About
Make it Real! Program This programme is designed
to imbue young Singaporeans with the spirit of adventure and
groom them into new mountaineers, and in the process, promote
a balanced life beyond studies and work.
Selected university
undergraduates from the National University of Singapore
will get first-hand experience in planning, preparing
and training for a major expedition. A key feature will
be a Technical Mountaineering Course in New Zealand in
December. Suitable candidates will accompany the team
to the Xixabangma Base Camp where they will witness the
operations involved in managing a major expedition.
Rationale
for the Programme Interest in adventure sport
and mountaineering is growing, but many young people are at
a loss as to how to get started, let alone how to organise
expeditions. Make It Real! is tailored precisely for
such students.
Opportunities
for experienced mountaineers to pass on expertise to new-comers
to the sport are rare. Activities of the Singapore Mountaineering
Federation and other mountaineering clubs cater mostly to
more general interests of large groups.
The Make
It Real! Programme is the first time that a select group
of students will be given an up-front view and firsthand experience
of what is involved in managing, planning and executing a
major expedition. They will thus acquire the organizational
and technical skills for a modest mountaineering expedition.
Equally Important,
they will learn to maintain a balanced life, enjoying mountaineering
as well as their studies, and in future, their careers.
Programme
Brief
Prerequisites
And Selection The students for the programme must
be undergraduates above the age of 18 and have basic rock-climbing
techniques. They will be assessed during the training and
the final decision on the suitable candidates will be made
by the Xixabangma Expedition members.
Technical
Mountaineering Course After an initial training period
in Singapore, the selected group will be sent for a Technical
Mountaineering Course in December to New Zealand to learn
basic mountaineering skills.
Trek
To Base Camp The good performers will be
chosen to trek with the main expedition members to
the Xixabangma Base Camp and Advance Base Camp. This
will be scheduled after the students' exams around
early May 2002.
Post
Expedition After the programme, the entire
group of selected students will be required to impart
their skills to other would-be mountaineers in universities
and the community at large through talks and training
sessions.
Costing And Funding The cost of the programme comprises
three major components : Local planning and training, Overseas
Technical Mountaineering Course and the trek to Xixabangma
Base Camp and Advanced Base Camp.
The students are expected to raise
their own funds with help from the Expedition members. Most
of the funds will depend on the charges from China Mountaineering
Association for groups going to Tibet mountainous region.
