A Personal Welcome to 'Climbing the Seven Summits' First Ascent' Expedition from Mike Hamill
It has been our dream (and the dream of many of our climbers) to tackle an unclimbed peak.
In many ways this expedition is the culmination of all that we have learned as Guides and Expedition Leaders over the years and puts all our expertise and skill to the test. As such, this expedition is not for the faint of heart. If you are looking for a tranquil beach vacation or even a standard program on one of the Seven Summits, you may have stumbled upon the wrong expedition page… This is said not to dissuade or intimidate you, but instead to ask for your full buy-in to this amazing adventure.
With no one coming before us, there is no detailed route information or pool of common knowledge to to draw on. Our prior knowledge will be drawn from scouting missions (don’t worry our scout teams won’t tag the top without you!) and satellite images so we must rely on each other to climb as a team.
This is critical and we need to have full reliance and stick together, engaged and motivated towards our common end. Humility, patience and determination are prerequisites on this program.
As we progress we will inevitably need to adapt our plan of attack, our schedule and probably our route multiple times throughout the expedition. This is all part of the joy of discovering the undiscovered and climbing as the pioneers did centuries ago. Not to sound cliche but the ultimate reward on this expedition will be in the journey and not the summit.
My best piece of advice is to remain open minded as the expedition advances. There will be days when it seems achievable and within reach, and days when the summit seems elusive. We will spend much of our time troubleshooting routes to find the safest & best path, navigating the weather and patiently acclimatizing. We’ll be in a remote place without the usual infrastructure or amenities so it’ll be roughing it in parts but truly off the beaten track and wild.
The excitement is that no one knows what will eventuate but keeping positive and in the spirit of adventure will help make sure your expedition and that of your teammates is safe, enjoyable and successful.
All the best,
Mike Hamill
