Prince Harry [not] to climb Everest and more festive news besides.
Just to help you return to solid ground after the holidays and to save you threshing endlessly through the web in search of significant outdoor news – there isn't much – here's a quick whisk through some of the stories which have appeared between Christmas and New Year along with handy links where appropriate.
Derbyshire Man Dies On Scafell Pike
Sadly a 19-year-old man from Matlock died after falling into Piers Ghyll on the Corridor Route to Scafell Pike last Friday. The man reportedly became separated from his companion near the summit and was found by rescue teams the next day.
Full story at www.newsandstar.co.uk
Deja Vu For Kendal Mountain Rescue Team
It sounds like it was a bust festive period for the Kendal Mountain Rescue Team and a slightly spooky one too. The team was called out on Christmas Day – bet that was popular – to assist Cave Rescue in extracting an injured caver from the Easegill cave system.
What was odd about it was that the team were called out to the same caves on Christmas Day, 2006 again to evacuate an injured caver. And even odder, it transpires that the 2011 casualty was the caving partner of the one from 2006...
And as if that wasn't enough, the team was also out on New Year's Eve assisting the Langdale team who had no fewer than three incidents, all involving arm injuries following slips.
More at the team's facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Kendal-Mountain-Rescue-Team/337708456245919
American Sprog Sets Seven Summits Record
Jordan Romero, a 15-year-old from California became the youngest person to complete the Seven Summits – climbing the highest mountain on each of the world's continents – when he topped out on Mt.Vinson in Antarctica on Christmas Eve.
In doing so, he beat the youth record set by 16-year-old Briton, George Atkinson earlier this year. Romero climbs with his father and stepmother and climbed Kilimanjaro when he was just 10 and Everest at the age of 13.
Associated Press quotes his mother as saying that the family is 'not seeking attention for the boy's achievement', which will be why he has a web site at www.jordanromero.com where you can buy his book and Team Jordan tee-shirts...
Full report at USA Today: www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12-24/calif-teen-climber/52213128/1
Prince Harry [Not] Climbing Everest
Hats, tiaras and crowns off to the Telegraph, who, under the story 'Prince Harry is all set to climb Mount Everest' reveal that, well, he's not set to climb Everest at all. Instead, if the story is correct, the second in line to the throne is going to trek to Everest Base Camp on the Nepak side where he'll meet up with the Walking With The Wounded Team which is, we think, attempting the mountain.
Also mentioned in the Telegraph story is that 21-year-old Mollie Hughes will be attempting to become the youngest British woman to summit Everest, guided by Kenton Cool.
It's only a small leap of a Telegraph sub-editor's imagination from becoming 'Prince Harry to climb Everest with 21-year-old Devonian lass'... Is there really a Starbucks in Lukla?
More at: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-harry/8986135/Prince-Harry-is-all-set-to-climb-Mount-Everest.html.
Super Sherpa To Hike Great Himalayan Trail
More record holding people, with the news that 51-year-old Apa Sherpa, who has summited Everest a record 21 times, is set to walk 1700km across the Himalayas over 120 days to raise awareness of climate change.
The Great Himalaya Trail was opened in September and runs the length of the Nepalese Himalayas.
More info: www.nepalmountainnews.com/cms/2011/12/20/apa-dawa-steven-sherpa-plans-to-embark-1700-km-long-great-himalaya-trail.
