A group of charity fundraisers from Perthshire spent four days in the Swiss Alps climbing the equivalent altitude of Mount Everest while uphill skiing.
At the end of February 2023 the Scottish team flew out to Verbier in Switzerland to make a start on the Everest in the Alps challenge.
Their aim was to climb uphill 8860m which meant skiing for 10-12 hours a day, making multiple ascents and skiing back down. Each day, over four days, they were using the same energy required to complete three back-to-back marathons.
The skiing six – Rab Robertson, Richard Barclay, Calum McDiarmid, Jez Robinson, Stephen Kenyon and David Henderson - reached their goal on Friday, March 3 just after 2.30pm.
Richard Barclay is a commercial deer farmer from Kinloch Rannoch with a passion for the Alps and all things skiing.
Calum McDiarmid is a sheep farmer from Aberfeldy. He has always lived in the mountains and worked outdoors. He’s been skiing since the age of four.
Jeremy (Jez ) Robinson is a Highland cattle farmer from Kinloch Rannoch. Jez was in the British Army for 27 years. He left in 2016 having served all over the world.
Rab Robertson is a fencing and forestry contractor, and managing director of Pitlochry-based Taiga Upland. He grew up on a hill sheep farm and Highland estate in the Braes of Rannoch.
Stephen Kenyon is the director at Harbro farm supplies.
The sixth member was David Henderson, a partner at Baillie Gifford investment.
Richard and Calum heard about the Everest in the Alps event through a friend and decided in March last year to aim to do the event .
The friends invited others to make up their own team and named it Tractors and Tracks.
They trained for nine months solid.
In the challenge they achieved an average climbing speed of 380 vertical meters per hour.
Their total climb was of 8860m over four days.
This worked out as a total distance travelled of just under 100 miles.
They called their team ‘Tractors and Tracks’ as the brave lads share a common background of agriculture and rural business for their day jobs.
They slept in mountain huts and set out before dawn.
The goal was to climb the 8848 vertical metres that Mount Everest sits above sea level. This is done “skinning” uphill on skis over four days in the Swiss Alps.
“You knew it was hard when you were sweating out your eye balls,” reflected Calum after the event.
They were doing their Everest in the Alps endurance effort to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity to build a treatment centre for kids.
Jez, before getting under way, had said: “The Swiss trip combines a worthy cause with team-based physical challenge in a stunning location.
“I ski each year, but downhill, so this will force me to master a new skill-set.”
Richard explained how he’d been training: “I am lucky to live in Highland Perthshire and spend a lot of my time, especially in the winter, in the hills – I am really hoping that this gives me some advantage.
“I am also working with an inspirational online health and wellbeing coach, whom I hope will ensure that I get to the challenge in the right physical and mental state to not only do the challenge, but enjoy it.”
Calum had added: “This will be the largest challenge I will have ever undertaken. We as a team would hugely appreciate any support.
“Many of us know friends who have different terrible health challenges and every effort by everyone makes every little step a little easier and hopefully better for everyone.”
At the end of Wednesday, March 1 he reported back that things were going well: “We had a massive day today, 2450 meters gained. Tonight we are staying in a mountain cabane with 61 other participants.”
“Everest in the Alps has been described as the hardest four days on skis – adding a unique mental strain to an already intense physical challenge,” explained Rab.
“Each day we will climb for 10-12 hours, burning 10,000 calories and using the energy required to complete three marathons – that’s every day for four days.
“The goal is to climb the 8848 vertical metres. That’s how high Mount Everest sits above sea level. This is done by ‘skinning’ uphill on skis over four days in the Swiss Alps.
“Everest in the Alps was launched by Rob Ritchie, whose son Toby was just five-years-old when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
“Living with a brain tumour is Toby’s Everest and he faces his challenge every day.
“We’re taking on this challenge to raise funds for The Everest Centre, a research centre dedicated to finding kinder, more effective treatments.
“It’s a gruelling event we are doing, involving approximately 32 hours of uphill ski touring and only three hours of downhill, with up to a total of 20 individual ascents.
“Each day the teams climb between 2000m–2500m to reach the overall target of 8848m.
“The average amount of time out on the snow is eight hours a day, but it can be longer – however long it takes to keep on track.”
They sang ‘Flower of Scotland’ as they stood at the finish on March 3.
The Perthshire crew have so far raised £23,665, over two-thirds of their £30,000 target.
If anyone would like to support their efforts and donate, Tractors and Tracks have a page link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tractors-and-tracks
