Aconcagua, Argentine Andes
The highest mountain in the Americas. Summit 22,841ft
In January 2009 Paul Rochford undertook another charity climb to raise funds for the Kanyike Project and Tree Aid. The aim this time was to climb Mount Aconcagua. Set in the Argentine Andes, Aconcagua rises above the wine growing regions of Mendoza. At 6962m (22841ft) it is the highest mountain in the Americas and the highest mountain in the world outside Asia. Although technically the route is thought of as a ‘high level walk’, Aconcagua presented by far the most arduous challenge that Paul has so far undertaken. The challenges of altitude, extreme cold and changing weather patterns are only rivaled for difficulty by Mount Everest. Unlike Mount Kilimanjaro, this time, there were no porters to help share the load! Paul reached the top of the mountain and reached the fund raising target of £10,000. For Kanyike the money will help fund the development of their new hospital facility and for Tree Aid the money has gone to the Trees for Trade project in Burkina Faso.
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Mount Elbrus
The highest peak in Europe. Summit 18,510ft
In keeping with the Chinese proverb ‘Stay young - climb a mountain’ (loose translation) Paul picked Mount Elbrus as his next challenge June 2007- Elbrus is in the Caucasus range within the Russian federation. It presented a different challenge to the ascent of Kilimanjaro as the mountain is steeper and covered in ice. Crampons were essential! Not only is climbing the mountain a challenge but getting to the foothills involves several flights / drives and a multitude of visas. Yet again Paul was successful in his ascent and we have the pictures to prove it! The charitable support for Kanyike and Tree Aid was continued with a combined donation of £7,700. For Kanyike this gave them enough money for their new initiative: a technical, vocational education and training programme for orphans and vulnerable children. For Tree Aid the money went towards the Kandema
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Mount Kilimanjaro
The top of Africa. Summit 19,335ft
Having caught the bug, Paul set off to climb Kilimanjaro with his daughter Josie in January 2006. Against all odds - apparently middle-aged woman are most likely to succeed - they reached the summit on Thursday January 12th at 8am. They had climbed for 7hours through the night, in snow, 40mph winds and a temperature of minus 10. A phenomenal £9,500 was raised. For Kanyike this meant the installation of a borehole for the community. Tree Aid was the other beneficiary; Tree Aid is the UK’s only forestry focused development charity providing funding and on the ground training and support for local organisations in the Sahel region of Africa.
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GR20, Corsica.
One of the toughest grade walks in the world.
In June 2004 Paul Rochford our Managing Director fulfilled the dream of a lifetime by walking the length of the beautiful island of Corsica. The GR20 (Grand Randonnee) runs 120miles across the mountainous ridge which stretches along the island. Over £6,000 was raised through the kind generosity of Rochfords customers, suppliers, industry associates, family and friends. The charities supported were the Greenfingers Appeal and the Kanyike project - a village community in Uganda, where the money raised was used for the development of a water project.
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