Thank you
As you probably know by now, I’ve been back in Belgium for about a week now. And I have to admit that it easy to get used to the luxury – and beers – of Belgium again. The first couple of days were pretty busy with interviews for newspapers, radio stations and TV channels. But in the mean time, things have quieted down, so it feels like the right time for looking back.
Obviously, I look back at the K2 expedition with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am disappointed that I didn’t make the summit. On the other hand, I realize that many professional mountaineers need several attempts before they can summit K2. So as an amateur, I can only be satisfied with what I’ve accomplished. And I’ve managed to return in one piece with all my fingers and toes intact and that offcourse is more important than reaching the summit. On top of that, I have learned important lessons from this attempt. Lessons that will be very usefull in a next attempt. And that next attempt may be on its way, but I’ll talk more about that later.
The side projects have achieved some valuable results as well. I’m still waiting for a recent update but it looks like the project for Doctors without frontiers has collected over 2600 Euro. And it isn’t over yet so if you would like to support their activities, then take a look at their page on this site. And thank you to those who have supported them already.
I intend to agree a date with the Hub as soon as possible for a first lecture about the K2 expedition. More information about the date and location will be announced via this site. And Yves and Nick, the students of the KUL, have done a splendid job on creating a questionnaire to evaluate the impact of mountaineering on the environment.
I want to use this blog to thank a number of people. First of all, I would like to thank you: the visitors of this site. During the expedition, the site was frequently visited. On the 4th August, there were more then 1500 visitors, but also on other days, hundreds of people visited the site. On top of that, many of you left a message. It was great to see that many people were keeping track of my progress.
I also want to thank a number of people that have helped me with the side projects: Sophie Reyntens of Doctors without frontiers who was always ready with advice and assistance to support the project, Simone Poutnik of the Hub who has been a great source of inspiration and energy for me and Bart Van Reusel, Nick Meuris and Yves Hellemans who managed to complete the research project at the KUL.
Furthermore, I would like to thank the team on K2. A climb of K2 is a team sport. Without their co-operation, I probably wouldn’t have made it to the first camp. Mostly, I would like to thank Fabrizio Zangrilli, our expedition leader, for his dedication and professionalism. His leadership was an essential life insurance in the danger zone. And Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was an example of a true mountaineer to me. Gerlinde is not only extremely determined, but she climbs according to the highest ethical standards.
Kris Ghijselinck provided lots of advice on the weather conditions, not only during the expedition but also during the rescue on Latok afterwards. I realise that he has spent many hours behind his PC this summer and I’m very greatful for it.
There are also 2 companies that have helped me with my dream. Aster X supports the website www.wimsmets.be where you can find more information about my previous expeditions. And Vervoort & Willekens have supported the K2 expedition itself.
Furthermore, I would like to thank my family and friends. They probably have wondered again this summer why I can’t go on a beach holliday in Spain like everyone else. My brother Bruno I would like to thank specifically for dealing with the facebook part of the expedition. But above all, I would like to thank my youngest brother Filip and his wife Kristel. If you were able to keep track of my progress this summer, then that is mainly their doing. They handled communication between Belgium and Pakistan, co-ordinated the co-operation with the press and kept the website up to date. And I realise that this has taken them an awful lot of hours this summer.
So to all of you: A VERY BIG THANK YOU !!! Without the support of a large amount of people, a K2 expedition would be impossible.
But obviously the story does not end here. In april 2010, I will be on the move again. No climbing this time. I will be heading to the North Pole with 10 Belgians and 3 Americans. If you would like to know more about that expedition, check out www.thenorthboundquest.com. Other expeditions, such as a new attempt of K2, will be announced on www.wimsmets.be.
If you are interested in hearing the story of the K2 expedition, you should come and take a look at one of the lectures. Future lectures will be announced via the website as well. If you are interested in organizing a lecture yourself, then please get in touch with me via info@wimsmets.be.
See you soon !
Wim