It’s been a great week starting at the Lendit conference and meetings in NY and about to end with mountaineering trip in Scotland. I’ve also enjoyed some nice long runs around central park and some decent gym sessions. Crazy how the weather changed this week in NY, was running in sub-zero temperatures on Sunday and high teens yesterday (oC). Got back to London today and was nearly t-shirt weather.
I’ve also been following Alex Txikon’s attempted winter climb of Everest over the past few days. The legendary Basque climber was trying for a winter ascent without oxygen and has been camped on the mountain for months. Having failed in an attempt in February he had been forced to return to Kathmandu as his Sherpa team needed rest before returning to the mountain with their spring expeditions. With time running out and a new support team (for it to count as a winter ascent it needed to be by march 20th) they went for it yesterday but had to turn back with Alex quoted as saying it would have been “suicide to continue”. Always important to remember he can try again next year. It’s been an awesome effort which I don’t do justice to here. Check him out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/alex.txikon.5/
Away from work and trip preparations we want to thank everyone who has thus far supported our charity cause to build school buildings in four remote Nepalese villages.
Virginmoneygiving.com/letsbuildschools
We’ve also received our first two Corporate Charity Donations from Everest Biotech and MyHome which combined with all your wonderful support means we’re really close to £10,000 so far and making great progress towards funding the first school project in the village of Thingan in Makwanpur which is budgeted at £14,500. So cool to think that every pound donated will help kids in this village be in a new school room soon!
It’s fantastic to receive these donations, we’ll be adding their logos to our main blog page (when I work out how!), and I’ve offered to put their logos on my helmet or backpack.
For anyone interested in corporate sponsorship, please touch base on mchughrory@hotmail.com. We could even discuss trying to get a photo on the summit with your company logo! Again – for avoidance of doubt all monies to building schools with brilliant charity Child Rescue Nepal – our trip expenses are our own!
Looking forward to 4 days of mountaineering with fellow climber and expedition member Ronny Rhen. We’ll be taken through our paces by Everest veteran and mountain guide Di Gilbert.
I’m sure we’ll have a few cool videos and photos to post over the weekend. When we get back we’ll be on the final countdown!