So what’s so special about this trip we hear you say?! Well, not only will the team (if successful!) put the first Egyptian on top of the world (Omar Samra) but it will also put Tori James up there too! Tori, to put it mildly, is a rather unique young lady. Still only 24 years old she is the youngest British female to complete the Scott Dunn Polar Challenge. This is a gruelling 360 mile race to the magnetic North Pole. Not one to sit back on such an achievement, Tori is also the ‘highest Welsh woman ever’ having summited the world’s sixth highest mountain, Cho Oyu (8,201m).

I suspect that most of us would probably knock it on the head at this point and pop down to the pub and enjoy telling all our mates about it - but not Tori! In the mould of Ellen Macarthur, Tori is set to become the youngest British female ever to summit the treacherous mountain that is Everest. At the same time she will also become the first Welsh woman to summit this great mountain. With no change from 5’2” Tori is deceptively tough! If you’re looking for strength of character, leadership and a sheer will to win then you need look no further than Tori and indeed the entire team. Ben, Greg, Tori, Omar and John will be tested to the absolute limit and no place less so than the dreaded ‘Death Zone’.

Having moved from Base Camp to Camp 1 named the Valley of Silence at 6100m the team will progressively move up to Camp 2 at 6400m and onwards to Camp 3 the Lhotse Wall at 6800m. This is tough, but the toughest part of the climb is yet to come. At 8000m the team will be in the Death Zone (so named for obvious reasons) from where they will make the final push, in the early hours, to the summit at a staggering 8850m and so become Everest Summiteers! Just to put it in perspective; the next time you are flying aboard your Jumbo 747 jet airliner they may well be looking DOWN at you! Youch!

We at Summit are very proud to be one of their Top 100 sponsors and would like to take this opportunity, once again, to wish them all a very successful, safe ascent and return.

If you would like to keep in touch with how the climb is going then just go to www.everest2007.net to view their updated audio and video footage. Much of their sponsorship proceeds will go The Prince’s Trust so do feel free to follow the PayPal instructions if you would like to make a donation!