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A Climb to Help - Lifting Horizons on Mont Blanc
In
late June, three friends, Julian Kingscote, Robert Innes and
Edward Kennedy set off for the French Alps to begin a 2 week
course of mountaineering training.
On the 9th and 10th of July, after what was the greatest physical challenge of their lives so far, the team found themselves standing on the highest mountain in Western Europe.
Their
achievement helped to raise £1500 for fly2help
through the kind sponsorship from friends, family and colleagues.
It's only been a few months but the team are already thinking about another challenge! Where next?.......Watch this space!
For safety reasons the guiding ratio on summit day is restricted
to 1:2 so unfortunately the team were unable to reach the
top together.
Sam
was one of several other people on the mountaineering course
and became Rob's climbing partner for the summit bid... and
what a fine fellow too, helping to fly the flag and sponsoring
£50 without any pressure from the others! (well, that's
what they say!)
It normally takes two days but with a head start and good
weather, Ed and Julian were able to do it in one, and got
to the top on 10th July!
Mont Blanc - Quick Facts
Height:
15781ft (4810m)
Location: French/Italian Border
First Ascent: The first recorded ascent of
Mont Blanc was on 8 August 1786 by Jacques Balmat and the
doctor Michel Paccard.
Nearest Towns: The two most famous towns
near Mont Blanc are Courmayeur, in the Aosta Valley, Italy,
and Chamonix, in Haute-Savoie, France.
The Motivation - Rob, Ed and Julian
"This is probably one of the most frequent questions we were asked about the whole challenge - why are you doing it?"
"It's
quite simple really. We consider ourselves to be very fortunate,
we're fit and healthy, we all get to do jobs we enjoy for
a living and apart from the normal trials of life there's
not too much to worry about. It would be easy to take it all
for granted if we didn't realise what a privileged position
we are in."
"So many people have a much harder time of it and we all need to help where we can."
"fly2help
has a special meaning to us with the unique way in which they
literally are "lifting horizons" for lots of people.
Supporting them by climbing Mont Blanc and raising money from
sponsorship is our way of helping to make a difference and
possibly change peoples lives for the better."
"Also our shared passion for the outdoors had a large
part to play in choosing the challenge!"
Quick Bios
Edward Kennedy - "Ed" is 35 and lives in Bracknell with his girlfriend Rebecca. He used to share the same profession as Julian being an acupuncturist but a lifelong love of aviation inspired a career change and he is now a commercial pilot flying a Challenger 601 business jet.
Julian Kingscote - "Jules" is 38, lives in Cheltenham with his wife Karen and daughter Juliette and runs an Acupuncture practice. Jules is also a keen cyclist.
Robert Innes - "Rob" is 34 and lives with his girlfriend Vicky in Elstead in Surrey. He has been fascinated with aviation since a young age and currently is a commercial pilot flying a Gulfstream G450 business jet on world wide operations.
Thanks from the Team
Our heartfelt thanks go out to all who helped make this expedition possible.
Thanks to our friends and families for the support and encouragement and a huge thank you to everyone who made a donation, especially TAG Aviation (UK) Ltd for their generous sponsorship.
Thanks also go to Icicle Mountaineering Ltd for "showing us the ropes" and keeping us safe in the Alps and to Munro Chauffeur Cars for the assistance with airport transfers and all our gear!
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