Chas Fisher

Hi everyone:

My name is Chas Fisher and I am one of the co-conspirators of the GBOC project. I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce myself and to give some of my background as well as the reasoning behind my enthusiastic support of the GBOC event in Malaysia.

For those who don’t know me, I am in my late forties, and have been deeply involved in the outdoor sports industry for more than thirty years. It all started for me during my formative youth in Boulder Colorado, which is famous for it’s local rock climbing. I became enthralled with everything involving outdoor pursuits, especially rock climbing and wilderness backpacking. After a few wayward (I would have said misguided!) years at University, I found myself leading the somewhat itinerate life of a climber/outdoor educator. I worked about half the year, and spent the rest of my time traveling to various climbing areas around the world, pushing my limits on the cliffs. I lived on an austere diet of dried oats, lentils, and plenty of discomfort, but it was one of the happiest times of my life as I made lifelong friends around the world, all of whom shared my love for climbing and the outdoors.

As the life of a climbing bum cannot last forever, I moved on to found my first company, which made climbing wall holds and built climbing walls. This experience was a bit like obtaining an MBA. I made plenty of mistakes, as well as doing many things right, and I grew the business to be one of the dominant players in small (at the time) sub segment of the outdoor sports industry. I moved on to other ventures, including founding an outdoor-specialized ad/design agency, overseeing the marketing for La Sportiva, one of climbing’s most prized brands, and I currently have the very challenging and fulfilling role of running the North American unit of a global waterproofing (outdoor goods) brand called Nikwax.

About ten years ago, I became friends with Eric Ling and went to visit him a few years ago in his adopted home of Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia. Aside from the appeal the place has to the general populace --and there is plenty! -- I was particularly impressed with the natural beauty found in Sarawak’s wild places. As a veteran outdoor professional, the allure of Sarawak’s jungles and mountains and rivers makes the place seem like heaven for anyone who values the experience of being in the wild.

Then when Eric asked me if I thought Sarawak would make a good venue for an adventure race, it made perfect sense! Sarawak is ideal! The natural terrain ranges from lush, overgrown jungles to clean, sheer cliffs, to rivers running from the mysterious hinterland. Think Conrad’s Heart of Darkness combined with the wilderness experience – outdoor challenge, with all the exotic allure of Borneo but without the sinister specter of Colonel Kurtz!

We have been planning and pitching the idea now for about two years, and are on the verge of making it a reality. I recruited an old outdoor industry contact Troy Farrar, who specializes in the planning and execution of adventure races in the U.S. to help in the nitty gritty of making the course and running a first-rate event. We plan on the event debuting in the late Spring of 2011, with subsequent annual events in different locations in the vicinity of Sarawak and environs.

Please stay tuned for further postings from me regarding this exciting event!

Chas Fisher