It’s hard to believe that the first Southeast Asian and fourth person in the world to complete The Explorers Grand Slam––reaching the South Pole, North Pole, and Seven Summits––would ever get caught with his pants down. Or that life in Kansas birthed his epic climbing journey. Laura A H Elliott delves into the incredible world of Khoo Swee Chiow.
I caught up with Khoo Swee Chiow after he’d summited Mulhacen in Spain’s Sierra Nevada and quickly discovered we had common acquaintances in Nepal. Here ended our similarities, and as we talked I realised how humble and vulnerable Swee Chiow remains as his incredible life unfolds. Even regular adventurers have many things to learn from his experiences.
After he climbed and summited Everest in 1998, he didn’t waste any time, reaching the South Pole in 1999. After summiting Kilimanjaro in 2000 he thought, well, maybe he should finish the Seven Summits, the world’s seven loftiest peaks. Done. Then it became clear that he should finish The Explorers Grand Slam by also reaching the North Pole. “I took one step at a time”, says Swee Chiow, “not having The Explorers Grand Slam as the goal from the start.”
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Every climb had its challenge but nothing like his first attempt to ski to the North Pole. He had to abandon the mission after nine days due to frostbite injuries. The failure tested his ability to conquer The Explorer Grand Slam. “The months following the failed North Pole attempt was one of the hardest times in my life,” says the adventurer.
But he came out of the experience realising that if he didn’t try again, it would be a regret that would follow him to his deathbed. For the second attempt, he changed up some equipment, altered his strategy and doubled-down on training in the Canadian Arctic. Swee Chiow learned from an experienced guide, gaining a greater understanding of the dangers of the journey. In the end, the two men arrived at the North Pole with some close-call moments.
The ability to turn set-backs into victories will resonate with many. So many of us get stuck––frost-bitten by our circumstances, unable to move.
So how does Singaporean get bitten by the climbing bug? Where might be a better question––in Kansas, of course. Swee Chiow had worked in software and his company required him to fill a position in the heart of The Great Plains in the Central United States––the distant Rockies called. “I’d leave Kansas on Friday nights, drive ten hours to Colorado, arrive early in the mountains the next morning then climb.”
His funniest climbing moment happened twice. On the climb to Everest, Swee Chiow had a spot of Jelly Belly and had to relieve himself while wearing a full down suit, oxygen and harness. Because the mountain was so steep and narrow, he had nowhere else to go but right on the path. “Imagine exposing my butt in the frigid cold while climbers passed me one by one!”
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Now, that’s courage! Besides amazing butt-exposing abilities at altitude, Swee Chiow also has the distinction of summiting Tibet’s Shishapangma without oxygen. When I asked about the side effects, he laughed and said he didn’t have many brain cells left.
Swee Chiow’s simple advice to help make our dreams come true, despite the naysayers? “Dream big, start small. Know what’s important in this short life and just go do it. Remember, you only live once. Stay away from negative things and people.”
Khoo Swee Chiow has just celebrated summiting his 151st peak, in Spain. “I’ll never be able to climb all the mountains in the world, but it’s about the journey, right?” Indeed.
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