Bruno Dupety conquers Mount Everest
The chief executive of Vinci鈥檚 UK business has been celebrating climbing the world鈥檚 highest mountain aged 62.
Bruno Dupety took six weeks unpaid leave this spring to take on the challenge which saw him summit the 8,848m high Mount Everest in May.
An experienced mountaineer, Dupety, who was parachuted in to the business from Vinci鈥檚 Paris head office at the end of 2014 after the firm racked up a series of huge losses on a scheme to build a tram in Nottingham, scaled the peak on 21 May after a near nine hour climb from camp 4. This camp is located at 8,000m and is the last camp for climbers to rest up before they make their summit attempt.
鈥淚t was perfect conditions,鈥� he told 黑洞社区. 鈥淭here was no wind. We set off at 9pm the night before and arrived at 5:30 the following morning. We were on the summit for about 40 minutes.鈥�
Frenchman Dupety was part of one of a number of commercial expeditions that take clients out to Everest to take advantage of calmer weather in mid to late May before the arrival of the monsoon season in June.
While he was out there Dupety said three other climbers died but he added: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 worry about dying, it never crossed my mind. I鈥檝e done many mountains, so many climbs. There is not so much difference apart from the altitude. You鈥檙e high up and you need to keep on going. It鈥檚 always steep.鈥�
He climbed Everest from the Nepalese side where drops from the highest ridges are more than 2,500m. 鈥淚f you fall off, forget it. You鈥檙e killed.鈥�
Asked what he had learnt from the climb, Dupety said: 鈥淚 had to be patient. As a CEO, sometimes I鈥檓 not patient, I need to see things done. But you have to be patient. Waiting [to climb] one or two days is nothing in life. So I learned something about that.鈥�
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