On April 8^th, I  will be setting off on The Haute Route (along with a mountain guide and 5 friends), a 6 day ski tour between two of the most famous mountains in the Alps, beginning at Mont Blanc and (hopefully!) reaching the Matterhorn six days later. 

For those of you who are not familiar with it, or have been fortunate enough to avoid hearing me talk about it, Wikipedia summarises it so:

“First successfully completed in 1911, The Haute Route ski tour is probably the most famous and coveted ski tour in the world. Using mountain huts to allow skiers to stay high and cover substantial distances, it winds through the highest, most dramatic peaks of the Alps from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn. It requires good weather, favourable snow conditions and strong effort to complete this line. Because of this, roughly half of the skiers who begin the tour do not complete it.”

Each night will be spent in the mountain huts, and we will carry all our equipment ourselves. We will be equipped with crampons, harnesses, ABS backpacks, shovels and probes; hopefully not a case of “All the gear and no idea…”

Now, I suspect you are wondering why I am telling you about this…

“Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain.” Sir Edmund Hillary

So said a far more accomplished mountaineer than I am, and it is for this reason that I am raising money for a fantastic charity, Noah's Ark

Noah’s Ark is a small but growing charity, and hence all money raised will make a fantastic impact. It is a North and Central London’s Hospice-at-Home service, providing support for children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their families. Its work is tireless and significantly improves the life of children and their loved ones.

There are over 1,200 babies and children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions in North and Central London but, tragically, no children’s hospice building. Through their ‘Building the Ark’ campaign, Noah’s Ark is raising funds to build North and Central London’s only hospice building, one that will not only look after children and families but will also be a centre for the community.

For further information please visit www.buildingtheark.org.uk

Please help support me in this endeavour and any donation big or small would be greatly appreciated! 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/HenryRichards