Ever since I heard of the Mountains of the Moon 20 years ago
I felt compelled to visit them and climb to the summit. The
accounts could not capture the true magic of this incredible
mountain wilderness.
The approach though the savanna grass takes us though the
giant rainforest and on to the area of high heather trees.
This is the land of dreams.
Onwards, we scramble up the band of rocks and onwards -
across the Stanley Plateaus - Africa’s largest glaciated
area and on to the snowy summit of Mount Stanley. At 16,761
feet - 5109 metres.
Several routes are available up the mountain, with huts and
well-trained guides making a fully porter-supported trek
here a unique experience.
Don't be misled though -
this challenge is not for the feint hearted. But - the
rewards are beyond imagination.
Click here
for more information.
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KENYA & Mt KILIMANJARO 2013:
Our trip takes us first to ascend the beautiful Mt Kenya. As
well as being spectacular this will provide good
acclimatisation for our second mountain ascent, Kilimanjaro,
which is the highest mountain in east Africa. Both mountains
are free standing but the ascents do not start at sea level.
To relax between the two ascents we will enjoy an exciting
morning’s rafting and we will spend 2 nights at a camp on
the Sagana River near Mt Kenya . Mt Kenya an ancient volcano
lying astride the equator and rising to a height of 5199m.
Its ascent is one of the most magnificent mountaineering
expeditions in East Africa....
THE NAMIB DESERT
We will take you to one of the oldest deserts in the world,
where you will sleep under the stars and experience this
unique wilderness environment.
CLIMBING BRANDBERG
You will join our team challenge of climbing the tallest
peak in Namibia - 2,606m (8,550ft), with 25kg backpacks in
temperatures of up to 45c.
MORE THAN A CLIMB
We offer you a complete experience, prior, during and post
the trip. Executive coaching is included, as well as desert
knowledge from local experts.
The Branberg Mountains - situated in the heart of the
Namibian desert - threw every challenge it could at us and
lived up to its notorious reputation: at 2.600 metres high
with temperatures in the 40's and rucksacks loaded with
35/40 kilos – the weight of a typical under-counter family
fridge – it posed a challenge to the team that bordered on
'impossible'. The team of 6 business leaders with a
leadership team of mountain and medical specialists took on
the challenge with courage and determination. Over a period
of 5 days, they toiled together to cross the mountain range
up a route that had rarely been visited. Their resilience
was to be tested to the full and the expedition medic had
his work cut out to keep the guys in one piece so that they
could complete the challenge and return in one piece to
safely.
At one of the toughest stage, the team struggled to find a
way throughout giant boulders blocking the gorge which was
their escape route off the mountain. Fortunately, the
British Mountain Guide – Harold Edwards – was able to move
into action. With slick rope work, he was able to bring his
many years of mountain experience to the problem and lower
the team to safety before abseiling off a block to escape
himself.
Just as they thought their troubles were over, a leopard
sprung out in front of them from the track that they were
following and narrowly missed taking one of the team to an
early grave. The team were euphoric on attaining their goal
and amazed about how much adventure you can cram into one
week. Their survival was testament to great team work and an
utter determination as a team to succeed.
A great example of a high performance team in action.
In the words of one of the team - "I loved every minute
of the expedition. I’m still struggling to find the right
word(s) to describe the experience. Hike , trek, climb,
expedition…….none of them impart the extreme nature of the
experience that we all shared. People at work ask the same
questions: “what was it like and would you do it again?” My
answers are simple: “it was everything I’d hoped it would
be, only much, much harder” and “yes, I’d do it again in a
heartbeat.”
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MATTERHORN 2011
In 1983 John did an epic climb of the Matterhorn in Zermatt
in Switzerland with a famous climber Roger Baxter Jones.
Roger was killed a year later in an avalanche.
John plans to return to Zermatt in September, at the age of
66, - with a guide Harold Edwards - to complete the ascent
again –nearly 30 years later.
He has been training hard on the rocks in preparation for
the climb which he knows from experience is a serious
endeavour.
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