Georges Dorosh, an adventurer’s life
The view from behind the Wall
“I grew up in western Ukraine near Carpathian Mountains. My first contact with the mountains and nature probably dates to then. At the turn of the 1980’s, my parents moved us to Poland where they’d found work, then we moved to East Germany and stayed there until the fall of the Wall.” Still in his teen years, Georges found himself in a suddenly reunified Germany. Again, his parents chose to move, this time to western Lander, “I think they wanted to see what life was like there.” With a youth made of regular changes, Georges has always been a citizen of the world; he has many languages under his belt and the taste for new skylines.
Through these epic times, he maintained the close friendships he made in Poland and Germany, or Baltic States, and throughout his twenties, he savoured the newfound freedoms. “The 90’s were wild times. I was 16 when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. Things were changing so fast every month. But peace reigned and my student years spent between Poland and Lviv studying chemical engineering were wonderful.”
Opting for chemistry was a smart choice. “I had a real dilemma when it came to choose what to study at university. Geography had always been a passion. As a childhood fan of the Indiana Jones movies, I have always dreamt of exploring the planet, investigating remote places, uncovering knowledge about ancient civilisations, and discovering hidden worlds. But I realised that expeditions were few and far between and that I’d have to put up with university lecturing for years on end.”
A far cry from the exciting explorer’s life the young and adventurous Georges was dreaming of. At this point, surprisingly, chemical engineering emerged as his number-1 choice, presenting what seemed to be the best opportunities for a varied career with its own adventures. The die was cast. After graduation and a short time experience in Europe, he instantly offered a job across the Pond. He didn’t look back.
He first landed in Philadelphia, PA. But his youthful wanderlust kept him on the move and, whenever the opportunity arose, he would change State. “The USA is a huge country and I’ve lived in quite a few states now. Each is special in its own way. After Pennsylvania there was Missouri then New York State, Connecticut; then I moved to Chicago, then to Lyndhurst in New Jersey and, for the last three years, I’ve been living in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin working for Arkema.”
When you’re fond of climbing, the only way is up.
Engineering - Sales - Product Management Journey
George always tries to keep on the move, by striving for professional growth and personal development and his desire for change and continuous improvement. His latest position is the next stepping stone in his career. The product manager role gives him a chance to use his full skillset and progressively he has evolved from engineering roles through sales into product management.
“I have had many different positions, sales manager, business development, product development, director, and now product manager. It is a job I have been enjoying over past three years. The product manager role sits at the core of the business. On a day-to-day basis, I get to work with the sales, R&D, marketing, supply chain and operations with common aim to serve our customers. In product management, you get to own the technology and develop long-term product line strategies to meet the needs of both customers and markets, present and future. It is a very exciting position.”
Eye-to-eye with nature
Georges has practised many martial arts since childhood, initially the more adversarial karate, boxing, and kickboxing. By entering his prime time, he has opened himself to more body-mind-spirit balanced training – art of aikido, which sharpens his mind and body. “The art employs four qualities that effect the nature of our world. Depending on the situation, you should be hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, flowing as a water, and empty as space” Aikido is a philosophy based on spirit, equilibrium, and connection with your opponent. The art of using the right level of energy is useful in all situations, even climbing mountains. Ultimately, after years of competitive sports, I understood that we have only one adversary: ourselves.” Thue victory comes with victory over ourselves.”
Diving is also an age-old passion, and he has visited more than 30 choice diving spots around the world, alone or with his daughters. “I have dived in Belize, the Maldives, Hawaii, Bali and many other marvellous locations, each unique, with different coral reefs, environments, landscapes, fish, hues of blue, temperatures. The underwater environment is completely different to our own, a different world below the surface.” Indiana Jones never explored underwater; Georges has.
But for some years now, the mountains have been occupying a large part of his mind!
“Once a year, I plan a new journey, generally something extreme. A few years back, I climbed two 6,000-meter-plus peaks in the Andes. It was pretty demanding.”
To stay in “peak” condition, Georges trains all year long before and after work. “Trekking or climbing with a 30-kg backpack requires endurance, so to keep my fitness up, I go to the gym, do CrossFit and work out.” But beside this annual outing, the call of nature is strong in him. Often, he will set out for days, alone or with the family, to climb, hike, or dive. But it’s the big trips he lives for.
Last year’s Himalayan visit was legendary. “I left for in Nepal in spring and trekked for 14 days to the foothills of the Everest.” As expected, it was hardcore. “I was alone with the sherpa and mules carrying the gear. At 4,500 meters, the air gets pretty thin, and the temperature drops to -20 C° at night. We trekked 100 miles (160 km) in 14 days. Everest Base Camp and three surrounding peaks over 5400 meters the weather is cold, the snow blinding, and a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. To say it gets me out of my comfort zone is an understatement. But at the end of the day, you are suddenly overwhelmed with joy, you feel blessed, and the exhaustion evaporates. At that moment, all the suffering finds its reward in the indescribable magnificence of the mountain, the night sky, the colours, the purity of the air.” What is Georges’ big driving force? The answer is simple: “To discover the world, appreciate what we have, and understand ourselves. As Sir Edmund Hilary said “This is not a mountain we conquer, but ourself”, I am over 49 but I feel in greater shape than I was in my 30’s. In my mind, I feel like I’m still 15.”
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