The Seven Summits Challenge - Aged Nineteen

Why wait until you’re out of your teens to climb Everest? Rhys Jones, from Cadnam, Hants, has just departed for Kathmandu to make an attempt on the world’s highest mountain. He won’t be the only climber on the mountain, but he won’t be meeting any others aged only nineteen:-) If he succeeds, he will become the youngest ever mountaineer to summit the highest peaks in all seven continents.

Mount Vinson

Rhys began breaking records when he became the youngest Briton to climb Mount McKinley and followed it up by becoming the youngest ever mountaineer to reach the 4,896m summit of Mount Vinson in Antarctica in December 2005. Despite being trapped in an Antarctic storm for six days, in temperatures below – 35C, he summitted the peak successfully. The record was previously held by fellow British climber Jake Meyer.

Rhys has also climbed Aconcagua in South America, Elbrus in Russia, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Kosciusko in Australia, and Mount McKinley in Alaska. If he bags the seventh peak in the challenge he will be the youngest Briton to climb Everest. If everything goes according to plan (like it does so often on mountains:-) he should be on the summit for his twentieth birthday on May 17. He is also hoping to raise a pound for every foot of Everest’s height - £29,035 in total – for charity.

Everest - from a safe distance

Of course, with the detailed analyses of baselayers, hard shells and boots that OMers specialise in, you'll all be wanting to know what gear he'll be wearing. Fortunately, we are able to reveal that he's chosen the Millet Everest boot for his gentle ramble through the snow:-) As the boot has already been up all fourteen of the world's 8000m + peaks (not all on Rhys's feet of course), visited the north and south poles, and equipped the majority of Himalayan expeditions, it seemed like the obvious choice. After all, you can't quarrel with a comfort rating of -60C. Rhys has already worn the boot up Elbrus, Aconcagua and Mount McKinley, but Everest gets special treatment. For the world's highest peak, he's even indulging in a new pair:-) Watch this space to find out how he gets on, and whether there'll be champagne at 8850 m for Rhys's twentieth.

The Everest Boot