Polo & More, Singapore 2017 Polo & More, Singapore 2017 | Page 73

I
t was probably fitting that this quote was inscribed on the menu of my
Norwegian Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale to Oslo, as I was about
to spend 7 days with complete strangers in an environment that not
only challenged us mentally but physically, what better way to get to
know people than meeting them under circumstances that tested them to
their very limits. And so, began my N60 adventure.
This wasn’t my first turn on the dancefloor with Norway, many moons
ago my father was the Honorary Consul for Norway in Guyana, my curiosity
in those days was as avid as it is now, and I took it upon myself one Summer
to venture to this land of the Northern Lights and eponymous Midnight
Sun. This time around would be a completely different kettle of fish; as it
was Winter, cold hard Arctic Winter. For the last 18 years, my life has been
a part of the itinerant polo caravan that traverses the globe, spending its
winters chasing the sun i.e. a life of perpetual summer, therefore my body,
lest my mind were not exactly prepared for these extremes of temperature.
I was reminded of this on our approach to Oslo, as we flew over heavily
blanketed snow covered peaks. The Pilot informed us “there is snow on the
runway and the outside temperature is -5 degrees Celsius!” Welcome to
Norway!!!!!!!
What kind of craziness would convince a person like me who these
days is not partial to the cold to travel to one of the coldest places on earth
at this time of year. As most people know adventure doesn’t take a lot of
persuasion for me, I seem to find my own personal Narnia within the pain
that comes from pushing my body way outside of its comfort zone, the trips
21,000 feet up Mount Everest and to the summit of Kilimanjaro to name
a few of my escapades are a testament to this. So, when my good friend
polo player Bobby Melville launched IGO and their first event, N60 – the
Arctic Challenge, there was something in me which couldn’t resist the urge
to pack my bags and journey North to join this expedition.
So, what is IGO and what sets them apart from their competitors?
There are any number of adventure companies on the market these days
offering any number of death defying experiences from summitting
Everest, if you could afford the 50k + fee to running the 26 rapids of the
Zambezi, things that most consider foolhardy, but others a bucket list
essential. For me IGO is next generation adventure travel, conceptualized
by and run by real adventurers; those who have tasted the sweet ecstasy of
real achievement doing things that to some might seem improbable, and to
others downright unlikely, things that 90% of the population would only
dare dream of or marvel at from the comfort of their armchairs.
IGO was born as an idea when Viscount Melville, Bobby to his friends
along with 3 other polo players completed the Talisker Whisky Challenge
in 2014; a life changing 48 days at sea crossing the mighty and unforgiving
Atlantic ocean in what some might say was merely a bath tub; a 21ft row
boat. He may be titled,but he certainly is not entitled, so he wasn’t about
to just rest on his noble laurels after his Talisker achievements, according to
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“Is there any adventure more exciting than meeting new
people and finding out what lives within them”
– Sonja Henie (1912 – 1969)