Diversity
Published: July 19, 2017
Diversity
Published: July 19, 2017

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Our Eastern Europe IT Team Are Reaching New Heights!

As part of this year's integration meeting, a very special activity was chosen for the Eastern Europe IT team who scored top on the YourSay vote among IT Teams.

Unexpectedly, it was not an easy one, the goal was to reach the highest Polish summit, Rysy which sits on the border of Poland and Slovakia and stands at a massive 2,500m tall! The team had two months to physically and mentally prepare for the challenge and the lineup comprised of 20 participants with varying hiking experience. As always, safety comes first at PPG and the safest route possible was plotted to the peak. Take a look at how they go on:

Guides were created for the team to equip themselves with all of the necessary gear they'd need for the challenge:

  • Backpack
  • Hiking boots - preferably with ankle support
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Warm sweatshirt
  • Mineral water
  • Snacks such as nuts, cereal bars and kabanos (Polish long thin dry sausage)
  • Thermos of tea or coffee
  • Gloves (even in the summer time!)
  • Hat to protect from the wind, rain and the sun
  • Sunglasses

The date of enterprise was Friday the 23rd of June and as the date drew closer, each of the participants traced the weather forecast with fingers crossed! The day started at 6:00am and the hikers left home with breakfast packed in their bags, some of the more enthusiastic team members looked more like they'd be hiking through the Himalayas for a month! 07:30am marked the start of the climb as they set off from Popradske Pleso.

From the get go the hikers knew they were facing a challenge as they were met with a huge hill at the very beginning. Having to refrain from stopping too long to take in some of the breathtaking views some of the more experiences hikers helped to synchronize the tempo of the big group.

The scenery evolved from the deciduous forest, through mountain pines and beautiful glacial ponds to outcrops of rock and layers of snow. It took the team 3 hours to reach the highest shelter in Tatras at 2,225m as it was finally a time for them to catch their breath. But up next was the very hardest part, the path to the summit, thwart with snow, ice and razor sharp rocks.

The summit was finally reached at 12:35pm and the hikers were able to take in the amazing view and reflect on the remarkable experience they'd just undertaken. For almost all of the participants, it was the hardest hiking they'd ever experienced but there was a shared, wonderful feeling of achieving such an ambitious goal, as a team. The way back was not an easy task, this is where the muscle pain really started to kick in!

In total, the whole trip took over nine hours and the gang ended the day with a well deserved campfire. Congratulations to all of the participants: Przybylski Krzysztof, Mendyka Henryk, Rewak Aleksander, Kozłowski Zbigniew, Gajda Joanna, Rosół Nina, Kulak Piotr, Szkudlarek Sylwia, Magal Radoslav, Gurumlai Gabor, Haring Jan, Konrady Karol, Kuźniar Izabela, Ślósarczyk Adam, Andruszko Maciej, Syguła Filip, Cieśla Michał, Kłysz Przemysław, Kapka Radosław, Trafny Anna, Szekely Gabor ... we look forward to hearing what challenge is next!

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