Juggling housework and raising three kids, a Penang-based homemaker still manages to summit the highest peak outside of Asia, and proving that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
By LEONG SIOK HUI
weekend@thestar.com.my
It’s day 13, or perhaps day 14, Ong Seow Chooi has lost count....It feels like ages ago since her arrival in Mendoza, Argentina, the gateway to Mount Aconcagua. Day in, day out Ong struggles with the energy-sapping, steep scree (loose rock debris) slopes.
Each time she places one step forward she slides backwards two steps. In the last six days, she’s been lugging her 10kg backpack to various camps. At night, the temperature plummets to about -25°C . At times, the strong winds almost throw the petite lady off her feet.
Ong Seow Chooi.
Today she’s been footslogging for almost 10 hours since 5.30am. In the thin air, her laboured breathing and the crunching of her boots break the stillness. Ong tells herself over and over, “I can do this. I will make it to the summit.”
After what seems like an eternity, her guide says, “You’re almost there. You go ahead first.”
She toddles on. When she finally spots the steel cross (that marks the peak), she bursts into tears.
“I was so overwhelmed, so happy to be up there,” recalls Ong of Penang, a month after returning from Argentina. “All the hard work was worth it.”
For the 51-year-old woman, the road to Aconcagua (6962m), the highest peak outside of Asia, and one of the Seven Summits (highest peaks in Earth’s seven continents) was a long, tough one. Aconcagua is no child’s play. Each year, more than 3,000 climbers attempt it, with only about 40% succeeding due to the freezing temperatures, stormy winds and altitude sickness.
Every year, five to eight people perish there from extreme altitude sickness or exposure, according to Summitpost.org.
For Ong, Aconcagua was a personal goal. Her trip was self-sponsored; there was no media coverage and none of the usual shrieks of “Malaysia Boleh”. Here was a homemaker and mother of three who just happened to love mountain climbing.
Ong’s passion was triggered by a change in her lifestyle 12 years ago.
“I was on the plump side and I couldn’t fit into anything except empire-cut dresses. My friends would ask, ‘Are you pregnant’?” says Ong, who now looks lean and fit.
She was active in sports in school but stopped exercising when she got married and became a full-time housewife. After giving birth to her youngest son in 1990, her waistline kept expanding.
Ong Seow Chooi and her husband, Vincent Loh share a passion for mountain climbing.
“My husband Vincent said, ‘When we travel, we need to walk a lot. If you’re not fit, you’ll tire easily,” Ong remembers.
So, every morning she would wake up at 5am and take a brisk walk up the hill behind her house, then whip up breakfast and send the kids to school. Once her weight started dropping, she became fitter and her eating habits changed.
“We started thinking about eating healthy – less oil, sugar and salt. Then I started running, taking part in 10km-runs and eventually marathons,” says Ong, whose husband is also a fitness freak. They have taken part in marathons in Hawaii, Hong Kong and Singapore.
“One thing led to another, and when we finally went trekking in Nepal, I realised there was a whole new world of adventure out there.”
The road to big mountains
What started as a hobby quickly became a fixation. It helped that Ong’s husband was equally keen on mountaineering. A recently retired CEO of his own public-listed company, Vincent Loh became the oldest South-East Asian man to summit Mt Everest in 2006.
Prior to Everest, the husband-and-wife team had ticked off an impressive list of climbs – Kalapattar (5,545m), Mera Peak (6,654m) and Island Peak (6,189m). When Loh attempted a more technical route on Aconcagua in 2006, Ong didn’t join him.
“He did the Polish Glacier route, and it was risky for both of us to climb together. If something happened to us, what about the kids?” Ong says.
After he bagged Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua and Everest, Loh decided he wanted to complete the Seven Summits. So the couple climbed Mt Elbrus (5,642m) in Russia and Carstenz Pyramid (4,884m) in Irian Jaya.
Then a friend, BJ Lim, asked Ong if she was keen on Aconcagua.
“For Aconcagua, I trained with a 10kg backpack and trekked up and down the hill near my house,” says Ong. “The only thing that was going to drive me back was the weather and altitude sickness.”
Loh says: “I think her experience on the other mountains helped. Every time she faces an obstacle, she knows how to deal with it. She’s very fit from her marathon-running, she has good leg muscle endurance, and the weather was good to them. It gave her lots confidence.”
“Also, the guides were excellent! At no time did they say, ‘You won’t be able to summit’,” adds Ong, who signed up with Argentina-based operator, Aymará Adventures and Expeditions.
She spent about RM20,000. Her climbing companion, Lim, also made it to the summit.
“And the food was delicious! We had pumpkin, zucchini and ham and cheese quiches for dinner, and after the summit, we celebrated with beef ribs and champagne.”
Ong Seow Chooi doing a tyrolean crossing at above 4,500m enroute to the summit of Carstenz Pyramid in Irian Jaya.
When Ong came back, her friends kept calling her, “Hey champ.”
“To my friends, it’s a huge accomplishment to have their female friend climb a big mountain, and at that age, too. For me, it was a challenge to see how far I could go,” she says.
“Climbing mountains make you mentally and physically strong. Also I learn to be more independent, tolerant and patient. And not giving in easily is an achievement in itself.”
Naturally, Ong loves the outdoors.
“You expose yourself to nature, experience the beauty of God’s creation and savour the peace and tranquillity.”
Risks and sacrifices
But mountaineering involves risks and even the possibility of death. Each time Ong sets out, her youngest son, Hong Gene, would say, “You must come home.”
“Initially, the kids were worried but now they are very supportive. They’d say, ‘Oh, mom and dad are off to climb another mountain’,” chuckles Ong. “Of course, the risk is always there. But if it happens, at least I go doing what I love.
“I’ve spent so many years taking care of the kids. Now is the time to do something for myself, and I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I’m still around for them. I’m probably away for a month or three weeks at a time. It’s a vacation for me except that it’s more high-risk.”
And Ong says she’s aware of her limits and doesn’t push her luck. Couples who play together, stay together, they say – Ong and Loh have been married for 23 years and their relationship is solid.
“If I had to advise couples on how to have a good relationship, I’d say you MUST share the same interests!” says Loh.
He and his wife run marathons together, trudge up mountains as a team, and love cooking and photography.
Enroute to Mount Elbrus in Russia. Elbrus is one of the Seven Summits – seven highest peaks in the seven continents.
“You get a more in-depth understanding of your partner when you’re both under tremendous pressure during a climb, for example,” says Loh. “Your life may be at stake, and your real character will show whether you’re a strong person.
“What I learned and admire about my wife is, she has a very strong willpower. When she wants something, she works for it. And her pain threshold is much higher than mine. But most importantly, she is a very good mother and she really looks after our kids well,” Loh sums up.
Ong is grateful for her husband’s support.
“Most husbands would say, ‘Don’t go...what about the kids?’ But Vincent is very positive and always pushes me to go after my dreams. Even when my face suffers from pigmentation due to sun exposure (from climbing), my husband still thinks I’m beautiful,” she laughs.
Her advice to other women: “If you set your heart and mind on something, it can be achieved. You have to believe you can do it. Of course, you must have the discipline and determination.”
The homemaker, who doesn’t believe in maids, adds, “Indirectly, you also send the message to your children that they can set their goals, work hard and accomplish them.
So what’s next on Ong’s list?
“Mount Everest in 2009. Hopefully, it will materialise. If it doesn’t, it’s ok. The mountain is always there. But it gives me something to look forward to and keeps me going.”
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