Seven Everests in seven days… Just let that sink in for a moment.
This is the latest mammoth task endurance cyclist and our good pal Chris Hall has set himself.
Endurance rider Chris Hall
The concept of Everesting is simple: Pick any hill, anywhere in the world and complete reps of it in a single activity until you climb 8,848m – the equivalent height of Mt Everest.
Chris, however, will be climbing the height of Everest every day for one week. In total he'll cover 1274km and almost 62,000m of elevation over the week.
No stranger to ultra-endurance challenges, Chris is taking on this latest challenge to raise awareness and funds Movember, in support of the incredible work the charity carries out in supporting mental health.
He will be heading to Wales to tackle to challenge on Snowdonia's epic Stwlan Dam climb from 16th May until the 22nd May.
Chris will need to complete 33 reps of the climb every day to climb the 8,848m required. It will total around 182km each day and is expected to take around 14 hours. He is inviting people to come and join him in his quest to complete this challenge.
We’ll be heading down for the start on Monday and spending the week with Chris, documenting his progress live on our Instagram channel.
As far as climbs go, the Llyn Stwlan Dam in Snowdonia may well be the best kept secret on British soil. It boasts the type of tight switchbacks that look more like the Stelvio Pass than anything you might expect in the back roads of Wales, as well as a savage gradient of 9.7%. Its second half hovers at a far more punishing 12%. As it is the service road for a dam, it is also blissfully free of motor traffic. And once you reach the dam itself, the view over Snowdonia is unique, and well worth a few minutes in the red.
Llyn Stwlan Dam in Snowdonia
And the best part... it's a completely closed road.
The 32-year-old is a seasoned racer and fundraiser who regularly competes in the National 24hour Time Trial competitions, and in 2017 rode 107km every day for 107 days raising money for The Pace Centre.
He also completed a "Trenching" challenge, descending (and climbing) 91 reps of Box Hill, in November 2020 to highlight the alarming statistic that 91 men a week take their own lives. In 2021 he cycled from England’s widest points; from Land’s End to Lowestoft to raise additional funds for Movember.
"With this challenge I really hope to highlight that people can suffer at any point, no matter what day of the week or what time of day it is. Cycling, for me has been a huge help in my own mental health which I have struggled with in the past when I worked in design and still do at points."
"We were talking about the 2018 suicide statistics, and it really quite shocked me. Any suicide is a tragedy, the person could have been saved, or it could have been prevented. But what shocked me is three-quarters of all suicides in the UK are men. That’s 13 every day, 91 a week, or one every two hours. Globally, on average, 1 man dies by suicide every minute of every day. It’s heartbreaking.
"Movember do incredible work in supporting men’s mental health. They look at mental health through a male lens, focusing on prevention, early intervention and health promotion. They are working towards a world where men take action to be mentally well, and are supported by those around them."
To speak with someone immediately, contact NHS 111 on 111 or contact Samaritans on 116 123. If you're ever worried that someone's life is in immediate danger, call 999 or go directly to emergency services.
You can donate to Chris' Movember cause here.
You can follow Chris on Instagram here.
