The World’s Wildest Rollodeck: What’s Next and Why

Pythom wish lists

Yesterday we ran a compilation of the amazing achievements the Pythom crowd boasts, unknown even to us. We could do articles, stories and interviews to the end on internet about them all.

More importantly, these unique individuals may come really handy one day as advisers to our mission to Mars. Or the best voyage mates no money can buy.

What else do you need than slef-propelled survivors experienced virtually in any environment on Earth.

The dreams

Interestingly the crowd is very international but quite homogenous in what they’d like to do. In the wish list sections, people say they want to climb everything from Trango to all 8000ers and various alpine or new routes around the world, K2 in winter or just domestic peaks such as Rainer and McKinley. They want to visit deserted islands, row the oceans and pilot Submersibles.

The North Pole is big, preferably land departure w/o support and/or solo. Wintering over in Antarctica is another dream. Or to go around the world the hard way, via both poles. There’s a Simpson desert crossing in Australia, Route du Rhum transatlantic single-handed yacht race, crossing Mongolia by horses, Cross Arctic Packraft, flying open-gondola balloon to Armstrong Limit, or 100 tyre pulling marathons by 2020, to name a few of the goals.

Other things Pythom people say they wish to do: Explore and leave the beaten tracks, live to live and ski until I die on skis, keep on going even with no food (I don’t have a stomach), willing to try anything at least twice, Live forever.

The skills

Carreer-wise Pythom people list they are into all things tech: Keywords return aeronautic design, mathematical modeling, cartography, graphic and industrial design, Advisor for Materials for Altitude 0m to 8848m, drones, global security, photography, graph algorithms, film-making, geology, creative, writing, story telling, innovation, or guiding just about every spot on Earth.

We basically want to try it all. Among the wish skills keywords: Surfing, Kite Surfing, skydiving, Sailing, Snow Kiting, Skate Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Free riding, Big wall climbing, ice climbing, split boarding, wing-suit flying, tow-in surfing, Proximity Flying, Speed Flying, Human powered flighting, paragliding, powerlifting, become a Helicopter Pilot, Astronaut, Space Walker. Deep water soloing, Kayak sailing, pack-rafting, swimming, mt biking, trail running, road biking, roller blading, canyoneering, kite board, slack line, motorcycling, race driving, and bungee jumping off hot air balloons.

As for what drives us, this listed quote pretty much says it all:

Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting – “wow, what a ride!!!!”

Makers, artists, and adventure foodies

We also seem to be a bunch of makers, musicians, and foodies. More unusual entries in the skills wish list:

Old world stuffed and cured meat making, (cooking is big), master renovator, providing expert surgical help where none exists at a time when none else can reach, commercialising my trail bars, dealing with the unexpected, be a potter, metal working, (carpentry is big) how to lay fiberglass, forging, 3D printing, beat Nadal in Tennis, Play an instrument like the flute, Navigation (sea), ukulele, Get my head around Spanish, Football, SSB radio, Finger-style guitar, Offshore skipper skills, Basket weaving, igloo-building, bow hunting, appreciating the company of humans, tolerance around small children, dog calling, Best dad I can be, computer hacking, Astronaut-ing!

And then there’s this one: “Have all the skills I need, looking for money.”

Why

So there you have them, your new friends on Pythom. Many say to count them in for any cool adventure, so get out there and shake hands. Who knows where it may lead.

As to the why, one final entry in the wish list section:

To align myself as much as possible with this quote by Roosevelt…

“It is not the critic who counts;

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls

who neither know victory nor defeat.”