Richard and Steve set off for Everest summit tomorrow

19th May 2011

Due to a change in weather conditions Richard Parks and Steve Williams will now set off on their summit bid of Mount Everest tomorrow (Friday 20^th May). Their final climb up the mountain sees them plan to reach the summit of the highest mountain on earth on either Monday 23^rd May or Tuesday 24^th May.

Richard is aiming to become the first man to stand on the 7 highest summits of the world and all 3 poles (The North Pole, The South Pole and Mount Everest) in just 7 months, making history in the process. Having already conquered 4 of the 7 summits and 2 poles, Everest is the 3^rd pole and 5^th summit of his world first challenge.

For former rower Steve Williams, climbing Mount Everest has always been a dream and after successfully reaching the North Pole with Richard just last month, he’ll be hoping to add summiting Everest to his 2 Olympic Gold medals from Athens and Beijing.

The pair have spent exactly 1 month acclimatising to take on the worlds highest peak and have completed their acclimatisation strategies and preparation up and down the mountain and are now ready for the final push to the summit. They were due to leave yesterday from base camp to start the first part of their summit bid, the climb through the perilous Khumbu icefall and on to camp 2 at 6400m. However, a change in weather meaning strong winds arriving at the summit on the 22^nd and 23^rd has meant another days wait in base camp before setting off.

“I was told by a climber last year that climbing in the Himalayas is about patience and perseverance and that is one the truest things I have ever been told” stated Richard. “The waiting, the not knowing, the uncertainty is draining. The effort of climbing all the way up to 7,100m and coming all the way back to 5,300m to then spend 3/4 days waiting for the window to be right for us to summit has been pretty tough”.

The last push for the summit will be one of the most physically and mentally demanding challenges both the former Welsh international and Olympic rower have ever faced, and in particular a mammoth task for Richard who is on his 7^th leg of his 9-leg race; “I am pretty tired to be honest, physically I feel like I am running up an escalator the wrong way at the moment, but I am also in not bad shape. Although I am tired and worn out, I have not got the famous Khumbu cough and I haven’t picked up any lergies at base camp. I’ve got a really good appetite and physically I feel pretty good, I am as ready as I’ll ever be. I’m just really looking forward to going up and getting on with it now”.

THE CLIMBING TEAM

Richard and Steve will be climbing with an awesome team and in particular 2 sherpa brothers who have summited Everest 23 times between them! He added; “I’ve got a great team climbing with me, there’s Steve, myself, 2 other guys from the main Jagged Globe group who got ill and didn’t have the opportunity to summit with the others on the 16th, Mark and Adam. We have absolutely awesome sherpas, probably the best sherpas on the mountain. Passang, the guy I am climbing with summited this week for the 7^th time, this will be his 8^th summit of Everest. His brother Mingma is also climbing with us, Monday was his 16^th summit so this will be his 17^th summit, so I have a great team around me”.

UNPREDICTABLE EVEREST

Studying weather reports becomes a day to day necessity, picking the right weather window is vital, as this season on the world’s highest mountain has proven - Everest is becoming as unpredictable as ever, Richard said; “This season has been pretty unique, normally you will find there is one or two substantial weather windows in a season, maybe 3 or 4 days which sees a lot of teams going for the same weather window. You hear stories of people waiting at the Hillary Step, traffic jams on fixed lines but this season has been quite unique because there has been lots of small weather windows, one day here, one day there and it has been harder to predict your summit window and a lot of teams have pushed and had to turn back, which is why it’s so important to get our weather window right and why we have put things back by a day, but luck also plays a part”.

THE WEATHER

Once Richard climbs up the covered and steep wall of glacial blue ice - the Lhotse face, he and Steve will be completely exposed to the wind. All along the ridge, the wind can attack with vengeance, as leader of the Jagged Globe group - David Hamilton is all to aware of after reaching the summit on Monday with the main team, he stated; “Arriving at the South Col felt like landing on the moon. 30-40 mph winds swept the barren, open expanse while Everest’s summit towered 900m above. Evidence that it had been a hard season lay strewn around. There were more than a dozen shredded and tattered tents that had been brand new just a few weeks before; their bent and broken poles jutting skywards through ripped and flapping fabric. Abandoned food, gas cans, stoves and ropes lay scattered on the ground. Lighter articles were being picked up on the stronger gusts and lifted, bouncing across the stony surface eastwards towards Tibet”.

MOTHER NATURE AND THE DANGERS

Prayers back home in Wales and England will be for Mother Nature to give the boys a little helping hand, Richard added; “The last 2 legs, the North Pole and this one are a lot about luck and Mother Nature. All we can do is be as prepared as we can and keep our fingers crossed and hope for a bit of lady luck as well”.

Richard has already faced many dangers on his world first challenge so far, each mountain and pole requiring courage and determination but here on Everest, Richard and Steve will have to be braver than ever before.

Climbing at such severe altitude, where the oxygen levels available are only a third of what you breathe at normal sea level is hard enough, throw in potential gusts of 40mph winds on exposed ridges, it’s about as tough as it gets. They don’t name climbing above camp 4 the “death zone” for nothing. It has claimed the lives of many strong and skilled climbers.

Despite those risks, conditions on Everest this season have been pretty good. Jagged Globe logistical expert Simon Lowe stated; “Conditions look good in terms of the snow on the mountain, the snow coverage on the mountain from the South Col to the Balcony is better than it is normally is. There is a danger of a lot of rock and stones being knocked down from above you there normally, and you have to be on your guard on the loose scree but that’s all covered in snow which is good”. He added; “Every step of the way from the South Col is challenging. Anyone could give way at any time from that step onwards. Technically, normally the Hillary step is the toughest bit, but by the time you have got there the summit is tantalisingly close”.

THE HORIZON IS ONLY THE LIMIT OF OUR SIGHT

Almost 2 years ago, Richard could never have envisaged setting off to summit 8,850m/29,036ft Everest, he stated; “Honestly, I would have never dreamt that I would have spent the last 5 months living in a tent. Life is a funny thing, when one door closes, another opens”. He added; “You know, I learnt a valuable lesson 2 years ago, it was May 26^th 2009 when I was told I couldn’t play rugby anymore. We can’t control the cards we are dealt with in life, but we can control how we react to them, and I am very fortunate that over the past 2 years I have met individuals and companies who have been instrumental in the development of the 737 Challenge and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to attempt this and am very proud to be giving something back and raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The thought of all the people I met at the Marie Curie Hospice and all the people back home supporting me gives me such strength, it has been a rollercoaster, a pretty amazing journey so far”.

After climbing 4 of the 7 highest summits in the world and reaching both the North and South Poles, Richard Parks’ 737 Challenge begins the push towards the roof of the world tomorrow.

Richard’s challenge is raising funds in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care – if you are inspired by Richards challenge, please donate by clicking below.

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