NEVEREST - Charity Event Challenge
THE EVENT
THE CHALLENGE:
Ben summited the height of Mount Everest from Base
Camp One on the south ridge to the apex - 3250 meters
- within the ascent time of 5 hours and 48 minutes on the climbing wall
at Oxford Brookes University - setting a new record in the process. The
wall is 12 meters high so Ben climbed the wall 300 times!
The
event was held on Saturday 11th November 2006 at Oxford
Brooks University, Centre for Sport, Cheney Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3
OBD. The main aim was to raise money for OAB and raise awareness of visual
impairment issues.
MORE ABOUT MOUNT EVEREST:
Mount Everest was formed about 60 million years ago and
stands 29,035 ft (8850 metres) tall. It was named after Sir George
Everest in 1865, the British surveyor-general of India. You may
also be interested to know that the first Blind person to climb Everest
was Erik Weihenmayer, May 25th, 2001. He stood at the top of the world;
but never caught even a glimpse of the famous view. He is the only blind
person to ever stand on Everest's peak. Listen
to the complete audio (audio description for the Visually Impaired) of the
film - Touch the Top of the World - which chronicles
this amazing true story.
BEN'S FEELINGS AFTER THE EVENT:
“A
few days have passed since the climb; my body and soul are still rather
worn. The day was beyond my expectations on all levels, indeed, I have become
increasingly frustrated at myself, due to my utter inability to communicate
quite how amazing the experience felt. Hopefully I can get somewhere close
below."
"Starting at around 8:30am, the climb began at a rather
subdued level, and I reached the 100 mark in a respectable speed. The primary
concern of wear and tear to my hands and feet was greatly alleviated by
my Dad, who acted as a sort of coach: wrapping my limbs in tape whenever
necessary. Things were running smoothly, if not sweetly. The pace picked
up further after a couple of hours, when a good friend of mine from Towcester
– John Sharp – played a CD he’d prepared for the event.
Containing such epics as the theme tunes to Indiana Jones and Back to the
Future, the inspirational effect of the songs was immediate; and I blitzed
the next few dozen climbs. People who take part in marathons and endurance
events often speak of getting into “the Zone” – I guess
its one of those mysterious things which you can only know if you 
think
you’ve been there. It is then with great confidence (though aware
of how silly it sounds), I claim that between the climbs of 100 to 200,
I was “in the zone”; something which can be demonstrated by
my glistened appearance within the photo essay."
"From then on, pain in my shoulders, back, and hands,
continued to grow; climb by climb. Indeed, there was one point when I was
fearful I’d have to stop all together. But, as this pain increased,
so did my support. My friend’s cheers and shouts (not to mention the
re-play of John’s CD) literally carried me through the fatigue. It
felt that, despite all the pain and hurt, I could carry on forever; something
which was thankfully not required once I reached the 300th summit, after
which I completely collapsed – exhausted and empty. If it wasn’t
for my long awaited pint of sweet sweet Stella (other beers are available),
I’m pretty sure I’d have fainted."
"Now a few weeks into my Masters course, I’ve had throw myself
back into my studies, which has led to a lack of proper reflection. To use
a clichéd line: it hasn’t quite ‘sunk in’ yet.
What I do know however, is that, despite the times when I felt hideously
lonely, and was questioning myself what on earth I was doing exercising
at midnight, I’m glad to have taken the challenge on. The recent PR
rush around the event has led to a greater familiarity with the OAB –
and the issues it deals with – this is a source of great pride to
me. I only hope that this focus on the charity can help its members continue
to do the wonderful things they do. For now, however, all I want to do is
rest."