North Face Seven Summits

record-breaking teenage mountaineer

At the beginning of April, a few weeks shy of his 17th birthday, George Atkinson arrived in Kathmandu in Nepal. The schoolboy from Surbiton in south-west London was about to begin the final part of his quest to become the youngest person ever to climb the highest peak on each of the world's seven continents – the Seven Summits. He had already climbed six: just Everest to go.

At 29,029ft, Everest stands more than 6,500ft higher than any of the others. George was worried that he wouldn't be able to climb that high, that he would get ill, that even if he reached the summit he might run into trouble and not make it down. But he wanted to stand on the top of the world. On his first altitude acclimatisation trek up to the Hotel Everest View, at 12,729ft, he imagined looking back to the hotel from the summit. He phoned his mother, Penny. 'I've seen it,' he told her. 'It's huge.'

Britain's highest peaks followed: Scafell Pike in the Lake District, Ben Nevis in Scotland, Snowdon in Wales. But it was on Kilimanjaro (19,340ft), Africa's highest mountain, that the determination that would define George's mountaineering career first showed itself. Because George was 11, the authorities demanded that Mark hire an extra guide to take his son down if necessary.

On summit day, it was Mark who had to descend early. The group left the final camp, at 15,091ft, to set out on the final slog up the mountain's cinder track at 2.30am, lighting the way with head torches. Mark, though, had a stomach bug. 'I felt very weak and dehydrated,' he says. About an hour out of camp he was forced to turn around; George wanted to continue. 'He had no doubt in his mind,' Mark says.

As George reached the top, his father endured an anxious wait. 'I was very worried. I knew that he would be OK, but I kept looking and looking. Seeing him coming down again was indescribable.'

Stomach bugs are an occupational hazard for climbers, adjusting to unfamiliar climates and new diets. 'Whenever you're feeling bad, you've just got to tell yourself to keep pushing past it,' George says. But Everest presents further challenges. Since 1921 there have been more than 200 fatalities on the mountain. Around 50 per cent of climbers who attempt to scale Everest fail to summit.

George was anxious about the effects of altitude, which can cause swelling of the brain tissue or the lungs to fill with fluid, both potentially fatal.

Crazy2Tri: The Everest Journey by Esther Tan Cheng Yin (The ...

Was paid to Project Himalaya expedition company. Essentially, they were expected to have all the right ingredients that will contribute to the success of our mountain experience. Such as a good ratio of qualified crew to climbers. However, this significant cost did not include the cost of personal gears, clothing, and extra training climbs needed in the build- complete with detailed weather fore! casting , devise robust rescue plans and make conservation efforts to keep the environment clean. Whether we go mountaineering with an expedition company or not, we are responsible for an element of our own safety. I learnt in my adventure races that in the end, every member of the team owns the ultimate responsibility to be safe on the mo At the North Col climb , I caught a bad cough from breathing in cold dry air that agitated my lungs. It was so sensitive that talking would trigger a coughing eruption and inflamed my ribs with sharp pangs of pain in my breathing muscles. I sustained a crack left rib just from my violent coughing eruptions. Coughing also triggered my vomiting reflux. And at times, I swallowed my vomit to keep the tents clean. Vomiting is not good because it agitates stomach gastric that cause cramping even while sleeping. No matter how careful we were, everyone in the team suffered fr It was not just fighting physical traumas, but also finding the mental strength to get up whenever you get knocked down. That is when I realized there are things I can control like my own pain management and things I cannot control, like the deteriorating weather conditions . Humility is the very wise virtue that can help prepare anyone of us for all p while we were certainly feeling half-dead. They enabled the whole team to eat, rest and climb Everest safely. Despite their heroism, they lead a simple lifestyle compared to us Singaporeans! The simplicity and serenity of the Everest region brings peace to any troubled soul and a much needed restoration of the mind. Its also when you may realise, life need not be so complicated. Even in its simplicity, life can be so deeply meaningful. The 6 weeks long Everest journey , gave me time to do a lot of journal writing and reflecting. One of which, “ To be truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them .” This resonates deep in me when I consider how I wanted to be on top of the world, and yet in the end, was 100m, or 1.5hrs shy of my desired destination.

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