The first man with cystic fibrosis to complete Everest has found a use for the snow he collected on the mountain’s peak six years after his expedition – having it set behind a sapphire for his wife’s engagement ring. Nicholas Talbot, 46, chief executive of an international not-for-profit organisation from Durham, met his wife, Nour, 38, a lawyer for a solar panel company, on Tinder in the spring of 2021.
He surprised her with the ring on her birthday in September 2022. When climbing Everest, he faced an avalanche on his first attempt and an earthquake on his second, causing him to break his ribs and a climbing partner to pass away.
Nicholas has conquered five more of the seven summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven continents – since, with the final climb being Antarctica’s Mount Vinson where he plans to end his journey by skiing to the South Pole. When climbing Everest on May 13 2016, he wanted something to remember the trip by, other than photographs.
