On Wednesday 18th January Bonita Norris, the youngest British female to climb Everest told an audience of young people and mountain enthusiasts about her fantastic achievement. Having been inspired by Kenton Cool at the RGS, Bonita set her heart on climbing Everest. She trained hard on the mountains of this country and Europe before encountering her first 8000m peak, Manaslu, which fuelled her determination further. Within two years of setting her sights on the world’s highest point, she stood on the top. Her story was full of enthusiasm and emotion, giving possibly a clearer picture of what it was really like than many of her male counterparts.
My trips fall into 2 main categories:
1. Students:
- Student overseas expeditions, consisting of an extended trek, up to a maximum of 6000m, lasting up to 18 days, community project and a cultural experience
- Expeditions for young people with special needs, most commonly visual impairment. The visually-impaired student is partnered by a sighted guide. Treks last up to 6 days, reaching a maximum height of 3500m. A tactile element, involving animals i.e. elephants in Nepal, camels in Morocco, is generally included.
2. Groups and Individuals
- Adult overseas expeditions, consisting of an extended trek, up to a maximum of 6500m, lasting up to 21 days, a cultural experience and the opportunity to contribute financially to a community project.
- UK based expeditions, which follow long distance trails. These usually last up to 9 days and have the additional attraction of raising money for charity.
A training programme designed to help with team building, fitness and general preparation precedes all trips and expeditions.
My aim is to give everybody a lifetime experience and for the maximum number, within a group, to achieve the targets for their expedition. I have twenty years’ experience of leading expeditions. Over 700 people, young and not so young, have travelled with me on 30 expeditions.
In the UK I have a number of long distance trails to my credit including Wainwright’s Coast to Coast, the alternative Coast to Coast (Lindisfarne – Ravenglass), The Lakeland Round, Holyhead – St David’s, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, John O’Groats – Lands End (as a relay) and most recently The Wye Valley trail.
Every trip requires a basic level of fitness, which can be achieved through regular hill-walking or gym work. Group training walks build friendships as well as fitness. So come on, get involved, and have some fun!
For more information please contact John Walton
On Wednesday 18th January Bonita Norris, the youngest British female to climb Everest told an audience of young people and mountain enthusiasts about her fantastic achievement. Having been inspired by Kenton Cool at the RGS, Bonita set her heart on climbing Everest. She trained hard on the mountains of this country and Europe before encountering her first 8000m peak, Manaslu, which fuelled her determination further. Within two years of setting her sights on the world’s highest point, she stood on the top. Her story was full of enthusiasm and emotion, giving possibly a clearer picture of what it was really like than many of her male counterparts.
