A UK charity is in the process of selecting an experienced Himalayan guide to help lead Prince Harry and a team of injured service men and women up Everest next year.
The charity, Walking with the Wounded, have not yet disclosed who will make the shortlist, but the wide range of ‘obvious candidates’ they will be interviewing includes Kenton Cool, who has tallied up eight successful Everest summits.
The expedition was announced after the triumphant return of their Polar team from the North Pole. The charity’s founder Ed Parker said: “Our next plan is to get wounded servicemen on top of Everest in May of next year to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, but also to celebrate the successful ascent by Hillary and Tenzing.”
By the time they are prepared for Everest, it will be almost sixty years since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent in 1953.
Prince Harry, Patron of the charity that raises funds to support those wounded by war, joined the Polar team for the first four days of their 13-day trek to reach the North Pole. They crossed 170 miles of the Polar ice cap, unsupported. The team of eight included two amputees and two other badly injured servicemen.
The Prince prompted reports in the press this week that he would like to climb Everest, when he told the men ‘see you on the next one’. However, it is unconfirmed if he will attempt the summit, or just go part of the way.
Capt Martin Hewitt, 30, from Widnes in Cheshire, is the only member of the Polar team confirmed for Everest. He will be managing the expedition. Having suffered injuries in Afghanistan that left his right arm paralysed, he is aware of the commitment required of people with physical disabilities to successfully complete their training.
“We will be looking for wounded service men and women whose physical rehabilitation is complete,” he said. “They will need to commit to a demanding physical training schedule, as injuries present additional challenges.”
As a mountain leader himself, he has significant experience of mountain environments, but has not climbed at such high altitude before, and regards the expedition as a learning curve.
Prince Harry, who shared a tent with his Polar guide in the Arctic, said: “What these guys have done and what they’ll continue to do with their lives is truly inspirational. Not just for service men and women – injured or not injured ¬– but also, I think, for members of the general public.
“If you get up off your arse, you can achieve anything.”
Update: Kenton Cool is currently at camp 3 on Everest, will we see ascent number nine in the very near future?
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