We’re back!!

Fire and Ice Mt Mc kinley Challenge

As you know we have just returned from Mt McKinley or Denali (the big one) the native Indians call it, high in the Alaskan Tundra. The team of 6 Staffordshire Fire fighters, 5 Royal Marines and 6 civilians attempt to climb this 20,300ft Giant. The expedition started well, with a 60mile flight in a 4 seater light aircraft landing with a bump and a skid onto the glacier at 7,000ft. Then after packing our Pulks (sledges) with about 100lbs of equipment and rucksacks with 60lb set off, descending initially the 1,000ft heartbreak hill , we found out why on the way back! And then with the blistering sun bouncing off the glacial snow ascending to the first camp at 8,900ft. Because of the high winds that can ravage this part of the world, all the tents were dug into the snow to stop them blowing away, only then could we melt the ice to make drinks and food.

The next three days were spent skiing/climbing to 11,000 in a mixture of conditions all roped together to avoiding the deep exposed crevasses of the Kahiltna Glacier, then when an unexpected storm hit over night the tents were buried in 4 feet of powder. Due to the whiteout conditions we were then tent bound for the day until the storm passed. Continuing upwards now wearing crampons we ascended Motorcycle hill, past squirrel point and windy corner to deposit a cache of food and equipment at 13,500ft the weather was perfect and we could see for over a hundred miles , the rest of the mountain range now came into view , with Mount Foraker and Hunter standing proud in the fore ground exposing their craggy, rough wind swept exterior appearing almost close enough to touch. That night we returned to 11,000ft to rest, only to return the following day and continuing on to the advanced base camp at 14,200ft, an established camp with a medical tent, toilet and volunteer mountain rescue team who were kept very busy in the days to come

After retrieving our cache of food and equipment the following day we had some spare time so, under the guidance of Andy, King Arthur’s Table was dug into the Glacial floor , a circular table with space to sit the whole party of 17 including some invited guests, the only proviso being any one sitting at the table bring an Ice Axe and have the point into the centre of the table, several Ice sculptures were constructed depicting aspects of our lives causing great interest and amusement to the rest of the camp.

Back up the mountain the following day to deposit another cache ,including tents fuel and food at 16,500ft, this was perhaps the most challenging part of the ascent using fixed ropes on a Headwall up to 80 degrees climb in oxygen starved conditions . However from the top of the ridge the whole of the Alaskan tundra lay before us far in the valley below with lesser peaks spread out in all directions. To be in a place of such beauty and majesty is a honour and privilege and although I have been to this altitude before I never cease to be inspired by the magnitude and perfection of these high wilderness places .The sun was shining, it was cold and tiny ice crystals hung like fairy dust in the air. Returning to camp that night saw a change in the weather and the planned rest day turned into 5 days as gale force winds of 110mph battered the mountain . The spin drift buried the tents and warnings issued by the mountain rescue team about ascending further , reluctantly we had to descend as time was now against us but far from being a disaster ( which it could have been if we had proceeded) the experience gained by all of the team members is one we will cherish and remember for ever , spending only a short time in such a spiritually inspiring place must touch the heart and enrich any ones life that has experienced it. I have met some fantastic people mads good friendships and spent quality time with old friends. Thanks especially to Andy for all the hard work he has put in to this expedition and any one else involved with the organisation

Martin (panther)

It’s me!

My former life has at last caught up with me. Andy, Mark and myself want to wish Warren Ferguson (see comments) all the best and of course Loads of Congratulations to Lee on his Everest Sucess. I have also climbed several peaks in the Himalaya and know what a wonderful place it is.

All the best

Martin Thomas

 

Message from Andy

Further to our recent update we are still at 14′200ft but have made a trip up to 16′000ft and left a cache of food and equipment there – dug well into the snow to keep it safe.

We are expecting string winds for the next few days with wind speeds up to 60 or 70mph. With a bit of luck we are hping to make a summit bid on either Sunday or Monday.

Stay extreme.

 

Andy Topham

Midlife Crisis Mountain!!

David has just spent his 48th birthday on Denali – I wonder if he even remembered! Today, whilst reading a website about Denali, I discovered it had another name beside McKinley – Midlife Crisis Mountain – because it is populated with middle aged amateur mountaineers! I see the weather forecast for Friday is predicting 70mph winds above 16,000 feet……

News from 14′000 feet

Hi,

Just to let people know, I’ve had a satellite call from my fiance Matt Hoey, who is one of the Royal Marines with the team.

They were at 14,200 feet and were pushing up to 16,000+. They hope to summit this weekend.

All are well and happy, if a little cold!!!!

Nic x

Best wishes from “The Firefighters Charity”

Best wishes guys, good luck and hope everything goes well with the climb. 

Regards

 

Jill Smith

Regional Fundraiser

The Fire Fighters Charity

Web: www.firefighterscharity.org.uk

 

Touchdown in Talkeetna

We are currently at Talkeetna, Alaska, after 2 days of flights, tranfers and hostels. Some baggage was misplaced by the airline, so we were slightly put back, but only by a few hours. We have just had the brief from the park rangers and are waiting for the plane to take us to the glacier, where we will spend the night, before moving off tomorrow (13th). We are looking at trying to summit in 10-15 days, however have a max of 17 to crack it. This will be weather and physical condition dependant. All are well. crack on Royal!

Matt Hoey

Good luck guys!

Hope everything going Ok with you and the rest of the team, Nick S. I know how much you have trained and so looked forward to this expedition ( another one to cross off the list lol )good luck to you all and enjoy. Stay out of the night clubs and curry houses it will only make the next day more difficult !

All the best Nick from John,Jayne x,John and Lisa x.

Look out here we come!!

With our departure date just over 4 weeks away – we are continuing to receive support from various outdoor equipment and NEW technology companies including;

Bayliss, the company that invented the wind up radio, they have supplied us with 16 wind up torches and 3 mp3 players – check out there website for more info http://www.trevorbaylisbrands.com/tbb/home/home.asp

AND

40below – manufacturers of high altitude overboots – they have supplied us with t-shirts and a 10% discount on any order.

Thanks for your support

Paul Snape

Training in Egypt

Nick and Dave have been busy training in another EXTREME environment.

 

Some guys have all the luck!!!

It’s all miles under the belt.

Matt

The Ladder Climb Challenge

All the hard work had been done prior to the ‘team’ turning up for the days climbing of the 13.5 metre ladder, organizing is always more difficult than doing.  We were intending to climb the equivalent height of Mount McKinley during the day, 20,000 feet in 8 hours, hardly seems possible.

Everybody assembled at Hanley Fire Station and the customary chit chat whilst walking to the shopping centre made for, what was hoped, would be an enjoyable day ahead.  Once in the centre finding the ladder was the first task, I followed rather than striding off in my enthusiasm, less speed more haste.  Once at the ladder there were a few photo shoots for our sponsors.  A quick team talk about the proposed circuit, up the ladder, along the balcony, through the double doors, down the steps, through the double doors then up the ladder again, quite a long way round you may think, actually so did Adj Bailey.  Slight change of plan, up and down the ladder in teams of two leaving the rest to collect in the nearby area.  Having queried that issue and having found a suitable solution we began the days ‘climbing’ at 20 minute intervals, then off, food, water and on to collecting. 

In teams of two it was discovered that we could perform over 20 ascents and descents in the 20 minutes, quite good you may think, well at that rate it would take the team approximately 13 hours continuous climbing to reach the 8000 meter simulated summit.  The realisation suddenly became apparent how daunting this task may be.  The main aim of the day though was to raise money for the Firefighters Charity though, the height achieved became secondary to me and the collecting became the major concern.

Meeting the public became a positive joy as more and more people wandered over to enquire why we were climbing a ladder when perfectly good stairs were close by, social interaction is a vastly underated experience and one that we should partake of more widely.  The public were very generous and filled our collecting tins time and time again not just with 2p pieces either I hasten to add!!  The day went from good to better then better still, people wandered over and chatted frequently and supported our efforts and wished us the best of luck. 

Many thanks to anyone and everyone who donated or talked to us during the day.

A total of over one thousand pounds was raised during the day and all credit must be given to volunteers, i.e. friends and family and to the assembled team for their efforts and to the generousity of the public. Great credit to all the team members who continue to work behind the scenes maintaining the blogg, organising events and generally assisting the team to raise as much money as possible.

Keith Townsend

The training in Norway actually started days before hand preparing all the clothing and equipment that we were told would be necessary for the event.  Being single I was able to spread all the kit all over my spare bedroom and to amass all the items on the list, folding and packing then followed keeping a close eye on the baggage allowance weight for both hand and hold luggage was always on the forefront of my mind. This aspect was made a little more difficult due to all of us having to stow extra kit in our bags that was destined for our fellow potential Denali climbers, the Royal Marines.

All being well though every thing would fit and with some creative packing and repacking…. and repacking at the airport we would all get our belongings plus the extra to Norway with out having to pay heavy penalties for being over weight.  A very good thing that at this stage of the endeavour we were bonding well and did not mind rummaging through our bags to force in another persons socks and assorted smalls…. yes smalls. I hasten to add at this point they were clean and did not pose a threat to public health.

The flight was scheduled to be a short one and the weather was fine and clear so my window seat I hoped would be a high light of the trip.  The approach into Norway being of particular interest as I gazed through the window at the stunning coastline, small lakes, dotted hamlets and even the occasional passing cloud…. a good start I remember thinking…. then I recalled our weeks training ahead with the Royal Marines….. enjoy while you can I thought.

We were met by the green beret wearers, quickly greeted, herded onto the transport and off for the 2 hour drive to the training camp where we meet our trainers.  At first the weather was much like Britain, cold wet and an unpleasant wind that did not bold well for skiing.  During the journey the altitude increased and fortunately the climate became colder and so my thoughts of becoming soaked and staying that way diminished with every minute of our journey…. this will be more like Denali than Staffordshire could possibly ever be. I hoped to test our clothing and gently prepare us for the forth coming zero temperatures…. what joy !

At camp we were introduced to our instructors, quarter master, chief instructor, an American equivalent of the Royal Marines (at this stage I will apologies for not naming all these intrepid, adventurous, highly qualified men… national security I am sure you understand ).  The schedule for the weeks events and programme for our christening into the ways of the mountain man were outlined and emphases was placed upon learning rather than being taken out and ran ragged for the whole time…. this came as a mild but very welcome surprise, these were The Royal Marines after all and their reputation does precede them…. just a little!

Over the weekend we were given instruction on cold weather injuries and shown several slides of some very unfortunate individuals who it seems were not quite as prepared as they should have been and subsequently developed ‘injuries’ in various degrees of severity…. they brought home the implications of taking this whole venture lightly and believing that it would be a relative stroll up a hill  ,,  albeit a reasonably high one.  The potential for losing toes, fingers, a nose or worse was made very real plus some other unpleasant aspects of the human body going to such altitudes were the topic of the day for our initial introduction…. the Bahamas did appear a more worthy destination at this point.

The weather continued to be cold, snow fell, the wind blew and our cold weather clothing proved its worth.  During our little forays out to learn the basics of cross country skiing and technical aspects the days remained enjoyable and our hearts skipped merrily.  At this point the weather started to turn wet…. a situation that our clothing was not designed to be of maximum benefit, this could be interesting…. but not in a pleasant heel flicking, hands clapping sort of way. 

Basics like how we would have to live in our tented accommodation were drummed into us…. not as straight forward as you may at first think…. digging in the tents for protection from the elements, the safe storage of  skis, poles, sleds, fuel bottles, clean snow for drinking, toilet habits (a very long process when its -30 degrees outside areas and not forgetting the GOLDEN rule…. never never put your glove down if you have to remove it for any reason…. the wind will take it! Back to those slides of the cold weather injuries, I am kind of attached to my hands and would like to keep it that way. Cooking…. the boiling of water for cooking and very very importantly for our flasks to be drunk through out the day so as to stay off the life threatening thickening of the blood, the more you drink the less likely a person is of becoming a casualty…. being a casualty at 15,000 feet with -30 degrees centigrade outside and wind chill dropping it even further are not thoughts worth thinking of really. Prevention is better than the cure.

Avalanche training…. avoiding, ‘what to do’ if you were caught in one and how to search for someone who is caught in one, the use of some high tech search equipment plus some not so high tech equipment were also taught and our education continued.  Snow holes…. digging them for comfort or digging them to save your life…. Denali, a very serious mountain and one that could prove potentially lethal to the unsuspecting, ill informed or fool hardy person…. the last place they see…. think on if you are nurturing any ideas of ‘going’ to such a place.

Moving as teams pushing and pulling the sleds which carry our tents, rations and alike…. going up hill and down hill…. not over exerting ourselves…. another potentially lethal activity on the mountain, drinking that melted snow, not putting those gloves down…. ever. Keep switched on even when your mind is being numbed by the temperatures and the lack of oxygen in the blood…. the body and brain slowly dying every step you take closer to the summit…. tell me…. why am I doing this?

All in all the marines did a magnificent job in a short space of time preparing us for the potential hazards ahead, making us all aware of the conditions that we will experience and teaching us potentially life saving actions that may very well render the making of a will prior to climbing Denali an unnecessary task.

All donations to the Firefighters Charity gratefully accepted.          

Keith Townsend              

Training in Norway – further info

A great week of training in Norway with the Royal Marines. Some invaluable knowledge and skills have been learned by all team members which will certainly be required when out on Denali. The lectures on Mountain Movement, Cold Weather Injuries, Avalanche Recognition and Procedures and basic living in the mountains were all very informative, interesting and vital.

The best thing about the week was actually getting out into the field and getting hands on the equipment we will be using, from small things like the cookers to the important tents. It was also good to test some of the Mardale clothing and the Scarpa Vega boots. The practical training of snowshoe movement, skiing, pulk pulling, building snow holes and survival shelters was excellent. The team now realise what it will be like and what it will take to live in tents with other team members on a mountain for 3 weeks.

Thanks to The Corps, in particular Bill and the rest of his team for this fantastic and invaluable week of training.

Si Lilley

*****Donations can be made to help reach OUR target at the following link http://www.justgiving.com/simonlilley3

Voss, Norway

Norway was a great experience and we received expert tuition from the Royal Marines.  (You can see why our Armed Services are the best in the World). The Climate in Norway was ideal preparation for the team and it challenged all of us; we all came back better for the experience. Thanks go to in the main the Royal Marines and Topsy for making this week happen which proved totally invaluable and personally was an ‘eye opener’ as to what to expect when taking on this challenge.

Ian Sloss

More Killer Mile news!

Oh Boy!! (edited) – I have just completed the killer mile challenge with 30Kg it took 3hrs 50 Min’s and very knackering on Sat 19th January. I passed a man repairing a wall and after the 4th time passing him he asked me what I was doing wandering up the killer mile in various stages of undress -I was getting hotter and he was putting more clothes on . He must of thought I was mad – probably correct .
 
 
Martin (Panther) Thomas

More success on the challenge front

Nick and Dave had a great bluebird day in North Wales recently day to complete another challenge – the Snowdon Horseshoe.

Keep up the great work guys.

Another Killer Mile RESULT!!

Well done Brian for completing the 10mile round trip (5 ascents and descents of the Killer Mile at Mow Cop) – in a record 2 hours 44mins.

I think that means that Brian has the fastest time SO FAR!!!

Can anyone beat this time??? You have less than 26 days in which to do so.

Matt 

All done!!

Kev Griffiths and I did the Snowdon Horseshoe yesterday. Left Newcastle at 0400hrs and started walking at 0632hrs. Temperature was -8c. Sun came up after about an hour and there was a beautiful low cloud and sun rise above it. Rock was generally very dry but some strong cold wind at times.

Hit the top of Snowdon at around 0945hrs. Had to hang on to the viewpoint post to prevent getting blown off. Completed the horseshoe at 1240hrs in a total time of 6hours and 8 minutes. Superb sunny dry day but rather cold.Could not ask for better weather really at this time of year.

The only problem was a stumble by Kev who seems to have done some damage to his ankle and knee. Hope it soon improves.

I have now completed all four challenges done, Kev has one more to do!

Feeling good.

Mick Butters

Skiing in Norway

Knowing that skiing was my weakest area, I decided to have the week in Norway organised by Matt Higginson, so that I could spend some time improving my skills. We arrived in Hafjell early evening on the Sunday, and after a quick meal, I got my head down, tired from the flight. (My arms were killing me!)

First thing Monday morning I collected my rental gear and we (9 of us in total) made our way up the gondola to the top station. I spent the best part of Monday falling over and swearing a lot, it seemed that I just could not stay on my feet for any longer than 30 seconds at a time – before we’d flown out I had spent a couple of sessions at the Snowdome and thought I was ready for the real thing, but it felt very different up on the mountain. I was the only novice on the trip, and it showed.

By the end of the day, I was pretty fed up, and very sore, having fallen so many times I’d lost count. I came down in the chair lift very low, wondering if I was ever going to crack it.

What a difference a day makes!, by the end of Tuesday I felt like a different person. Matt H was very patient with me, just trying to nail down the basics, and eventually things seemed to click into place, and I felt like I was finally getting the hang of it – I was still taking the occasional fall, but I could feel an improvement with every run, so the falls didn’t seem to be that important any more.

By the end of Tuesday, I had ventured off green runs onto blues, and even picked my way down a Red, albeit nice and slowly. I then felt a lot more comfortable, and was able to focus the rest of the week on just steadily improving my technique, and even though I had some frustrating sessions, by the end of the week I was much more confident,  and feeling ready to take on steeper Red runs. I didn’t threaten any speed records, but I was able to descend steep icy slopes steadily under full control.

All in all, the week was a huge benefit to me, and I feel a lot more confident about the Norway trip in January now, knowing that I am at least ready to take on the next phase of the ski training.

Paul Snape (SNAPPO)

Another one bites the dust… challenge that is!!

How do everyone?

Just a quick note to let you know that I did the 10km, 80 lb challenge today, my route was up Hen Cloud and over the top of the Roaches. Bit slippy underfoot in places on the path, I took a tumble and had a nightmare getting back to my feet with the pack on, don’t fancy my chances of doing it on my own with a pair of skis on!

My pack weight was 84lbs, and I did the route in 2hrs 7 minutes.

Doing the Snowdon horseshoe on Monday morning with Mick B and Kev Griff, and then aiming to get to the snowdome for 10.00 on Friday morning to do the skiing challenge.

I’m on nights in Stafford, so will go straight there when I finish at 8 a.m., if you fancy meeting up.

Catch you soon

Snappo

Snowdon Horseshoe

Dave and I are going to do the Snowdon Horseshoe on Wednesday the 19th Dec - if anyone fancies joining us!! Drop me a line to arrange to meet up.

Regards

Nick

Holy smoke those crevasses look BIG

Gary Bocarde describes Peters Basin “a very holy glacier and I mean very, very holy!!”

Crevasses on Denali are HUGE and DECEPTIVE easily being 60 – 100ft wide.

R.J.Secor says in his book “Denali climbing guide”

“Rescuing someone from a crevasse is not easy, it cannot be learned from a book and no-one can afford to forget about it until needed. Crevasse rescue is not glamorous BUT all members must practice it realistically pp20″

If you still have not read ANY books on HOW to climb DENALI – I strongly suggest making a purchase ASAP because we have less than 150 days until OUR departure date.

Happy reading

Matt

Another one bites the dust…

Ian Sloss, Kev Griffiths and myself met up at The Monkey Forest at Trentham this morning (the 14th Dec) at 07.15hrs.

By 07.25hrs we were on our way with our 80lb packs and the first view was a herd of deer. We started to climb up towards the monument in the dark but near the top dawn was breaking and we again got close to the deer.

Kev weaved down hills, around fences then up again! The hills were steeper, longer and wetter than the duathlon course but the final run in through Trentham Gardens and along the side of the lake were nice. Just short of 2 hours and no problems. Distance just about right.

I reckon we are on target fitness wise.

Mick Butters

Only one more challenge to go!

Just back from the Snowdome…. completed my 10 descents with just over 80lbs in my pack, as per challenge list…. felt great and in control although I have to tell you I didn’t drop a knee and ski telemark like I could when skiing with only 40lbs!!!

After completing the challenge I did a few runs without a pack and it felt like I was flying!!!!

If anyone is looking for some ski coaching before they do their “ski challenge” just give me a ring 07813268124.

Matt Higginson

Snowdon Horseshoe

Kev Griffiths and I will be going to do Snowdon Horseshoe next Monday the 17th December. We will probably leave Newcastle around about 04.00hrs and then get to start walking by 06.30hrs. Bcak in Staffs in the early evening.

Mick Butters