Folding Porta-Bote Makes History !

The British RAF mountain climbing team commissioned by Prince Charles had something extra to boast about after conquering Mt. Everest - they made HISTORY by BOATING at 20,000 ft.

The airmen used an ultra-light folding Porta-bote dinghy manufactured by Porta-bote International of Mountain View, California USA, to set an altitude record for boating. The boat which folds to 4" ( 11 cm. ) flat, was able to be transported up Mt. Everest strapped in the folded position to the back of a Yak !

Although inflatable craft could have been used, the airmen preferred something that did not need inflating at high altitudes.  They were concerned with the obvious danger of an inflatable exploding and suffering from punctures. An ordinary aluminum or fiberglass boat would be to heavy to transport 20,000 feet up the side of a mountain. They required a lightweight boat that was virtually puncture proof.

The men from the RAF Mountain Rescue Service took the folding Porta-bote as a precaution against being stranded by melting glaciers. They expected to find the lake frozen, but it had thawed slightly and they were able to break the ice and "set sail".

Expedition leader Flight Lt. Ted Atkins,  said his 13 man crew used snow shovels as paddles to cross a glacier lake high above the Himalayas. He joked,  " I've  flown in an RAF Nimrod at 20,000 feet before, but I've never paddled a boat at that altitude. "

Flight Lt. Aikens added,  " The water was grey and seemed bottomless. It was a strange feeling paddling in a boat way above the cloud layer ."

A spokesman of Porta-bote International, stated that his company has submitted an application for their folding Porta-bote to appear in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first and only boat in the world to be " sailed " on a lake 20,000 ft. above the earth and clouds, a new historic altitude boating record !

For more info on Porta-botes and accessories  info@ontarioportableboats.com