Why?

For me it’s all about the challenge.  The more unlikely it is that I can pull it off,  then the more likely I am to give it a go.  And if somebody tells men it can’t be done the more likely I am to dig in and prove otherwise.  Stubborn – maybe, you need to discuss that with my wife and close friends to get an honest answer!

7 Summits started for me in 2011, all because 3 of us climbing as a team,  had been unsuccessful in summitting Mt McKinley in Alaska.  That was my first real exposure to high altitude mountaineering.  Hugh, Bridie and I had planned an independent expedition to Mt McKinley.  I arrived in Talketna completely unaware of what I had set myself for over the next 3 weeks on the mountain.   During the flight into base camp it all became perfectly clear to me – this was BIG mountain country and everything, RISK – WEATHER – ADVENTURE was in the extreme.

We spent 3 weeks on Mt McKinley, we got to Basin camp and spent 7 days waiting out bad weather only to have more storms come into the picture.  In the end we bailed and headed back to Anchorage.

2 months later back in Sydney and I had already decided that attempting the 7 Summits (the highest mountain on each continent) was the ideal come back plan.

For the past 4 years achieving this objective has been in the back of my mind almost continuously.  At times I get distracted by “side trips”  (currently Heard Island Expedition) and my wife keeps reminding me of the costs, and that’s not an unreasonable issue.

Right now I’m 4 of 7 summits achieved –

• Mt Kosiuscko – Australia
• Mt Kilimanjaro – Africa
• Mt Aconcagua – South America
• Mt Elbrus – Europe

I made a return trip to MtMcKinley in 2014.  This time I made it to High camp but the then again bad weather intervened and prevented a summit attempt.

The final 3 summits are on the To Do list – somehow and sometime!

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