Tetbury Climber Jake Meyer Provides Insight Into Kenton Cool's Recent Everest Summit

Kenton Cool on Everest

Local Man Kenton Cool Summited Everest, Here Tetbury Climber Jake Meyer Provides Insight Before He Attempts K2

Imagine climbing the highest peak in the world, what would you see? One man who knows is Jake Meyer. “Years of ropes and prayer flags form dreadlocked hawsers intertwined with the snow and ice. Whilst it may not be pristinely clean like many a mountain summit, it does form a sort of colourful crown atop Everest’s peak.” Recently Cirencester man Kenton Cool got to the top for the 12^th time.

“Kenton’s continuing achievements on Everest are absolutely incredible – The most British ascents of Everest (he keeps beating his own record!), and now not far off the record for a non-Nepali (15).” says Jake Meyer, the youngest Brit to ever stand on Everest’s summit when he was 21 in 2005.

Most recently Kenton saw the summit on 12^th May at 08:15 local time. Though a keen CrossFit Cirencester member, fitness is not as large a part of climbing as other aspects like preparation and mental fortitude. Jake explained:

“I’ve never done any training for any expedition! Physical preparation for high level mountaineering varies hugely from climber to climber. Some will spend huge amounts of time in the gym (I know that Kenton is a fan of Crossfit) working on their strength and conditioning, others will focus on their cardio vascular (even going as far as sleeping in special altitude tents in their beds (at home!) which act as hyperbaric chambers to aid pre-expedition acclimatisation.”

Jake Meyer on Poebeaba, Kazakhstan

Of course leading up to any expedition is a great deal of background activity. “. On the mountain, the larger expeditions will have basecamp support staff who’ll manage the logistics and maintain the radios during the summit attempt. Back at home, the ‘support team’ can be hundreds strong: family, friends, sponsors, supporters – all the people who’ve helped in a huge variety of ways to get you to the point where you can focus on the mountain – and without whom, you’d probably never have left home.”

Jake himself will be taking on K2 in Pakistan in June. Widely considered the most difficult and dangerous mountain in the world, Jake is taking the challenge on whilst raising money for Walking With The Wounded. You can follow the expedition at www.k22016.com and www.jakemeyer.co.uk. To find out more about Kenton Cool and his experiences, you can visit www.kentoncool.com.