Seventh Hongkonger to conquer Mount Everest says he never wastes a minute
Elton Ng Chun Ting, who became the seventh Hongkonger to conquer Mount Everest (8,448 metres) in May, never wastes a minute. Even during the seven weeks that he was stuck at base camp – at an altitude of 5,334m – waiting for the weather to improve so he could begin the final ascent to Everest’s summit, he made sure he put his time to good use.
While extreme weather let rip outside, Ng was able to finish the office work he had brought with him, and to complete the write-up of his latest book about his previous adventures.
The 38-year-old graduated from Polytechnic University in 2000 and then worked as a physiotherapist in a hospital. Despite the long hours, he also worked part time in the evenings to save money towards realising his dream of having his own clinic. He also managed to find time to train for orienteering and adventure races on Sundays.
In 2006, the physiotherapist opened his clinic, the Centre of Rehabilitation and Exercising Specialist (CORES), which over the past decade has grown into one of city’s largest private physiotherapy clinics, in 3,500 square metres of space.
Ng – who usually only sleeps for about four hours a night – attributes his successes in his career and on his Mount Everest expedition to good time management and preparation. “I have never wasted my time on meaningless things,” he says. “I spend most of my spare time reading to enrich my working knowledge, and I have designed a highly efficient workflow for me and my clinic so that we can see more patients in a day.”
Conquering Mount Everest is more about meticulous planning and preparation than climbing skills, says Ng. He started preparing for the trip in the summer of 2016 following the relocation of his clinic to Central.
To gain more experience of climbing at high altitude, the physiotherapist took part in a cross country championship in Australia in July 2016, and then went on an expedition to the 8,163m-high Mount Manaslu (the world’s eighth highest mountain) in September 2016 with a team from TVB – Ng was the only team member to reach the summit.
Watch: Elton Ng tells of harrowing climb
He began his Everest trip on April 12 this year with two transplant athletes from a charity, and together they reached base camp. Ng later continued with the climb, eventually reaching the summit on May 21. He hopes his success in conquering Everest will have a positive impact on those people in Hong Kong who are busy trying to pursue their dream.
In the near future, Ng plans to use his network and experience in sports and physiotherapy to help more charities and patient associations. He also wants to try his hand at other challenges, such as exploring the North Pole and South Pole, or completing a full Ironman triathlon.
Elton Ng Chun Ting, who sleeps only four hours a night, attributes his successes to good time management