1 Month to go!

12th November 2010

Today marks exactly 1 month to go before Richard Parks embarks on his epic world first 737 Challenge. 7 Summits, 3 Poles, 7 months await Richard as he attempts to become the first ever person to stand on the continental summits and all 3 poles in the same calendar year.

On December 12th Richard will set off to the Antarctic for the first 2 legs of his challenge.

The 737 Challenge will begin 100 years from Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill fated 1910 Terra Nova expedition, which also began from Cardiff. As a mark of respect for, and celebration of British led Expeditions and Great Britons, Richard will venture by ski to the South Pole, starting from the point at which Sir Ernest Shackleton’s South Pole expedition failed, battling the last 97 Nautical Miles (179 km) to The South pole where he will see in the new year.

Richard will then head up Mount Vinson, where he will be climbing and naming a brand new route. Only approximately 700 climbers have successfully climbed Mt. Vinson, much less than Everest.

Next it’s Aconcagua in South America, the second highest of the 7 Summits, and the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas.

Kilimanjaro in Africa follows, one of the world's most recognisable peaks but one not to be underestimated before heading on to Carstensz Pyramid, rising from the dense tropical jungle of West Papua and the most elusive and mysterious of the 7 Summits.

Richard will then be joined by former Rower and 2 times Olympic gold medallist, Steve Williams OBE for very much the crux of the challenge. Together they will set off to complete two of the toughest journeys of their lives battling through the most inhospitable conditions on the planet.

They will need to cover the 60 nautical miles/111km to the Geographic North Pole as early as possible after the sun breaks the Arctic Circle. To save time they face the possibility of swimming in between icebergs.

From the North Pole it’s straight on to the Himalayas for Richard and Steve to attack the third and final pole of the challenge, Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the planet at 8,850m/29,036ft.

Richard then heads on to Alaska alone to summit the unpredictable Denali, also known as Mount McKinley and a mountain Richard successfully summated in May during a training expedition. Lastly, Sir Ranulph Fiennes hopes to join Richard to complete the final leg of the challenge, Mount Elbrus in Russia.

Richard stated; “I am starting to get really excited now, I can’t believe it has come around this quickly. I feel fit, ready and prepared. We have still got a lot to do in terms of raising funds and sponsorship before we leave and my team is working around the clock on this. The next month is crammed with appearances, filming and finalising sponsors and partners but it’s all good! It’s crazy but I always knew this challenge would be full of the unexpected. The month ahead is going to be a busy one for sure but I am raring to go!”.

7 Summits, 3 Poles, 7 Months…a true World First, and only a month to go before the epic journey begins!