Continuing my week through Italy for ATP Finals, I started in Venice and worked west. At the ATP NextGen in Milan, it showcased the top young stars (aged 21 and younger). Happily, it concluded with our hometown hero and San Diego Open champion's victory - Brandon Nakashima.
Waiting to go to Turin (or Torino), I had a couple of days before needing to arrive for the ATP Finals.
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Paragliding and the Matterhorn. Soaring through Zermatt for the first time. |
Startup's Journey
"No matter what you do, building a start-up will be a very challenging journey…if you don’t start with enough passion, you won’t get to the other side. If you don’t fall in love with the problem, you simply will not be able to get through the journey.”
- Uri Levine (Co-Founder of Waze) "Fall in Love with the Problem" (releases 1/17)
Trying to decide where to go next, I scanned the map and then the weather forecast. November is known for rain and cold weather in that region's shoulder season. Not yet cold enough for snow, yet too cool for most fairweather tourists. Near the Italian/Swiss border was a lifetime bucket list. Marked with a heart on my Google Maps was a mountain called the Matterhorn.
Clear weather to see the mountains
The key luck factor was the weather forecast. It was nothing short of a miracle in November to get clear skies and 50s a high temperature! With just a 48-hour window, it was time to go. Let's do this!
Eagle's Nest
I booked a small AirBnB suite that only crazy backpackers or last-minute cowboys like me even consider. With this once-in-a-lifetime chance, the detour is the adventure. The Obstacle is the Way.
Instead of going South back to Milan, I would detour North to Switzerland. A taxi took me from my Italian castle to the Stresa main train station. This would be the first leg of many to reach Zermatt (basecamp for the Matterhorn). Several trains, buses, shuttles, and lifts later - I would reach the snow.
Lost in Translation
Nobody was working at 6:30 AM, so I only had the option of using the automated Italian train ticket system. I entered my destination, "ZERMATT," and the error screen flashed back several times. "No route found." Uh oh.
I pulled up Google Maps again and saw I'd have to make a few transfers. Reaching Zermatt would take a few different modes of transportation (Italian Train, Swiss Train, Bus, then shuttle).
I ate a quick cafe breakfast and waited outside for the train, faced with 2 platforms - A and B.

Again, there's still no staff at the station. Nobody is working at the window counter. So I ask one lady waiting that looks like she's a local. Was this the platform for the train to Brig?
Brig? No, I think you need to take the other platform.Unfortunately, the "other platform" was for regional trains. The 30 Euro ride I was supposed to take was an express one to connect directly, but because of rail delays, it was actually 15 mins behind.
Accepting my fate, I enjoyed all the little towns along the way. Minutes later, I finally saw my express train whisk by. An elderly gentleman on board kindly explained that I would have to rebook when I arrived at the town of Domodossola. After showing him the translation, he verified my best hope was at the main station.
Switzerland's Ski Resort towns
After my transfer from Brig to Riga, I noticed a big contrast between the surroundings and passengers. This was ski country and early season, so many were going there for a weekend getaway. The Swiss trains were noticeably cleaner, quieter, and better staffed.
On the train, I received an Airbnb text from my host after I told him I'd be behind an hour due to the transfer. He texted back, "no problem - hey, do you want to go paragliding?"
He knew a local guide who could often take his guests up if the weather was clear and the winds were favorable. Apparently, fate wanted me to go fly that day.
Scaling the Matterhorn is a Startup's Journey
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CES 2023 Eureka Park - Gallery of Flops - the Startup Graveyard |
In the Cold Start Problem, Andrew describes the hundreds of thousands of startups in the US annually, How many actually can get the funding they need to launch? Even pooling the "easy fruit" among the 3 F's: Friends, Family, and Fools, relatively few make it out of the base camp.
Anchors are everywhere, ready to ground you to their level.
Always ready to tell you no or what you can't do.
What you need to find are the light feathers for Wings.
Build a solid team that reinforces the other like bonding glue.
"The door is going to open for a slipt second. Whether you choose to jump through it or not, it's not going to be there very long."
- James Cameron (MasterClass)