Welcome…

...to another issue of the MountainWorld Productions E-Newsletter!

Please feel free to pass this along to colleagues, family, friends, and anyone who might find it helpful and informative. You can read past newsletters in my archive:

http://www.jakenorton.com/newsletter_archive.htm

In this issue:

1. Quotes of the Month

2.  Teamwork: The Only Way to Climb...

3. Gurla Mandhata SUCCESS!!!

4. Photo Tip: More isn't always better...

5. Jake Interviewed on NPR Station!

6. Jake to be featured in Nikon World Magazine & Professional Speaker

7.  Clients, Presentations, and Travel…

8. Contact Information

Quotes of the Month

When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, its ready to climb.

- Pat Riley

 

Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

- Vince Lombardi

Teamwork: The Only Way to Climb...

On September 26, at 10:02 AM, I stood on top of Gurla Mandhata with 5 of my teammates: Sherpas Panuru, Mingma Chhiring, and Karma Rita, and climbers Kirk Allen and Stuart Sloat. In reaching the 25,502 foot (7728 meter) summit of this remote peak in western Tibet, we became the first American team to do so and only the 13^th team to climb the peak, ever.  

Clear in all of our minds, however, was that we were not alone on the summit. Our efforts and successes on that day were only possible because of the efforts, sacrifices, and dedication of the rest of our team. David Golden was down at Basecamp, manning the radios during our ascent. David had summit ambitions, and gave a huge effort, but due to the vagaries of high altitude was unable to accompany us to the top. Cynthia Dodson was below as well, a constant supporter throughout our expedition. And, of course, Pemba and Bal Bahadur, our cooks, who kept us healthy and happy – if not a bit portly! – during the entire expedition. (It pains me to admit it, but Pemba actually made us sushi…yes, sushi!…twice on our expedition, and both times above 15,000 feet!)

There were other teammates as well: the staff of Great Escapes, our Nepali outfitter; Eric Simonson and International Mountain Guides who planned all the logistics; Pirjo DeHart, our fastidious travel agent; and, of course, our spouses, friends, and families who supported us in countless ways.  

Without the dedication, hard work, and efforts of all of these people, our dream of climbing Gurla Mandhata would never have been realized. And that is the beauty and challenge, the proverbial double-edged sword, of teamwork. 

On a mountain, as in life, few of us have all the skills necessary to reach our loftiest goals entirely on our own. Instead, we rely on a disparate group of people with disparate skills all brought to one collective table to pursue a common goal…We rely on a team. The effectiveness - or lack thereof - of our team can mean the difference between success and failure. And in the mountains is that the stakes are high: Succeed, and you live to climb another day. Fail, and you become a trail marker on the slopes of your mountain.  

For a team to function well, to have a prayer of reaching its goals, each member must be committed, 100%, to the end goal. There can be no selfishness, no looking out for #1 at the expense of the common goal. I have been reminded of this on more than one occasion.

On Gurla Mandhata, after reaching the top, we returned all the way to 17,000 foot Advanced Basecamp that evening. The next day, although clear and crisp, was nuking: jet-stream winds racked the mountain, flattening tents at ABC and whipping plumes of snow from the upper-reaches of the peak. It literally sounded like a freight train was rumbling along the high ridges. Had we tried for the summit on that day we would have been shut down by the wind at best, frostbitten and in mortal danger at worst.  

Similarly, on my first Everest expedition – the 1999 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition – we managed to discover the remains of pioneer climber George Leigh Mallory at 27,000 feet on the morning of May 1^st. The following morning, the first wisps of the monsoon reached the peak, releasing 6 inches of snow along the way. Mallory’s body was completely obscured, covered by a fresh blanket of white.  

In both cases, a 24 hour delay, one selfish act by any member of the team, one person looking out for their own best interest instead of the interest of the team and its goals, and our accomplishments would never have been possible. Twenty-four hours. One selfish act. One lapse in team dedication. And all the hard work, planning, and effort would be wasted.

We certainly need a team to accomplish our lofty goals, to realize our biggest dreams. We cannot go it alone. But, to succeed, we must choose our team wisely: they must be dedicated, strong, and absolutely committed to the end goal. Only then can we begin to climb to the top.  

© 2006 Jake Norton/MountainWorld Productions. All Rights Reserved.

News

Gurla Mandhata SUCCESS!!

Many of you followed our recent expedition to Gurla Mandhata on my expedition blog, and many of you wrote in comments along the way...Thank you for your interest and your support! It meant a great deal to all of us.

If you did not follow along...We made it! On the morning of September 26th, at 10:02 AM Nepal time, we stood on the 25,502 foot/7728 meter summit of Gurla Mandhata (AKA Naimona'nyi), the world's 34th highest summit. In so doing, we became the First American team to climb this majestic peak. It was a marvelous expedition, and I would like to take a moment to recognize our team and our expedition organizers who made it all possible. Thanks to:

Team Members: Kirk Allen, Stuart Sloat, David Golden, Cynthia Dodson

Climbing Sherpa: Panuru Sherpa, Mingma Chhiring Sherpa, Karma Rita Sherpa

Cook Team: Pemba Chhiring Sherpa, Bal Bahadur Gharti

Support Team & Organization:
     - International Mountain Guides

     - Great Escapes Trekking & Expeditions (Nepal)

     - CTT Destinations & Pirjo DeHart

For those of you who did not follow along but are interested in reading about the trip and seeing photos from remote western Tibet and Nepal, please visit the IMG 2006 Gurla Mandhata Expedition blog. 

Photo Tip of the Month...

More isn't always better...

Often when taking photos we are naturally inclined to try and take in the whole scene, to capture everything we see in a single frame. Our brains, however, are far more powerful than our camera no matter how much they cost! When we look out at a scene, our brain is not only processing the visual data, but also the emotional input plus smells, sounds, etc.

We can often make our images more visually appealing - and make them convey more emotion and sense of place - by composing the image with less in the frame rather than more. This is where either your zoom lens or your legs come in handy. If you have a zoom, try honing in on different areas of the scene at hand - pick out the most fascinating details and try to isolate them from the background. Know what you are shooting and why, and use your camera to tell that story...Don't let it get lost in the frame!

If you don't have zoom lens or zoom option on your camera, all is not lost! You can resort to that age old photographic technique: move your body! We always forget that we can move ourselves to create a better image, to capture more or less. So, if you don't have a zoom, then zoom with your legs! Move in closer - unless you're shooting a lion - and tell the most powerful story you can.

Remember, it's all in the perspective!

Jake Interviewed on NPR Station!

On October 26th, I was interviewed live on NPR member station KCPW in Salt Lake City as part of their Midday Utah program. Host Diane Maggipinto and I talked for 20 minutes about the recent Gurla Mandhata Expedition, Himalayan climbing today, my work with Porters' Progress, and the political situation in Nepal.

Listen to an mp3 of the interview here!

Jake to be featured in Nikon World Magazine & Professional Speaker

Two of the top magazines in the photography and speaking industries - Nikon World & Professional Speaker - will be featuring stories on me in upcoming issues.

Nikon World is running an article detailing my work as one of the premier high-altitude photographers in the world. The article will cover my work on 5 Everest expeditions, my recent Gurla Mandhata expedition, and also my work shooting images in other places worldwide. Look for it in the Winter 2006/2007 issue!

Professional Speaker selected me to profile in their "Welcome Home" section of the December issue. Each issue of Professional Speaker profiles a new member of The National Speaker's Association who has an exciting story and is effecting positive change through speaking.

I am truly honored to be in these magazines, and hope you'll enjoy the articles!

Clients, Presentations, and Travel… 

• Thanks go out to my recent clients: MTM International, Rocky Mountain Jewelers Association, and Charlotte Latin School.

• As noted on The MountainWorld Blog, I will be presenting along with Brot Coburn and other Himalayan aficionados at two events in Colorado in December to launch the new book, Himalaya: Personal Stories of Grandeur, Challenge and Hope. Read more about these public events on my blog, here.

• While nothing is planned at the moment, it looks promising that I will have some good adventures this year. Potential expeditions on the horizon include: Mt. Toubkal, Morocco and a return to Mount Everest, Tibet. Stay tuned on The MountainWorld Blog for updates!

New Sponsors...

I am proud to be working with the following companies and organizations, and thanks them for their support on current and future projects and expeditions:

Contact Information…

Jake Norton is a professional speaker, photographer, climber, and guide from Colorado. He delivers high-impact, multi-media motivational presentations to audiences worldwide, inspiring them to set lofty goals in life and giving them the tools to reach them.

Please forward this newsletter to other people who might find it helpful.

Have a question about Jake Norton or MountainWorld Productions? Please contact us at:

Jake Norton
MountainWorld Productions

American Mountaineering Center
710 Tenth Street
Golden, CO  80401

P: 303.902.7475
F: 303.496.0175

Email: info@mountainworldproductions.com