Published: September 01, 2017
Published: September 01, 2017
Peak Performance from Marcin!
Meet Marcin Skrabania, a Product Management Analyst for PPG's Automotive SBU. Having worked with PPG for over 12 years he has some fond words for the company and his role.
I enjoy it a lot, as it is not a routine job. I work on many new projects and almost every day brings some new opportunities. It also enables me to introduce new ideas and improve the work environment.
Outside of the office though, Marcin has conquered some amazing feats as he pursues his hobby of mountaineering. His thirst for heights started around the time he joined PPG as he whet his appetite with trips into the peaks in Poland, Slovakia, Wales, Scotland and Spain.
I’ve been visiting the Alps every year for three years now and I’ve been getting higher and higher each time. This year, I decided to climb the Roof of Europe, Mont Blanc.
Marcin organised the expedition to climb the behemoth of a mountain with his brother and colleague.
I wanted to make it useful and I encouraged my PPG colleagues to support me by sponsoring our Charity Partner – the Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
The massive climb required months of training including scaling the smaller peaks in the area. He also maintained an overall level of fitness through his routine of running regularly and exercising in general.
Our Birmingham Wellness group activities also helped in preparation, we participated in city’s 10k run as representative of PPG and went on our annual cycling/ hiking event in Lake District in the UK in May.
But nothing can really prepare you for such an awesome odyssey and Mont Blanc was very demanding this year. Despite good weather down in Chamonix, the conditions in the higher mountains was poor. The week prior to Marcin's climb saw strong winds and clouds on the forecast and no team had been able to reach the peak.
Stars above us, Chamonix lights below us and other climbers headlamps ahead and behind us. It was beautiful!
Luckily, the conditions improved slightly on the day of the climb. The expedition left the Gouter hut (3815 m) at 3am with head torches, crampons and ropes. The ascension was thwart with 100 km/h winds & very low temperatures of around -10 degrees, meaning a three minute break could lead to the team turning to ice!
The mountain face was enshrouded in a wall of cloud and the visibility was worsening but Marcin and his companions finally reached the 4,810m summit and proudly planted the PPG logo on the Roof of Europe! Marcin reflects on the outlook his hobby gives him in both his personal and professional life:
My interest in climbing is very much aligned with my work.