Conquering Mt Aconcagua in aid of Evelina London Children's Hospital

David set out to scale Mt Aconcagua – which is set in Mendoza Province, Argentina – in order to raise funds for Evelina London Children's Hospital. His mountain-climbing feat was sponsored and supported by a partnership between the Careys Civil Engineering teams at the One Nine Elms and Marble Arch Place projects.

Together, these two project teams have committed to raise a combined target of £25,000 to donate to Evelina London Children’s Hospital – a facility dedicated to caring for children and young people from across south London and south east England.

We are pleased to announce that – after persevering through his 26-day challenge on behalf of a fantastic cause – David has returned home safely, ready to share the incredible experience of his summit challenge with us:

An early start

After 15 tough days of traveling, and with my alarm ringing at 3:15am, I began to wonder why I was even there. But, as I took my first painful steps at 5:00am, on a stomach with only three spoonfuls of porridge in it, everything at last began to make sense when we were greeted by a magnificent sunrise. It was the sort of sunrise that you can only ever experience in the mountains, at this elevation. Deep down, I knew that this was a sign and that it would provide the catalyst for what was to come. The warmth of the sun would push us along.

Overcoming a proverbial wall

Seven and a half hours into summit day, I experienced equipment problems that left me feeling like I’d hit a proverbial wall. I sat there, with my left crampon disintegrated in my hand, looking up in despair at the Canaleta glacier – the mountain’s last real obstacle. So many thoughts went through my head: “Turn back. Go and get warm lower down the mountain. There's food at camp. This is the highest you've been, it's already a win.” I could have given up at that point. But, because I am constantly driven to improve and find out my true breaking point, I soon realised that it was actually these thoughts – rather than the Canaleta glacier or my broken crampon – that were truly holding me back. I recognised that:

The summit

This flicked an internal switch in me. After a few choice words to myself, I took my gloves off and felt the sting of the 55km/h wind against my skin. I repaired my crampon and got up the glacier as quickly as I would have had I been at sea level. With the wind in my sails and the summit now in full view, there was no stopping me. I stepped onto the plateau at 2.36pm. I will never forget that moment or that view. I gave my guide a hug and thanked him for getting me there.

Eddie the bear

It was hard not to get overwhelmed by the limited oxygen and sense of achievement. But, as soon as I started to unpack my camera, I saw my little travel companion, Eddie the teddy bear, from Evelina Children's Hospital and I remembered why I was there. I had made a promise to get Eddie to the top of Mt Aconcagua with me.

What's next?

As I looked around, staring out at the vast, magnificent Andes for one last time before descending, I felt truly proud of myself. I began to think, “I'm at 6962m. We take flights that don’t rise much higher! What's next? Is there a ceiling to human capabilities? If I can do this, why not go higher? ...watch this space.”

A big thank you to all our sponsors below who kindly supported David’s challenge.

Codeserve

Liam O’Shea Electrical

Primal strength & movement

London print service

If you’d like to donate towards his efforts, please click here.