERWISE, NOR OF MARKET READINESS OR EVEN RETAIL. WHAT CHHOGORI DOES IS RESOLVE PROBLEMS IN SYSTEMS (IN THIS CASE EXPEDITION CLIMBING) BY TURNING CONCEPT SPECIFICATIONS INTO FUNCTIONAL REALITY.
FOR FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS THIS IS INTEGRAL TO WHAT WE DO, AS NO INDUSTRY COVERS OUR MOST SPECIFIC NEEDS. OUR TRIPS ARE TOO ODD, THE PLACES AND LOGISTICS TOO OBSCURE, AND THE DEMANDS TOO UNIQUE FOR ANY BIG COMPANY TO BOTHER WITH, SO WE DEAL WITH IT OURSELVES IN THE GREAT PUNK TRADITION OF DIY.
OUR REQUIREMENTS RECENTLY COVER THINGS LIKE TENTS TO FIT IN CERTAIN PLACES, SNOW BAGS TO FIT ELITECLIMB SHOVELS, SUMMIT PACKS FOR MALACHOWSKI DOWN GEAR, ALTITUDE CHAMBERS THAT FIT INTO A NALGENE AND LIFE PRESERVERS FOR BACTRIAN CAMELS SHOULD THEY STUMBLE IN ICY RIVERS. THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT DON’T EXIST AND WITHOUT THEM WE CAN’T PROCEED WITH IDEAS, BUT ALSO ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE MADE TO VERY CONCISE SPECIFICATIONS.
WHAT CHHOGORI DOES BEST IS UNIQUE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, OFTEN SINGLE UNIQUE PROTOS THAT NEED A HIGH DEGREE OF MATERIAL INTERFACE INNOVATION. THE LIMITATIONS OF RETAIL CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO GT IN THE WAY OF THIS, AS THE VALUE IS NOT IN VOLUME OF PRODUCTION BUT IN SOPHISTICATION OF EXPERTISE. WANT TO MILL SPECIFIC ALUMINIUM, 3D PRINT SPECIALIZED BUCKLES, FORM CERTAIN COMPOSITES, INTERFACE ARAMIDS AND UHMW POLYMERS, SHAPE CERTAIN MATERIALS OR CONSTRUCT TO WEIRD VARIABLES IN PRESSURE AND MASS, THEN CHHOGORI WILL DO IT. BUT NONE OF THESE HAPPEN WITHOUT THE SOPHISTICATED MODELLING AND MATERIAL TESTING THAT FEW SMALL COMPANIES IN THE CLIMBING SPACE HAVE.
KEY TO ALL THIS IS THE SCOPE AND SCALE OF CHHOGORI’S PROTOCOLS, WHICH VASTLY SCALE DOWN AND CONDENSE MUCH LARGER INDUSTRIES. WHERE MOST IN THE FIELD COME AT THESE SORTS OF CONCEPT IMPERATIVES FROM A SEWING AND TEXTILES PERSPECTIVE, CHHOGORI LEANS FULL FORCE ON INDUSTRIAL DESIGN THAT COMES DOWN FROM SKYSCRAPERS AND AIRPORTS.
AND YOU CAN TELL.
PRIOR TO WORKING WITH CHHOGORI DESIGNS WE CONTINUOUSLY GROUND TO A HALT OVER SEEMINGLY MUNDANE PROBLEMS THAT OTHER COMPANIES LACKED THE SCOPE OF SOLUTIONS TO GET PAST. FOR AN INDUSTRY THAT CONSIDERS ITSELF RADICAL WE TIME AND AGAIN FOUND DESIGN IDEAS TO BE CONSERVATIVE, PAROCHIAL AND CLUNKY, AND WORST STILL – OFTEN FOUND NO SOLUTIONS AT ALL. OUR LONG LIST OF PAST COLLABORATORS IS REALLY A LIST OF THOSE WHO JUST FAILED TO SEE FOR ENOUGH, AND WHO LACKED THE APPETITE FOR INNOVATION THAT CHHOGORI THRIVES ON. WHEN YOU HAVE WORKED TO DESIGN MODERN STRUCTURES MADE TO LAST CENTURIES SUSTAINABLY, THE SCOPE OF FEASIBILITIES AND MATERIAL APPLICATIONS MAKE A BAG FOR A CAMEL PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD DESPITE OTHERS FAILING AT IT.
ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE, CHHOGORI UNDERSTANDS CLIMBING, HAVING BEEN PART OF MOST OF OUR EXPEDITIONS SINCE COVID, IN FULL CLIMBING ROLES. WE CAN FIND DECENT DESIGNERS HERE AND THERE, AND CLIMBERS ARE ON EVERY CORNER IN SOME PLACES, BUT INDUSTRIAL-LEVEL DESIGNERS WHO ALSO KNOW FIRST HAND THE RIGORS OF EXPEDITION CLIMBING AS WE DO IT – THAT’S LIKE ASKING FOR A PIRATE MEMORY GAME SUITABLE FOR AGES FOUR TO EIGHT.
CHHOGORI EXCELS AT IDENTIFYING THINGS WANTING INNOVATION, THROWING AN INDUSTRIAL PERSPECTIVE ONTO EXPEDITION CLIMBING IN ORDER TO ADDRESS WHAT HAS THE MOST IMPACT. UNSURPRISINGLY THIS IS CONCERNED WITH GOING FURTHER, HIGHER, INTO COLDER PLACES WITH LESS SUPPORT, WHERE NOT ALL THINGS ARE EQUAL AS THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE BETTER. WHILST AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY REMAINS FIXATED ON SHAVING GRAMS OFF PERIPHERAL THINGS, ELSEWHERE THINGS ARE JUST ACCEPTED – OR EVEN WITHHELD FROM CHANGE – STALLING ELEMENTS OF INNOVATION.
BY EXAMPLE, CHHOGORI HAS BEEN FUNDAMENTAL TO US SHEDDING NEARLY 50% OF OUR CLIMBING LOADS WHILST GOING INTO MORE DEMANDING PLACES, CHANGING THE WAY EXPEDITIONS WORK AT A BASE LEVEL. WE STILL HAVE MUCH MORE IN THE WORKS OVER A MULTI-YEAR PROCESS INVOLVING THE BEST PRODUCERS IN THE TRADE, SHOWING HOW A TINY COMPANY LIKE CHHOGORI DESIGNS CAN HELP PUSH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SPORT.
NOW, WE RUN EVERY DESIGN IDEA THROUGH THE COGS AND LEVERS OF CHHOGORI, TO BOUNCE OFF BIG DESIGN BEFORE WE DARKEN THE DOORSTEPS OF THE COMPANIES WE COLLABORATE WITH. WE RUN THE FEASIBILITY AND SYSTEMATICS THROUGH THE HOOPS OF SKUNKHOUSING IDEAS TO DETERMINE WHAT IS WORTH DOING AND HOW TO PRESENT IT, SO OUR COLLABORATORS GET THINGS IN A STATE THAT IS NOT A BUNCH OF UNTESTED AND FANTASTICAL DAYDREAMS.
TO BE CLEAR, CHHOGORI DESIGNS DON’T RETAIL THE STUFF WE USE, THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS. THEY DEVELOP THE THINGS WE NEED AND EITHER SUPPLY TO THE TEAMS, OR PRESENT AS DEVELOPED CONCEPTS TO OUR COLLABORATORS SO THINGS CAN GO FASTER TO BEING MADE. OUR CONCEPTS AND DETAILS OFTEN HAVE NO LARGE SCALE PRODUCTION DEMAND AND ARE MADE PRECISELY FOR OUR CLIMBERS WHO GROUP PURCHASE, AND THOUGH CHHOGORI IS OPEN TO WORK WITH OTHER GROUPS, EACH PROJECT IS UNIQUE.
WE THINK THIS IS THE FUTURE OF HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING, WHERE THE MAJOR COMPANIES HAVE CONTAINED WHAT IS POSSIBLE BY THE STAGNATION OF THE EQUIPMENT THEY PRODUCE. FUNDAMENTAL INNOVATION IS RARE THESE DAYS AT THAT LEVEL, LEAVING IT TO THE SMALLER, NICHE COMPANIES TO MAKE THE PROGRESS. THIS IS THE LEVEL OF RESOURCES WE WORK EVER MORE WITH, WITH RESULTS TO SHOW FOR IT IN USE IN PLACES NO INDUSTRY IS CONCERNED WITH.