Our 15 minutes of fame

Just published in the Keswick Reminder:

CLIMBER TIM PLANS EVEREST DOUBLE

Keswick climber Tim Mosedale is planning to become just the tenth Brit to summit the world’s highest peak from its north and south sides in a few weeks’ time.

Tim left Cumbria yesterday (Thursday) on the first leg of his journey to Everest where he is leading a party of climbers who are hoping to complete the ascent of the mountain from the Nepalese side.

Tim, who runs a guest house in Keswick with his wife Ali, who is a nurse, was part of the Karrimor expedition in 2005 when he summited Everest from the northern, Tibetan, side.

The father of two has assembled a fully supported expedition with experienced Sherpas including one who has summited Everest twice in the same week.

Tim worked for an Outdoor Centre then spent ten years as a full time climber and mountaineer, guiding in the Himalayas and Greenland. He has over a decade of experience in Nepal where, last November, he added Ama Dablam to his list of summits. He has also climbed 50 unclimbed peaks in Greenland in the course of six expeditions.

He said: “Climbing the south side of Everest is a more expensive operation due to it being a longer trek in and the cost of permits. If successful I will be the tenth Brit to summit from both sides. It’s brilliant that I am able to work on the mountain and it’s the highest accolade I can get on my CV. The great thing is that, in helping the other members of the team to reach their goal, there’s something in it for me if I summit, so everyone is a winner.”

Tim says he cherry picked the people who will be going with him to ensure they had the right attitude and experience to spend eight weeks in close proximity in harsh conditions.

He said: “We fly to Kathmandu then on to a small airfield on the side of the hill at the start of the base camp trail. We are spending three weeks trekking in to give the team time to shake off the western pressures and gel. All bar one have been with me on previous expeditions.

“From a guiding point of view the south side is much safer. In theory it is a bit easier, but Everest is never an easy mountain,” said Tim. “It is the pre-monsoon season, but weather conditions can still be variable.”

Anyone wanting to follow Tim’s progress can visit the blogette at: www.thebige2011.co.uk