A blast of mild 4am air blew out the cob
webs and we began our silent approach over the glacier to the foot of the mountain where we strapped spikey-crampons to our boots, armed ourselves with ice-axes and donned our helmets! Nervous smiles were exchanged all around at the prospect ahead but we were comforted by our fearless guides who double checked our equipment to ensure that we were well prepared. Montell looked up excitedly and we all remarked how he would fare brilliantly on the ascent – particularly following his flawless (and seemingly effortless!) ascent of yesterday’s 2500m peak. Becca also smiled bravely, pacing on the glacier to keep warm and testing the knife-edged points of her crampons as we roped up and began the climb..!
There’s a common distinction in climbing referred to as ‘Type 1 fun’ and ‘Type 2 fun’.
Type 1 fun: This is when you enjoy the moment / activity as you are living it.
Type 2 fun: This is when the moment / activity is not particularly enjoyable, but in hindsight you enjoyed the experience
That morning, under perfect conditions – mild temperatures, great snow, gentle slope, and a beautiful sunrise is a perfect example of ‘Type 1 fun’. Moving together as a team, sharing the occasional laugh and joke and experiencing the sheer beauty of the mountain under an exquisite sunrise – I found it difficult to imagine anything more perfect.
I’ve spent a few seasons in the Himalaya so am accustomed to the challenges that mountain-terrain can sometimes throw at you – and how challenging it can be to overcome a fear of the unknown. What most impressed me was the way that the team – particularly Montell and Becca – moved over the terrain especially given that they had never even walked on crampons before and, in Montell’s case, had never seen a mountain..! Rather than shy away from the challenge, they embraced it and excelled navigating over exposed rock, steep snow covered ridges, and dizzying heights. It was far from an easy, straightforward climb and yet they smiled through it and kept positive spirits throughout.
Conditions began to deteriorate and the mild temperatures prompted a thick fog to roll in. At around 3950m, on a particularly exposed ridge which presented perfect views of the sheer face of the Eiger Montell and Becca made the wise call to begin their descent. Given the warm temperatures there were additional risks posed by the melting snow and the descent often presents more challenges than an ascent – they showed tremendous maturity as budding climbers in understanding the conditions and their own abilities. The expression, ‘everyone has their own Everest’ sprang to mind and I was / am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to share this Everest with Becca and Montell. We took advantage of a break in the fog to capture the moment with a well-placed team photo complete with an Access Sport t-shirt.
Kenton, Farmer, Owain, Nick and I continued to the summit of the Monch while the visibility decreased due to the cloud which quickly began to close in. Every now and again there was a break in the cloud and we were able to witness the many snow covered peaks – the many ‘opportunities and possibilities’ below us. Enjoying these views was short-lived as the narrow summit-ridge was extremely exposed and attention was certainly required to put one careful foot in front of the other..!
When the corniced, precarious summit finally came into view, the satisfaction of having realised our goal allowed us to take a few minutes to enjoy and congratulate each other on our collective achievement – the 4017m summit of the Monch! No matter the mountain, for me personally, ‘summit satisfaction’ feels the same – maybe a perfect example of ‘Type 2’ fun. There is a moment of happiness for having achieved the ultimate goal followed by an overwhelming with a sense of feeling incredibly ‘tiny’ and powerless in an environment which I feel hugely privileged to experience. The opportunity to experience this with such an exceptional team and for such a great cause made our success even sweeter. Something that I fully appreciated when we were all down from our adventure, safe and sound and enjoying a cold drink back in the hut..!
Huge thanks to our fantastic Cool Climb Team for an exceptional day in the mountains and for yet another incredible alpine adventure..!
Many thanks to our generous sponsors who made this climb possible:
and to Nick House, Owain Walbyoff, and Kenton Cool for their initiative in setting this up this fantastic opportunity for Access Sport..!
When I first started this blog, "The People You Meet Along the Way..." I thought that it would be a good way to document my mountaineering ‘journey’; a way to think through and remind myself of the many lessons that I have learned and the many inspirational people that I have met along the way. By blogging, I’d have the opportunity to share my stories, thoughts, reflections via this online forum as a vehicle to prompt others to reflect on their journeys, their passions, the people that they’ve met and drawn inspiration from… and who, in turn, draws inspiration from them. 
- Gleaning words of wisdom and engaging in healthy debate and laughter with Kenton Cool. About 5 years ago I attended a lecture at the RGS in which Kenton was on a panel of speakers which included Doug Scott and George Band addressing, the commercialisation of Everest. Kenton’s passion for the mountain and its people, his understanding of the history of the Everest region and his as experience as both a guide and an athlete shone through in spades. I could relate to many aspects of Kenton’s point of view as I rely on people like him to ‘make my dreams come true’. Having said that, as someone with an interest in the ‘geographical tradition’ I could certainly empathise with Doug Scott and George Band who had come to know Everest and the Himalayas in a different time and experienced the mountain in a different, very personal way. Fast forward 5 years and Kenton has, in so many ways, played an instrumental part in my ‘journey’ – even before we became friends and peers through the Sherpa Adventure Gear brand. With our paths crossing in the Himalayas, the Alps and now in the Lakes, I feel truly privileged to continue to draw from his experience and insights and look forward to future adventures both on and off of the mountain. 
- Meeting Ian Parnell. I'd heard amazing things about Ian both as a person and as an alpinist prior to the Everest Uncovered lecture tour and he certainly lived up to his brilliant reputation. Ian, is one of Britain’s leading alpinists and nominated four times for the Piolet D’Or (equivalent of the Oscars for mountaineers), and has made significant ascents in the Himalayas, Alaska, Kyrygyzstan, Greenland and Patagonia. He name is synonymous with 'first ascents', 'epics' and climbing grades that I could only dream of. It was humbling (to put it mildly) to be interviewed on a stage in front of hundreds of people about my experiences by someone quite considerably more accomplished than myself... Meeting Ian was certainly one of the key highlights of the lecture tour and his personal and professional insights, thoughts and feedback certainly has led me to rethink and reflect on many different aspects of my mountaineering journey and ambitions.
- Spending time with the Sherpa Adventure Gear team– the people who, through their passion and belief in the brand, work tirelessly to bring Sherpa Adventure gear to the European market and, in turn, support the Paldorje Education Foundation. Through their efforts and our clients around the world, scholarships and much-needed programs to benefit Sherpa children are awarded through the Foundation. Huge thanks goes out to Julie, Mark and the rest of the team at Bradshaw Taylor for your support, your patience, for bringing everyone together and bringing a vision to a reality..! We most certainly could not have done it without your stellar organisational skills and professionalism..!
- A fantastic day out in the Lake District with competition prize winners courtesy of the BMC. Whilst it was lashing with rain for most of the day it didn’t stop us from having a super fun afternoon, sharing stories and experiences whilst scrambling over rapidly flowing streams, clamouring over wet, steep and slippery rock and enjoying spectacular views characteristic of the Lakes… inadvertently testing the kit..! I can personally attest that it was waterproof and all but my feet remained dry! It was my first trip to the area and it certainly didn’t disappoint. A great experience with friends, old and new with the day ending in a delicious and well deserved pub lunch.
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