Scaling new heights [New Straits Time (Malaysia)]

(New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) THERE is something about mountains that makes one want to conquer them. And so it is for Port Dickson-born adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow.

Driven by the desire, Khoo became the first Southeast Asian to reach the summit of K2 in Pakistan, the world's second-highest mountain and regarded by many climbers to be the most dangerous peak.

During the climb which took place in July last year, the 48-year old took along four Seagate Backup Plus hard drives. The drives were used to store scores of high-resolution photos and videos that he would use to share his story of the Seagate K2 2012 expedition.

With an elevation of 8,611 metres, K2 is known for its high level of difficulty and notoriously high casualty rate: six times higher than that of the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. To date, only 302 climbers have successfully reached K2's peak, compared to 3,500 who have reached the top of Everest.

Khoo and his team climbed the mountain along the Abruzzi Ridge, also known as the Southeast Ridge, from the Pakistani border. The team began their journey in late June, flying into Islamabad and driving to the village of Askole before reaching base camp on July 6.

Rough weather The group began their acclimatisation process three days later under sunny skies, until lashing wind and snow interrupted their ascent on July 14. After a two-week delay, the team mobilised to take advantage of a small window of favourable weather.

After three arduous days of climbing, they reached the summit in the early hours of July 31. It was a moment Khoo described as "magical".

The numerous photos and videos taken by Khoo during the climb were stored on his camera's memory card until he could back them up to his Seagate Backup Plus drives, which had been left at base camp.

"The equipment used on our expeditions must be durable and easy to use due to high altitudes and sub-zero temperatures," he explained. "Seagate's Backup Plus hard drives are high in capacity and extremely simple to use. These new drives are also much more compact and sleeker than previous drives that I have used, providing the perfect storage system for the precious photos and videos that will serve as a visual record of this expedition." For additional protection, Khoo used two of the four Backup Plus units that he brought with him to duplicate backups of his photos and videos - a precaution he took to guard against any accidents to the hard discs.

Flawless performance "Having these hard drives readily available on my climb was great, as I did not have to worry about choosing which shots to take or delete," Khoo said. "Despite being exposed to extreme weather, the hard drives worked without a hitch. Although I needed only one hard disc to store all my photos and videos, the additional units gave me a peace of mind just in case I needed more space. And more importantly, it enabled me to back up my backups for extra protection." The team's descent to base camp was also difficult. A team member slipped and fell, pulling down three others who were roped together with him. The group thought that they were lost, but the four were luckily saved by a crevasse.

The close call was a stark reminder for Khoo of the tragedy that claimed 11 lives on K2 in 2008.

"I am very thankful that we all made it back safely," he said. "I am also very grateful to Seagate and my other sponsors, without whom this lifelong dream would not have been realised." The K2 expedition was not the first climb in which Seagate storage accompanied Khoo. Last year, he took along its GoFlex Ultra- portable drives on a successful summit of Everest. He has scaled the Everest three times since 1998. Along with being a professional mountaineer, Khoo is also a popular motivational speaker.

"It was my hope that this expedition would motivate others to begin their own journey of self-discovery and adventure," he said. "Thanks to Seagate, I am one step closer to inspiring the community and achieving that goal." FACT BOX Digital photography is now a standard around the world. Pictures and videos are stored in many storage formats on a variety of storage media. Whether you are a professional photographer or an avid amateur taking family photos, you depend on reliable storage media.

The Seagate Backup Plus portable drive simplifies backup for consumers who want to protect their entire digital life, stored locally, in the cloud or on social networks.

Via the Seagate Dashboard, use the Protect function to set up a one-click plan or customise your scheduled local backup. Keep multiple copies of your files in case disaster strikes.

Many now use their smartphones to capture priceless moments. While these devices are handy and readily available, storage is not their strong point. Capture a memory, post it on a social networking site and let the Seagate Dashboard automatically back up any content posted.

Even if the file is deleted accidentally from the device, you have another copy waiting. Backing up data is an absolute necessity that many people put off until it's too late. Social media has become a massive repository for personal digital content, and most consumers have not likely considered the possibility of losing access to those shared memories.

Seagate Backup Plus hard drives featuring the new Seagate Dashboard backup software remove the barriers to performing backup and content preservation by making it as easy as possible.

With just a click of an icon, computer files are replicated onto a Backup Plus drive. The Seagate Dashboard included on Backup Plus also provides a single click path to Save (download) and Share (upload) personal photos and videos on Facebook and Flickr.

Seagate's Backup Plus portable drive is the simple way to protect your computer and everything you share online.

* Protect all your stuff with fast, flexible backups * Share photos and videos easily to Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube * Automatically back up all the stuff you've shared online * Back up with your choice of a Thunderbolt or FireWire adapter (c) 2013 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

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