Sir Ranulph vows 'never again' after second Everest attempt is abandoned

EXHAUSTION brought on by sleep deprivation has forced explorer and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes to abandon a second attempt to conquer Mount Everest.
Sir Ranulph, who lives near Exford, was trying to raise £3 million for the Marie Curie cancer charity from his feat.
Now, he has vowed not to try to climb Everest again.
He had hoped to reach the 29,000 feet summit at 03.30 BST on Saturday, but the 64-year-old had to turn back after contending with heart problems and vertigo.
Sir Ranulph suffered a heart attack during his first unsuccessful attempt to scale the mountain three years ago.
He had set off from base camp on Tuesday and was accompanied by guide Kenton Cool and medic Robert Casserley.
They reached the final stopping-off point in the ascent after negotiating the ‘death zone’.
However, they had not had enough rest as the team had to set out on the final stage of the ascent in the dark because of impending bad weather.
Despite being only a few hundred yards from the summit, they were forced to turn back to base camp after resting
Sir Ranulph said: “I am not exhausted, I just had not had enough sleep.
“You have to accept these things. I am not crying over spilt milk but it was agonisingly close to the summit.
“Luck is not with me on Everest. I was within an ace of doing it. The following day I got back down to base camp in one go. I have got punch if I have had a chance to recharge my batteries.”
His wife, Louise Fiennes, told the BBC that he was keen to return to the UK immediately.
She said: “He just called me an hour ago and asked me to arrange to get him back to Kathmandu. He is desperate to get back to the UK.”
Iswari Paudel, who owns the company which organised Sir Ranulph’s climb, told the BBC he would be flown out by helicopter on Sunday morning.
Sir Ranulph was making his second attempt on the peak despite suffering from vertigo and heart problems and currently being in remission from prostate cancer.
He was the first man to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole by land, ran seven marathons in seven continents in seven days shortly after heart surgery, and journeyed to discover a lost city in Arabia described as ‘the Atlantis of the Sands’.

• Our photograph shows Sir Ranulph on Everest. Photo by Kenton Cool.

Sir Ranulph poised to conquer Everest at second attempt

SIR Ranulph Fiennes is poised for the final push in his second attempt to summit Mount Everest and in the process raise £3 million for the Marie Curie cancer charity.
The Exmoor adventurer, who lives near Exford, expects to reach the 29,000 feet summit at 03.30 BST on Saturday.
Sixty-four-year-old Sir Ranulph and his team set off at dawn for the Khumbu Icefall, one of the most dangerous parts of the route.
The route will take them across Western Cwm, a glacial valley, where they will stay overnight before tackling the six-hour, 650-yard climb to Camp Four.
Then, it will be a case of waiting for the right weather before completing the last part of the climb in around 12 hours, aiming to reach the summit on Saturday.
As the team heads closer to the mountain’s ‘death zone’, the air becomes thinner and the temperature plummets.
Sir Ranulph admits his main concern is exhaustion due to the altitude.
He said: “On past expeditions, particularly long polar treks pulling very heavy weights, the exhaustion factor has come in - but not nearly as bad as here because this is altitude exhaustion.
“So I need a mental defence against the wimpish voice in my head.
“At times like this one has an inner voice saying ‘stop, we have got to stop, it is not sensible to carry on’.
“That is when you need a mental defence. Mine has always been the memory of my grandfather and my father.
“Their spirits are around and watching and I do not want to do anything that will shame them, such as giving up unnecessarily early.”
Sir Ranulph holds several endurance records, among them the successful completion of seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.
Three years ago he was forced to abandon his first attempt on Everest after suffering a heart attack.
Sir Ranulph is raising funds for the Marie Curie ‘Delivering Choice Programme’, which was launched in 2004 with the aim of doubling the number of people who can die at home.
The charity wants to develop and help provide the best possible services for terminally ill patients, allowing them to be cared for in the place of their choice.

• Our photograph shows Sir Ranulph on his earlier Everest attempt. Photo submitted.

Rescued Hannah already planning second attempt at North Pole record

ADVENTURER Hannah McKeand, who was brought up in Watchet, is planning to make a second attempt at her North Pole record.
Hannah, whose mother Julian Burbury lives in the town, was dramatically rescued from the Arctic icepack last week.
She was flown to safety by the Canadian Royal Air Force after falling into a crevasse and injuring herself so badly that she could not continue.
Hannah had been trying to become the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the North Pole and she was barely two weeks into the journey when the accident happened.
In an email to The Post as she was being taken for medical treatment, Hannah said: “I am looking forward to getting home and getting healed and starting to plan how to get back on the ice next year for another attempt.
“No, of course I have not been put off, this is what I do.
“I am hoping to be back up here next season. It will be fun.”
Two years ago, Hannah became the quickest person - man or woman - to ski unsupported to the South Pole.

Hannah's North Pole record bid ends in drama

A BID by adventurer Hannah McKeand to become the first woman to reach the North Pole solo and unsupported came to a dramatic end after she had to be rescued from the ice by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Hannah, aged 34, who was brought up in Watchet, where her mother Julian Burbury still lives, had fallen into an eight feet deep crevasse and injured herself so badly that she could not continue.
Mrs Burbury learned the news at home in Watchet when Hannah was able to ring and leave a telephone answering message on Saturday after being rescued.
She told The Post she would be flying out to see her daughter as soon as she was able to locate to which hospital Hannah had been taken.
Mrs Burbury thought it unlikely that Hannah would want to have a second attempt at the record.
She said: “I think she is sensible. She has tested herself to the limit. I think with a bit of persuasion she will realise that one world record of that kind is enough (Hannah set a record two years ago when she became the fastest person to ski solo to the South Pole).”
The Arctic expedition came to an end during the Easter weekend and as The Post went to press, Hannah was believed to be recovering in a Canadian hospital, although her exact whereabouts were not known.
She was two weeks into the journey when she climbed a pile of ice blocks to scout the view ahead of her and without warning the snow gave way and Hannah fell sideways into a deep hole.
In the fall, Hannah wrenched her left leg and also hurt her lower back and left shoulder.
Hannah had already suffered several falls previously because of poor weather conditions and on one occasion she injured her shoulder but had been able to continue her journey.
This time, however, it took Hannah an hour to drag herself out of the crevasse and she knew immediately that her injuries were more severe.
She was able to contact the expedition doctor and took medical advice and medication and she then set camp and spent all day on Good Friday resting and assessing her condition.
By Easter Saturday, Hannah was still in considerable pain and her mobility was restricted, so she knew she was not up to dragging her pulk another 380 nautical miles over the Arctic.
Although she was out of immediate danger in her tent with warmth, food, and shelter from her own equipment and supplies, the longer she stayed put, the fewer supplies she would have for the remainder of the journey.
The expedition’s operations manager, Steve Jones, said: “Physical injuries are a high risk to polar expeditions and several North Pole expeditions have had a member of the expedition evacuated.
“Obviously, in a team of one that does not leave many to continue.
“I can only imagine how disappointed and frustrated Hannah is, but it is a tribute to her strength of character that she sounds cheerful and in good spirits on the Iridium phone.”
Hannah was able to call for help and a Canadian Forces rescue helicopter managed to land on the rough Arctic ice pack and airlift her to safety.
She was first flown to Alert, a remote Canadian government station on northern Ellesmere Island, from where she was taken to Resolute Bay, on Cornwallis Island, also in the northern Nunavut Territory.
After that, she was flown south for medical care and a full assessment of her condition, and is believed to have reached Toronto.
The final few days of the expedition had seen Hannah make slow progress in the difficult terrain and in one 8.5-hour day she had travelled just 1.5 nautical miles, which she reported had been ‘horrible’.
Her Argos satellite tracking beacon had also stopped working which left her dependent on two Iridium satellite phones for communications with the outside world.
Despite all her efforts in temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees, Hannah had only travelled a total of about 33.5 nautical miles and still had another 380 to reach the Pole.

Hannah making steady progress in North Pole solo record attempt

EXPLORER Hannah McKeand was this week making steady progress in her bid to become the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the North Pole.
Hannah, aged 34, who was raised in Watchet, where her mother Julian Burbury still lives, had travelled about 30 nautical miles north almost a fortnight into the expedition.
Although she still has around another 386 nautical miles to cover in about 46 days, her operations manager Steve Jones said the first section of the route was especially difficult and exceptionally small mileages were normal.
Mr Jones said Hannah’s progress so far was not an indication of how far she would be able to travel in a day later on.
In her log of the adventure, Hannah reported travelling barely two to three nautical miles in an eight-hour day, and on her worst day she had managed just 1.5 miles in seven-and-a-half hours.
However, Hannah said: “It might be tough terrain out here and the temperature is sitting at around the -45 degree mark, but I am experiencing the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets that give me beautiful pink skies most of the day.
“Against the white snow, this makes for stunning scenery and I am loving it out here.”
As well as the extreme cold, which at one point caused a tent pole to shatter, Hannah has had to cope with flat light and poor visibility, including a complete ‘white out’ which meant she kept bumping into things she would normally have found her way around.
On top of the weather conditions, there have been huge pressure ridges to negotiate and the constant movement and cracking of the ice, and several times she has had to risk stepping down to sea level and trusting her weight to refrozen sea water.
On her satellite phone, Hannah described laying awake at night and listening to the ice cracking and groaning around her.
The extreme conditions have caused wear and tear on her equipment and she has already had to carry out some running repairs.
It has also caused her to fall several times, and on one occasion in poor visibility she fell and injured her shoulder.
Although the plan was to ski most of the way, Hannah has found that she has made better progress wearing snow shoes.
Hannah’s progress can be followed on the website www.adventurehannah.com/nthpoledis.html.

North Pole record attempt by former Watchet woman

ADVENTURER Hannah McKeand, who was brought up in Watchet, is to try to become the first woman to ski alone and unsupported to the North Pole.
Hannah, aged 34, whose mother Julian Burbury still lives in the town, last year set a record as the fastest person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.
Now, she has her sights set on an Arctic record which she will attempt in February of next year.
She plans to ski the 415 miles over shifting ice from Ward Hunt Island, on the northern coast of Canada, to the North Pole, alone and without support in 60 days.
Hannah, who now lives in Newbury, Berkshire, would also become only the second solo and unsupported person ever to complete the epic journey.
British explorer Pen Hadow is the only other person to have made it, making three attempts before he was successful in 2003.
Hannah said: “Although the distance is shorter than the South Pole route, the expedition is much tougher.
“The terrain is extremely rough and the ice drifts away from the Pole, so it is rather like being on a conveyor belt and your legs cover a lot more distance than you are moving forward.
“I have huge respect for the environment that I will be immersed in.
“There are many risks to be assessed and managed and a lot of elements that are simply beyond one’s control.
“But I think with proper planning and preparation I have a good chance of success.
“I have spent several weeks training on the Arctic Ocean and I feel very motivated to get cracking, it is a fantastic place.”
Hannah said part of her success with polar expeditions was due to her physical make-up, being 6 ft 2 in tall and well-built.
She said: “I am able to gain significant weight before an expedition while at the same time reaching the necessary levels of fitness.
“This gives me a tremendous advantage in the polar environment. I am well insulated and able to travel on fewer calories than other lighter skiers.
“In addition to my physical make up, I have developed a solid mental approach to these expeditions.
“You have to be very driven, but at the same time, calm and methodical. I never feel more alive than I do alone in a huge icy wilderness.”
Hannah is one of the most experienced long distance skiers in the world and shares her experiences with people by giving talks to schools and corporate events, where she also spreads the environmental message on global warming.
She said: “Who better to talk about the deterioration of our ice caps than those of us who regularly spend time there and witness it first hand.
“Global warming is real and we have to act now. The environment is the responsibility of each and every one of us and I feel a responsibility to spread the word and encourage ordinary folk to get involved.”
Hannah is looking for sponsors to work with on her Polar record bid instead of funding the adventure herself as she has in the past.
She said: “It just seems like the right time. On the back of my new world record I really have something tangible to offer a sponsor.
“With my growing profile, it feels like I can make a really valuable contribution to a corporate relationship. I’ve never been interested in a free ride. I want to work with a company and feel like I am helping them achieve something.
“Apart from the more conventional sponsorship benefits such as brand placement and endorsement by somebody in my field, it would also be great to find a sponsorship relationship where my supporter has similar concerns and we could develop something together, maybe a schools tour and education programme or a corporate tour to encourage other companies to embrace their social responsibilities.”
Hannah and her partner David Pryce have also founded a new high latitude sailing company called Blizzard Expeditions to take people on explorations of the Southern Ocean regions.
More information about Hannah’s expeditions can be found on the website http://www.adventurehannah.com/, and more about Blizzard Expeditions is available at http://www.blizzardexpeditions.com/.

• Hannah is pictured on a trip to the Antarctic. Photo submitted.