Posts Tagged ‘Khoo Swee Chiow’

Khoo Swee Chiow first Singaporean to conquer K2

Sunday, August 12th, 2012

Singapore adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow has become the first Singaporean and Southeast Asian to reach the peak of K2, the world’s second highest mountain, and most treacherous peak. Congratulations!

Khoo Swee Chiow at the summit of K2.

Khoo Swee Chiow at the summit of K2.

A tired but elated Khoo Swee Chiow said, “Reaching the summit of K2 has been a dream of mine for many years. Years of climbing expeditions and training have culminated in this landmark moment and I’m extremely thankful to Seagate and my other sponsors for helping to make this a reality.”

What can a person do in slightly more than a month? It was only in end June that I wrote about Khoo Swee Chiow embarking upon the climb up K2. Before you know it, he’s done it. Bravo!

The Singaporean adventurer and motivational speaker reached the summit at 1020hrs on 31 July 2012 (1320hrs on 31 July 2012 Singaporean time).

K2 is known as the most treacherous and technically challenging mountain in the world.

职业探险家邱瑞昭已于七月三十一日成功攀越K2顶峰。瑞昭与另外十名来自世界各地的探险家是耗了三十二天的攀爬,在零下气温的逆境中,征服了这个被公认为世界第一险锋的K2。瑞昭是第一名星加坡人成功攀登此峰。他也是全东南业第一个成功登上K2。恭喜了!” – 科技点心(微薄)

Khoo reached the summit of K2 after 32 days of climbing in sub-zero temperatures.

He was climbing together with an international team of 10 other climbers from China, South Korea, Turkey, Macedonia, Spain and Nepal.

The team climbed the mountain along the Abruzzi Ridge, otherwise known as the Southeast Ridge, from the Pakistani border.

Adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow to climb K2

Monday, June 25th, 2012

Singaporean adventurer and motivational speaker Khoo Swee Chiow will attempt to scale the summit of K2, the world’s second highest mountain, with the support of title sponsor Seagate Technology.

Khoo Swee Chiow will climb K2, one of the most notorious mountains in the world. Photo by Kevin Mayea.

Khoo Swee Chiow will climb K2, one of the most notorious mountains in the world. Photo by Kevin Mayea.

The Seagate K2 2012 expedition, from 20 June to 20 August, will see Khoo Swee Chiow join an international team of 13 climbers from China, South Korea, USA, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, Spain, Nepal and Singapore.

“Swee Chiow has shown incredible tenacity and determination in realizing his dreams. His expeditions have made it possible for him to instill confidence, leadership and excellence in thousands of people through motivational talks,” said BanSeng Teh, senior vice president and managing director for Asia Pacific & Japan, Seagate Technology.Khoo Swee Chiow and his team will be climbing the mountain along the Abruzzi Ridge, otherwise known as the Southeast Ridge, from the Pakistani border.

On this climb, Khoo Swee Chiow is taking Seagate Backup Plus hard drives to store and backup his photos, videos and journal files for him to share his story when he returns.

Seagate’s newly designed external storage – Backup Plus hard drives – deliver easy setup, one-click backup and the ability to save and share content on Facebook and Flickr.

In addition to Seagate Technology, they will be supported by other sponsors including Microsoft, Canon, Millet, Adventure21, Iridium, Energizer, Oakley, Touch&Print, Banana Boat, Powertraveller, GoPro and Meteorological Service Singapore.

“K2 will be the hardest climb of my life, much harder than Everest. After more than 20 years of climbing, I feel the time has come for me to give it a go,” said Khoo Swee Chiow, who first climbed Everest in 1998.Standing at an elevation of 8,611 metres above sea level, K2 is known for its high level of difficulty and notoriously high casualty rate.

It has a daunting death rate of 26 percent per ascent, six times higher than that of the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest.

To date, only 302 climbers have successfully reached K2’s peak, a number that pales in comparison to Everest’s 3,500.