Ever woken up with a crazy idea? Personally, I find it an effort even to realise what day it is, but one young woman did indeed awake with a dream.
Bonita Norris decided she wanted to be the youngest British woman to summit Everest. The drawback was, she’d never climbed before. But on 3 April she sets off for Nepal, hopeful for a May summit.
In the eighteen months since she decided to follow her dream, the novice climber from Wokingham, Berkshire, has worked on her new quest, and in autumn last year climbed to the summit of Manaslu, the world’s eighth highest peak, at 8,156m (26,759 ft), no stroll in the park.
She is making her Everest attempt to raise money for Global Angels, an international foundation for children’s causes. The individual projects to benefit from the novice mountaineer’s venture will be Child Voice International and the White Lodge Centre.
Ms Norris said: “One morning in 2008, I woke up with a crazy idea – the kind of idea you dismiss as a pipe dream. The kind of idea that you feel embarrassed to have even considered yourself able to put into action.
“But it stuck. My idea was to climb Everest in its spring season of 2010, and raise a shed load of cash for charity along the way. I had less than two years to get ready, and a slight issue of finding £50,000 to cover the costs of such a trip.
“It seems crazy looking back, but with a little determination I was soon heading out to the Alps and getting sponsorship in place to cover these huge costs. Despite many people telling me that I couldn’t do it, I knew I could prove them wrong. I just had to get onto a big peak and put my training into action.
“By the skin of my teeth, in August 2009 I was flying to Nepal to attempt to climb the world’s 8th highest mountain – at only 645m shorter than Everest, Manaslu, for me, was a ‘baptism of fire’.
“I learnt that mountaineering is definitely mind over matter. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but also with the greatest achievement. I am the youngest woman to have climbed the peak, and was the youngest climber on the mountain by many years.”
Ms Norris has also set up an eBay auction of three flags which will carry the winning bidders’ names and which she will take with her on her summit effort.
More details of Bonita Norris’s venture are on her website, along with links to the charities.
roworth
09 March 2010I hope that the £50,000+ cost of the expedition is coming out of her own pocket and not being taken away from the people who think they are giving to charity.
Roddy
10 March 2010Why is it so easy to be cynical about such an amazing attempt/achievement instead of reading the article:
"...getting sponsorship in place to cover these huge costs..."
Harry Mammil
16 March 2010Why not give it all to charity and not bother going? Save the environment and all that.
Tom
24 April 2010It be might be wise of roworth to check up on the details of an expedition before challenging the genuine goals of an individual, as roddy suggested. All costs are covered by an independent sponsor (Top up at ATM) and 100% of all donations go directly to the charity (Global Angels). I hope that covers your concern.