Update: We have completed the challenge! The team came home in a very respectable time of 6hrs 50mins, and although it wasn't a race, Coeur Blanc statistics headquarters reports that this was the second fastest time, missing out on being the fastest by six minutes. Many many thanks to all who have donated so far - your generous contributions have ensured that the full £250,000 was raised, and so the project can begin right away.

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Many thanks for visiting our team's JustGiving webpage which has been created to help raise funds for a new National Melanoma Information System. 

The challenge itself is to ski all 53 lifts in the Meribel Valley in one day - a tough but fun day's skiing. Some of the team took part in the 2008 event and completed it in third position, so hopes are high this year...

The charity is to create a new National Melanoma Information System; information sharing is paramount in all forms of cancer treatment, but no systematic data collection in a single place has ever been achieved.  10,000 people are diagnosed each year – a quadrupling since 1970s.   It is the most common cancer in young adults.  Cancer treatment is often based on predictions of spread rate and responsiveness to types of treatment.  Without the raw data, too much is left to chance, in what is a very difficult cancer to treat.  Due to the absence of such a database, nationwide clinical trials have not been possible.  The source of much success in cancer treatment has been based off rigorous and high quality clinical trials. 

The database will be a unique and defined project.  The total cost will be approximately £200,000.  The treatment centres in the UK are also defined and limited.  Hence the impact this project can have is substantial, and has the support of all the major treatment centres in the UK.  The project will be co-ordinated and supported by the UK Melanoma Study Group.  The funding raised by the Coeur Blanc Ski Challenge will establish the database, and maintain it for the first two years.  Thereafter, individual Trusts and Cancer Networks will commit to the ongoing success of the project. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. Thank you in advance.