A DOWNPATRICK student will test his body to the limits by climbing western Europe’s highest peak in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support this month.
Twenty one year-old Hugh McGoldrick has single-handedly planned his mammoth three-day challenge, which he hopes will raise thousands of pounds for the charity that helped his family when his grandmother passed away from cancer several years ago.
This weekend he will leave home for Chamonix in eastern France where he will train in the foothills of Mont Blanc for a few days to acclimatise to the high altitude before climbing to the mountain’s 15,781ft peak over two days. His descent is expected to take one more day.
Hugh is frank about the dangers of climbing the mountain, which has claimed the lived of over 1,000 climbers, although he says the “risky” element to the climb is something he tries not to think about too much.
Because of this risk, he admits he has received a mixed reaction to his challenge from family members, who have since been reassured by the fact that he will undertake the climb with a qualified guide, who is also a medical doctor.
“The main risk is the crevasses around the area approaching Mont Blanc and that is why I will have a guide who has climbed the mountain numerous times and who has the benefit of local knowledge. By hiring the guide, I am negating that risk,” he said.
Although Hugh anticipates the challenge of vertical ice walls that he will overcome with ice axes and crampons, he admits he is more daunted by the slow and arduous trekking over snow plains where it will take hours to cover short distances.
He believes it will all be worthwhile when he accomplishes his goal.
“This is about pushing your physical limits,” he said.
“It is that moment when you have climbed for two days and you are really struggling inside, then you get to the top and it makes it all worthwhile.
“I started climbing in the Mournes and always wanted to take climbing to another level, to do something more extreme.
“I would love to be able to climb peaks around the Alps and maybe go further to Everest and beyond.
“There is always going to be a little bit of anxiety, but that has been mostly around securing corporate sponsorship, which I have managed through Carrington Wealth Management and my dad’s GP surgery in Downpatrick.”
Hugh will self-fund his climb with help from his corporate sponsors and any money donated to him will go directly to Macmillan Cancer Support. He has already raised over £1,300 for the charity.
Anyone who would like to sponsor his climb may do so through the website www.justgiving.com/hughsmontblancmadness
He will leave home on Sunday to undertake his challenge.