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Makivik Corp. employee heads to Everest

Lisa Koperqualuk part of 20-person team tackling world's highest peak

NUNATSIAQ NEWS

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Lisa Koperqualuk, formerly of Puvirnituq and now a Montreal resident who works for the Makivik Corp., is taking part in a trek to a Mt. Everest base camp that's about 17,000 feet above sea level. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF TIM REDPATH)

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Lisa Koperqualuk, communications director for Makivik Corp., headed off to Nepal last weekend on a trek into the Himalayas, a journey that will take her to a camp located at the base of the world's highest peak, Mt. Everest.

Koperqualuk, 42, will be the first Inuk to travel to this remote corner of Asia. Thanks to her physical stamina and general fitness, Koperqualuk, a karate expert and marathon runner, won a place on the trek that was sponsored by Makivik.

"As Funakoshi's famous words say, victory or defeat are not the goals of karate; so it is in the climbing of Everest or any climb in life," reflected Koperqualuk before her departure.

Although Koperqualuk won't actually be scaling Everest due to the high level of technical mountaineering skills required, she'll be more than 17,000 feet above sea level at the base camp, and living in the shadow of the huge mountain.

Koperqualuk is part of a 20-member expedition that includes students, business executives and researchers. The group set off from Kathmandu, Nepal earlier this week en route to the remote mountain town of Lukla at 9,350 feet.

From there, they begin the trek into the Khumbu region of the Himalayas, through tiny villages and across high mountain passes. The group will spend one night at the Thyangboche monastery located at 12,887 feet, from which there are spectacular views of 29,028-foot Mt. Everest and neighbouring Lhotse at 27,560 feet.

Only one member of the party is intending to climb Mt. Everest. The others are to spend two days at the Everest Base Camp before heading back to Kathmandu.

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Dramatic Mount Everest.

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There, the group, whose trek is being sponsored by an Ottawa-based high-tech company Kanatek, will test out a wireless network with a satellite link back to Ottawa. This network of specially designed and ultra-rugged laptops contains video-conference units so those at the base camp can communicate with researchers back in Ottawa and Toronto.

According to Kanatek's web site at www.kanatek.com, the goal of this expedition is to translate "the expedition effort into new business opportunities" and showcase the company's "use of technology in a hostile environment."

The trek is also raising funds for Child Haven International, an international charity that assists children and women in four countries, who are in need of food, education, health care, shelter and clothing, emotional and moral support.

Yvan Pouliot, 49, a bio-engineer from Quebec, who specializes in environmental site remediation, plans to carry out a study on human waste management at the base camp.

The group also wants to play "the world's highest altitude ball hockey game" on the Khumbu glacier.

"A Russian expedition is planning to be at base camp at the same time and, when we arrive at base camp, we intend to challenge them and other climbers to a game of shinny hockey - the 2005 Summit Series. In addition to the game of shinny hockey there will be a hockey skills competition," says the Kanatek web site.

To follow the progress of the trek, there will be a link on Makivik's web site at www.makivik.org.

"So long as there are no technical difficulties I will be calling or e-mailing each day to give news for the daily journal at this web site," Koperqualuk said.

The Kanatek web site at www.kanatek.com contains additional information on the trip. At this site, it's also possible to subscribe to a blog that will be sent out daily by e-mail.

You can also send a text e-mail messages to a public email address: everest@kanatek.com.

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