Last year due to COVID-19, we were forced to put the annual charity fund raiser on hold.  Now that the economy is beginning to re-open, we are returning to the mountains with a new mission 

Normally, we head to the Alps and target large icy remote 4000m peaks, but this year we thought it more sensible to stay domestic, so we’re travelling to Scotland next month with the goal of raising money for an excellent charity called the BMC Access and Conservation Trust (no. 1089516).  The aim of the Trust is to help fund vital nature and trail conservation work here in the UK

Our objective is to successfully climb the 600-meter-long Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis in June, which is a big day out 'on the hill'.  Like last time, my climbing partner will be Chris Jackson (photographed above with the Arbuthnot flag on the summit of Allalinhorn), a professional endurance athlete based in Suffolk.  The route is a time-honoured classic with scrambling, pitched climbing, chimneys and some very big exposure on the ridge before topping out on the summit and removing the rope - for the hike back down

Why am I doing this?  Because my lifelong objective is to raise $1,000,000 for organisations which help the less fortunate, advance medical research or preserve places of nature beauty and cultural importance - and I am about 12% there to date.  Our attempt on Tower Ridge is just one more step in that direction

Over the years our charity challenges have included summits such as the Dent Blanche (South Ridge), Mont Blanc (Les Trois), Lagginhorn (South Ridge), Weissmeis (North Ridge) and the Besso Blanc de Moming traverse (alongside Eren Osman, my fellow Co-CIO at Arbuthnot)

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and secure.  Once you donate, they'll send your contribution directly to the charity. So it's an efficient way save time and reduce costs 

Thank you for your support in advance.  We are most grateful