Image & quotes courtesy:
Zac Zaharias, Major
Leader, 2001 Everest Expedition
Australian Army Alpine Association
(15 June 2001) 

Australian Army 'Assault on Everest':
supprting the Australian Army Alpine Association's climb to the top of the world ... long before our competitors got there!

The High Himalayas present many challenges for man and machine and when three members of the Australian Army Alpine Association team made it to the top on the 25th of May, 2001, Opentec was there with them, successfuly dealing with those challenges.

While the AAAA team weren't the first climbers to the top, their Opentec rugged notebook was the first rugged portable computer to make it up the slopes in a 'mission critical' support role, and to survive!

"Everest is one of the most extreme environments that man or machine can ever endure. The Openfire Rugged Portable Computer performed continuously for three months, keeping us in contact with the rest of the world," commented Major Zac Zaharias, leader of the 2001 Australian Army Alpine Association assault on Everest. "The Openfire RPCs are used by the Australian Army in predominantly hot, humid and dusty conditions. We tested them in the opposite type of climate."

To make sure their computer performed flawlessly, the unit was fitted with optional pre-heaters for the LCD, hrd drive and CPU, that ensure that not only does the hard drive not seize when booted, but that the LCD and CPU are warmed to appropriate temperatures for normal, trouble-free operation before the unit is booted up. These features are now a standard option on our Military Rugged notebooks, and a standard feature on our Military Rugged tablet PCs.