Skiing with Borat: Hong Kong adventurers take on Kazakhstan

The Hong Kong chapter of the Explorers Club head off on their first expedition for three days of mountaineering, snowshoeing and skiing in Kazakhstan’s Tian Shan range

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Team endurance athlete and member of Explorers Club (Hong Kong Chapter) David Gething takes the lead on the day’s snowshoeing expedition. Photo: Mike Satas

Published: 8:03am, 11 Apr 2017Updated: 8:03am, 11 Apr 2017

“Skiing with Borat”. It seemed an apt title for the WhatsApp chat group ahead of our trip to Kazakhstan, considering that comedian Sasha Baron Cohen’s fictional reporter is, for many of us, the only reference point we have for the Central Asian country. We were about to head off on the inaugural expedition of the Hong Kong chapter of The Explorers Club: three intense days of mountaineering, running, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing in Shymbulak near Almaty.

In the evening the clouds that normally hang low in the valley rise to completely cover the resort in white-out conditions. The visibility doesn’t seem to be an issue with the locals, who continue into the late hours. Photo: Mike Sakas

Founded in 1904 in New York, and dedicated to research and exploration of air, sea, land and space, the Explorers Club counts amongst its accolades the first summit of Everest, first to the North and South Poles, first to the deepest point in the ocean, and the first to the moon. James Cameron, Edmund Hillary, Roald Amundsen and Buzz Aldrin are all members. As am I – the Explorers Club recently formed a chapter in Hong Kong.

Knowing the group I was joining, I was aware this would be no ordinary ski trip. We’d be working on snow skills development, physical training and team-building ahead of upcoming bigger expeditions. Led by Hong Kong Chapter chairman and Bhutan expert Michael Barth and club director, pilot and world record holding adventurer Matt Prior, our team consists of highly qualified skiers, medics, endurance athletes and photojournalists.

Explorers Club Hong Kong chapter founder Michael Barth surveys the day’s proposed route. Photo: Mike Sakas

It soon becomes apparent that the only Borat on this trip is me. I’ve never had much skiing experience. The only two possible roles I might play were comic relief, or a prop for emergency rescue training after my inevitable crash.