I thought I would write a final post on my 7 Summits venture now I’m back in the UK and have had a chance to reflect on the past as well as look ahead to the future.

4 years ago I was planning my year out before starting at St Andrews. I wanted to instruct skiing in Canada for a few months, travel in Central & South America etc etc. It would have been great fun, of that I have no doubt, but I was fortunate, and I use that word with complete conviction, that I was given a book that struck me. Maybe it was the way it was written, maybe it was Bear himself, but more likely it was the sense of adventure and challenge that drew itself to me – as well as forging my fascination with Everest.

I had never climbed at high altitude, I had never read a book on climbing and the extent of my mountain expertise was learnt skiing with my family. I write this though, having reached the highest point on each of the 7 continents. To be honest, I am amazed, delighted obviously, but amazed that it actually happened. I believed it could, it would not have been possible otherwise, but the chances of succeeding were pretty slim and I was reminded of that at every obstacle.

It was an ambitious dream, as most are, but the 7 Summits had something that grabbed me. It had everything: the sense of exploration; the cultural diversity; the physical climbing challenge; the people along the way and a seemingly unattainable cost associated with it. That final obstacle is one that provided a unique and totally different challenge in itself. I learned as much about business in this challenge as climbing. I was fortunate, last year I was sponsored by SW Mitchell Capital & Lifeboat Tea and this year by St Andrews University and Knight Frank – without all of which this would not have been possible – I am eternally grateful!!

Standing on the summit of Mt Everest, I found complete clarity and peace of mind with the decisions and sacrifices I have made, I can assure you there have been a fair few. Taking 2 years out of university being the obvious one but these expeditions put a lot of strain on people close to me. Their love and support has been invaluable and this would probably not have been possible without it.

I ended my final post in 2010 by saying that “in any walk of life, things do not go according to plan. It is however the way we react to these incidents that matters most.” I reacted to what happened last year by putting everything I had into completing my 7 Summits and completing it where it should end – on top of the world.

The obvious question now is, what’s next? I am returning to St Andrews in September, which will provide a very different challenge, but one I am looking forward to without question, it is a great university. After St Andrews, I intend to join the British Army, which is a different environment again, but one that I hope I will be able to thrive in. Between the two, there will certainly be some adventures but exactly what, I am not sure. The idea of getting a first ascent on an unclimbed peak is certainly something that appeals though. Right now though, I feel I warrant putting my feet up!!

Thank you everyone. If you wish to support a great cause, then please visit my Justgiving page. I was the first RNLI supporter to stand at the highest point on earth:

www.justgiving.com/geordiestewart

Everything is much more clarified and relaxing sitting here in Kathmandu enjoying a cappuccino compared to the anxiety and blur of our summit attempt. Thankfully it was a successful one and I can sit here in a state of contentment rather than regret.

I will obviously describe the events of summit day itself but the previous 72 hours played a massive role in shaping our bid. We made a decision at ABC to delay our attempt by a day – in hindsight a masterstroke – in order to maintain full fitness throughout the whole team. May 23rd therefore we moved to the North Col for the 3rd and final time. For me it was the 6th time and I was determined to make it the last. Another heavy pack made the going tough. Several weary teams were descending from their summit attempt a few days previous and their success, or lack thereof, was evident well before striking up conversation.

A freezed dried meal at the North Col, a nights rest and a few Snickers bars and I was ready for a big push to 7800m on the 24th. I reckoned it was going to be the 2nd hardest day behind summit day. I chose to not use Oxygen until 7500m on moral grounds more than anything else which almost proved to be a big mistake. Out of 15 people, only 4 went for the same approach as me, the others had O2 from 7000m. Last time to 7500m, it took me 6 hours. This time it took me more like 9 and I was exhausted, absolutely gone, having trudged up the monotonous snow slope of the North Ridge (see above). On went the supplementary O2 and we made good time for the final 300m – thankfully I made camp and was ready to fight another day but after almost 12 hours on the move, it was anything but ideal.

My diet that night contained of about 10 Pringles – all that I could stomach. With an expected 30,000 calories to be burned over the next 2 days, my brain knew I needed more but my body just couldn’t take it, ce la vie. 8am the next day and it was time to make a move to 8300m. I felt surprisingly strong and made my way encouragingly through the mixed terrain. Clambering over rocks and following a vague snow trail was a welcome change to the scenery we had become accustomed too and with extra O2, I was moving well. I arrived at 8300m – the highest camp in the world (see below) – at around 1:15 knowing that I had 7hrs 45mins before I left for the summit.

Hydration is key at this height so Ben and I were boiling water continuously. It was arduous, especially as one is tired and wants to sleep, but it is essential and we had a very effecient tent thankfully.

SUMMIT DAY

20:35. I open the tent zip and feel the gentle breeze in the nights sky. On goes the harness, crampons and three 3.5 kg O2 bottles strapped to my rucksack. 20:55, I am ready to go. Mentally I am in the right place. I feel prepared. I know where everything is: my spare mitts, hand warmers, spare headtorch, spare camera, emergency meds. Physically I feel strong. I am going to summit Mt Everest!

21:00. No Sherpa. I am ready to go but I have no support. Come 21:15, I get frustrated by the wait and set off in the dark, alone. I know that Dorjee – our head Sherpa and a friend – will catch me up so my worries are limited. In fact, I found that the first hour or so was exhilarating. There was fresh snow so I was breaking trail by myself on Mt Everest – it was almost a privilege. When Dorjee caught up, he just followed my footsteps knowing that we were making good time. It was tiring work and maybe I should have let Dorjee take the lead earlier than when I did. 2 steps up, kick, in theory, a good step but no, the loose snow gave way and the going was made twice as hard. At 4000m this would have been ok but at 8500m, well into an Everest summit day, i was getting more and more frustrated. After 5 hours of braking trail, Dorjee took the reigns and on we plodded.

Our weary bodies clambering over rock steps and through gullies, it was exciting leading the pack with no other headtorches to illuminate the route ahead. After the 1st step – a 30ft rock scramble – our progress was halted by two things. a) My fingers were getting cold. A change of gloves and some frantic rubbing just about did the trick for the timebeing and b) the body of someone who I knew from last year. Passing this garishly uncovered body, knowing what had happened to him really put my mind out of control. I felt physically ill but managed to re-focus my energy on the task ahead, namely the 2nd step. A massively exposed 100ft rock step with 2 aluminium ladders seperated by an unnerving slab traverse. Dorjee and I made our way to the top and onto the long traverse before the 3rd step – another challenging obstacle.

3 more unprotected bodies lay await and again make one’s stomach unsettled and raise the obvious questions of, why are we doing this? and at what cost does this summit mean to us? Onto the summit pyramid, beyond where I turned around last year, and the sun arose to a most spectacular view. The route then traversed to the right which is where I took the picture above and we edged our precarious way across the North Face of Mt Everest. If what was below was exhilerating, this really got me excited. What a moment, what a view.

I knew that we were getting close and soon we were above the rocky traverse and there was a gentle snow slope in front of me. “10-15 minutes until summit” says Dorjee. My heart rate rose but it was about to get even quicker as the view in the pic above came about. Prayer flags draped down the side of an overhang and no apparent ground above it represented the summit of Mt Everest. I now not only believed I would make it, I knew I would. I knew that I was about to reach the highest point on earth.

Each step we took and that bit more detail became evident. I dragged my body over the tiny lip before the summit and a big hug from Dorjee awaited me. I stood at 8848m with the whole world beneath me.

If there is a better view or a better feeling in the world then I am yet to experience it. I perched myself onto the pinnacle of Mt Everest and didn’t move for over an hour. Unbelievable.

Jaysen, Ang and Chris joined me very shortly and we had the summit to ourselves. The emotions I was feeling: awe, exhaustion, happiness. I phoned my parents from the top and emotion got the better of me. 4 years of obsession had boiled down to this moment. I had envisaged this moment every day over that period but nothing compared with the reality. It was the greatest moment of my life.

After an hour of not really moving I thought I should take some photos, leave a momento or two, and make the long descent to the safety of lower altitude. Making my way down to 8300m and then to 7800m was very tough. All the adrenaline that had got me to the top had been sapped. My throat, similar to in 2010, had closed to breathing was hard and I was coughing up blood into my oxygen mask. My back was excruciating but with extra motivation from Dorjee, I just about stumbled into camp. A few hours of resting and hydrating there and it was down to camp at 7800m making a round trip of 22 hours. The following day we descended to ABC then to BC after that. A few beers, some very weary and skinny bodies later and we knew we were safe. We had successfully just climbed Mt Everest.

I am extremely fortunate to have been given this opportunity. At 6:30 on May 26th 2011, I became the youngest Brit to have stood at the highest point on each of the 7 continents and that is something I am hugely grateful for. My sponsors for this expedition, Knight Frank & St Andrews have been exceptional and I couldn’t have done it without them, thank you. Everyone back at home who has helped me complete this project. Even when it seemed way out of reach, when payment deadlines were due and when most people thought it wasn’t possible, you all believed in this and I will never be able to thank you enough!!

I will leave you with the Thomas Edison quote that I said in the first blog of this expedition:

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

— Geordie wrote this on Friday —

I will write a proper report with photos when I get back to Kathmandu and have had time to process my thoughts but as a brief update now…

What an unbelievable week. Leaving Base Camp knowing what date we intend to summit is one thing but leaving 8300m – the highest camp on earth – is a truly surreal and exhilarating feeling. I set off alone, in the dark, which only added to those emotions.

Summit day itself was filled with high emotion and exhaustion. It was the hardest, most mentally and physically tiring day of my entire life but also the one I think I will remember the most.

I was fortunate enough to be the first one to summit in our team at 06:35 on May 26th 2011. I perched myself, exhausted, on the top of Mt Everest for over an hour with a view that will be hard to ever re-create.

I finally reached 7800m after 22 hours of constant work. Exhausted would be the most appropriate word – the contentment I feel here at ABC was only achievable after a gruelling descent. For 4 years I have prayed for this exact moment and to say it is surreal that it has come true would be a massive understatement.

Thankfully all of our team is safe and well.

Dear friends,
Geordie Stewart has summited Mount Everest.

At 2am this morning UK time, 6:45 local time, we heard that Geordie had successfully climbed the North East Ridge route, the original route pioneered by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine in 1924. Nobody is prouder of his achievement than his supporters and friends on his blog here and elsewhere, without whom he would not have had the courage to complete this challenge.

This is the culmination of a dream that Geordie had aged 17. At the summit, he became the youngest Briton to climb the highest mountain in each continent of the world – the 7 summits.

Congratulations Geordie, this is your moment and we are all so proud of what you have achieved. Congratulations are equally deserved to every member of his Adventure Peaks team that climbed with him, summit or no summit. If you have been reading Geordie’s blog posts, you will all know just how incredibly tough this challenge is on both the body, and the mind.

We will await direct contact from Geordie himself when he descends to Advanced Base Camp and then to Base Camp over the next 2 – 3 days.

The Seven Summits dream has been made possible by the generous and passionate support of his sponsors who have stood by him. From Knight Frank and the University of St Andrews on this Everest summit, to SW Mitchell Capital and Williamson’s LifeBoat Tea, we have met lovely people and a passion for Geordie’s dream shared. There have been many more, including his patrons Bear Grylls and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who he will thank as soon as he has the opportunity.

In the mean time, please share the news with your friends.
WELL DONE GEORDIE!

Team Geordie

www.geordiestewart.com

www.twitter.com/Geordie7Summits

www.knightfrank.com/geordie

www.st-andrews.ac.uk

Dear friends and supporters,

As we go to bed on Tuesday evening, Geordie is currently sleeping at 7,800m on Everest. He will be making the summit attempt in just over 24 hours time. The latest news will be updated in real time at www.twitter.com/Geordie7summits.

On Wednesday morning he will move to 8,300m, leaving again at 9:30pm local time (Kathmandu) to make the attempt at the 8,848 summit. We expect this in the early hours of Thursday morning, c. 1am – 3am UK time. He and his team are feeling strong and the weather is looking very good, with several successful summits by other teams over the last week.

We are approaching the climax of years of Geordie’s hard work and determination. Again it is difficult to emphasise the importance he has always placed on the support of his friends, family and sponsors. Without you, this simply wouldn’t be possible.

We will blog again when we know that he has set  off for the mountain in roughly 20 hours time, and once more when we have heard news of his attempt.

Geordie’s climb is supporting the work of the RNLI and if you are willing to make a contribution to the volunteer network that save lives around Britain’s coasts, please visit Geordie’s donation page. www.justgiving.com/geordiestewart

Thank you,
Team Geordie

www.geordiestewart.com

www.knightfrank.com/geordie

www.st-andrews.ac.uk

We decided yesterday to take an extra day’s rest at ABC so that the whole team is in the best possible condition for the coming challenge. This means the date we hope to summit is May 26th, 7 – 9am KTM time and the early hours of the morning in the UK.

We move to North Col tomorrow followed by consecutive days – first to 7800m then to 8300m. We will spend 5 hours or so at high camp on a low oxygen flow rate before leaving at 9pm in the dark in our quest to stand at the highest point on earth.

There is a sense of anticipation, excitement and nerves here at camp. We are on day 51 of this expedition and the end goal is in sight. The next 5 days is what the last 4 years of preparation boils down to. I can’t wait to get higher and I hope I have the mental and physical strength to push on when it matters most.

As I head high, I ask you to have a look at my justgiving page and support the RNLI. It is a wonderful charity and one I am proud to support. Thank you.
www.justgiving.com/geordiestewart

Mario Puzo said that “luck and strength go together. When you get lucky, you have the strength to follow through – you also have the strength to wait for the luck.”

Having waited 13 days at Base Camp, our luck has changed. That elusive weather window that has remained beyond our grasp at the moment has now become a feasible reality. Tomorrow we leave the security and relative comfort of Base Camp in our bid to stand at the summit of Mt. Everest. Our attempt will take 6/7 days depending on whether we take 1 or 2 days rest at ABC so we are aiming for the 25th/26th May.

After 1 or 2 days rest at ABC we head high. Timings are roughly 6 hours to North Col, 5-8 hours to 7800m, 5-8 hours to 8300m then maximum 12 hours to the summit. Each night we will dine on freeze dried meals, stay hydrated through boiling snow on a stove in the vestibule of our tents and rest as much as possible. A lot of my teammates are going on O2 from 7000m which I think is rather a shame but who I am to judge. I and 5 others are using it from 7500m. We will all sleep with our masks at 7800m before our push into “The Death Zone” – as it is affectionately known – above 8000m. Hopefully we will arrive at camp early afternoon before brewing and eating for 5 hours or so. Our departure times are staggered to ensure that everyone has the best chance of getting to the top whilst maintaining the best safety measures so as to keep us from spreading out across the ridge. I will leave high camp at 21:00 KTM time.

Yesterday we had an extremely productive and necessary meeting discussing our summit attempt. All questions regarding the route, O2, tents, cooking & clothing were answered and a 12 hour turnaround time was established. A depressingly large % of the fatalities on Everest and other big mountains are the people who stay out too long, ignore turnaround times and perish on the descent. What this means is that if I am not at the summit by 9am, I should be making my own way down. It is one of the most important safety measures.

George Mallory said that “climbing Everest is all about heart”. Whilst there are a number of other factors to consider to have a successful attempt, the burning desire to reach the summit is certainly one of the key factors. For 4 years I have been attempting to reach the highest point in each of the 7 continents. In one week, this massively ambitious project could be at an end.

I will do my absolute best, anyone that knows me knows that they can expect that at the very least. I will push myself as hard as I can whilst always staying prudent and knowing that it isn’t a successful bid until I am safe at ABC and on the phone to my family.

Thank you everyone for all your support over the duration of this project from my family, my friends and my sponsors. When things get tough up there, and they will, the strength you have given me will make a massive difference and keep me putting one step in front of the other. Thank you.

I will keep you updated on my progress as much as possible whilst up there.