See the Team results here…

To find out more about Across the Divides event management skills drop Mark Hannaford an line here mark@acrossthedivide.com

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This September the Booby Moore Fund head out to Brazil for 10 days to to construct a new school in the remote farming community of Corrente.   The original school building collapsed in 2008, and since then the region has been in desperate need of a dedicated school building, including two classrooms, a kitchen and bathroom.  Project Brazil promises to be an incredibly rewarding trip that will provide memories to last a lifetime.

Stephanie Moore MBE, Bobby Moore’s widow and founder of the Bobby Moore Fund, said:   “I have taken part in several Projects and found them to be the most rewarding experiences of my life. The help that is being given in these remote areas is vital for the local people to be able to remain in their village, and the money raised through the participants’ fantastic fundraising efforts is hugely important to the work of the Bobby Moore Fund.”

To book click here.

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We have spent the last 5 years working with our Tanzanian local agent and our medics to bring our Kilimanjaro ascent profile as close to that recommended by the British Mountaineering Council as possible, without making the trip prohibitively expensive. We added an extra 2 days to the itinerary to allow more time for trekkers to acclimatise, and have found that this has greatly increased our summit success rate. We have also changed our staffing ratio from 1 ATD staff member for every 15 participants, to 1 ATD staff member for every 10 participants. We have also worked to become members of the IMEC Partnership for Responsible Travel by meeting the porter protection guidelines set by the Kilimanjaro Porter’s Assistance Project.

Across the Divide does not claim to be the cheapest operator of Kilimanjaro treks, but we do pride ourselves on being one of the safest operators on the mountain. If you are looking at other suppliers who offer a cheaper Kilimanjaro trek than we do. I would ask that you consider the following points before making a decision as to which operator to use:

1. We take 7 days to summit which is 1 day more than our competitors. This makes us more expensive than those who offer a shorter itinerary; however the additional day allows participants more time to acclimatise and therefore dramatically increases their chances of summiting.
2. We ascend the mountain using the Rongai Route on the north-eastern side of the mountain which, unlike some of the other routes, retains a true sense of wilderness. The Rongai Route benefits from fewer trekkers (usually one-tenth of those on the Marangu  – or “Coca-Cola” -  trail, which is the route that Classic Tours take) and is generally considered to be one of the easiest of the quality routes on the mountain. We believe that by taking 7 days to climb the mountain via the Rongai Route, we offer the best chance of summiting and are confident that this is the best choice for those looking for a quality Kilimanjaro experience with the least chance of difficulties.
3.  We have a ratio of 1 member of ATD staff per 10 participants. Any staff we send on Kilimanjaro treks have prior altitude experience. This helps to dramatically reduce the risk of serious injury or death due to altitude related illnesses. We also carry a fully-equipped high altitude medical kit inc. oxygen and a Gamov bag, which allows for the immediate treatment of life-threatening cerebral and pulmonary oedema, reducing the risk of death. I would clarify the situation with regards to  other suppliers participant-to-staff ratio and their use of “volunteer doctors”.
4.  We have a 100% safety record on the mountain, even with some incidences of serious illness, including one participant who had a suspected heart attack at 5,600 metres.  Our doctors have saved the lives of people trekking with other operators that did not have the same high level of support.  We believe we offer the highest level of medical support should you fall ill on the trek.
5.  Our summit success rate for 2011 is 93%, with 97.5% of trekkers reaching Gilman’s Point (on the rim of the volcano). 2 of our trips this year have had a 100% summit success rate: the average for Kilimanjaro is just 42%. We believe that the quality of our staff and the time we have built into the itinerary for acclimatisation contribute to our high success rate.
6.  We care about porter protection and we ensure that local staff are paid a fair wage.  We are proud to be a member of the International Mountain Explorers Connection’s Partnership for Responsible Travel Program which recognizes those tour operators committed to fair treatment of Kilimanjaro porters. I note that not all operators are not a member of the porter protection / responsible travel programme.
7.  We use a local agent with 30 years’ experience.
8.  Our groups fly into Kilimanjaro Airport, saving 7 hours of overland transfers.  This means that participants have more chance to recover from their longhaul flight before starting the trek, leading to a better chance of summiting.

We strongly believe that budget is not necessarily best when it comes to climbing Kilimanjaro. Whilst we could reduce our costs by losing the acclimatisation days, reducing our staffing levels, using a local agent who does not meet porter protection guidelines, and so on, we will not compromise on the safety of our trekkers, and feel that we offer a quality, ethical trek at a reasonable cost.

Book your trip of a lifetime to Kilimanjaro with Across the Divide

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ATD will of course making sure Matt Baker from The One Show has all the support he needs as he cycles the rickshaw from Edinburgh to London.

Matt will embark on his arduous journey on the morning of Friday 11th November from Edinburgh Castle Esplanade and will attempt to complete the marathon 484 mile journey to the BBC in London, finishing live on The One Show’s Children in Need special on Friday 18th November on BBC One.

The One Show will go live to Hawick on Friday 11th November, the first stop in Matt’s Rickshaw Challenge. The programme will greet him live on air every weeknight as Matt crosses the finishing line at each location. Every day viewers will be able to follow Matt’s progress online at the BBC Children in Need website www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey and on Twitter at @BBCCiN, @bakermattbaker and #CiNrickshaw, as he travels onwards from Hawick to Hexham, Barnard Castle, York, Lincoln, Peterborough, Cambridge and finally London.

Throughout the challenge, Matt will be picking up passengers along the way, these will be a variety of surprise guests and Children in Need’s very own Pudsey. He will brave the harsh winter elements and battle steep hills, to cycle his rickshaw for up to ten hours each day and burn up to 9000 calories daily.

Route Summary

Day 1 Edinburgh to Hawick 53.5 Miles

Day 2 Hawick to Hexham 59.2 Miles

Day 3 Hexham to Barnard Castle 49.0 Miles

Day 4 Barnard Castle to York 70.6 Miles

Day 5 York to Lincoln 78.0 Miles

Day 6 Lincoln to Peterborough 73.2 Miles

Day 7 Peterborough to Cambridge 41.0 Miles

Day 8 Cambridge to London 59.3 Miles

We are delighted to be involved in this event we’ll be updating our social media outlets and blog on a regular basis to follow their progress.  Good Luck Matt and all the ATD team.

To Donate £5, text “MATT” to 70705, texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message, £5 will go to BBC Children in Need.  Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey for full terms and conditions You must be over 16 and ask the bill payer’s permission.

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Our last week has been spent in Ireland and between family commitments and catching up with friends, we’ve managed a couple of runs in the Mourne mountains, Co.Down  and Connemara, Co.Galway. Nice to change things up a bit and with distances progressing nicely it is looking more likely that the distance is achievable. Another factor, largely out of our control that will undoubtedly affect our performance on the day but hopefully not forbid our participation is altitude.

The main difference between running the Everest Marathon and a marathon in the hills of the UK is the effect of altitude. The higher you go, the air is less concentrated and so there is less oxygen. With less oxygen available, your lungs and heart have to work harder, and without proper acclimatisation serious illness, or worse, can result.  The effect of altitude starts to become noticeable for most people from around 2500 metres (approximately 7000 feet plus). With the Everest Marathon starting at 5000 metres (over 16000 feet) it is going to be very hard work even though we should be well acclimatised!

I won’t go into the various altitude illnesses in any detail but these include conditions with formidable names like Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)and High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), to name a few. Of these, even with a good acclimatisation schedule, we can expect to suffer AMS to some extent, which is more likely to present with headaches and feeling like we’ve a hangover lasting several days! Response to altitude is partly dictated by an individual’s own physiological make-up. I have not suffered from any serious altitude-related illness on previous trips to Nepal and other high-altitude regions and hopefully with careful preparation I will be OK this time around.

To try to prevent altitude related illness the basic rule to follow is to not gain height too quickly, and to sleep lower than the highest point ascended each day. Our plan is to arrive in Nepal on the 8^th November and then we will have three weeks before the marathon to acclimatise. Initially Patrick and I will trek by ourselves for over a week on the Jiri Trail up to Namche Bazaar, which should be a good starter for getting used to the gradually thinning air, and then we join the rest of the marathon group where we will continue a programme of acclimatisation prior to the race. Before we go to Nepal, Patrick is heading off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which at nearly 6000 metres (over 19000 feet) should give him a head start on acclimatisation! I’ll be expecting him to run ahead each evening to organise accommodation and sort dinner of course!

For further information on the effects of altitude see Altitude Sickness

In my next blog I’ll let you know how Patrick fared with the altitude on Kilimanjaro and how our final month of training in the UK is going, before we catch the flight to Kathmandu in early November.

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Back for a quick update. Training continues to go well – battered out 16miles in the Chilterns today, so hopefully on track. Starting to consider giving up booze (poor will power on that one so far), giving up coffee (even worse will power), sorting out nutrition (eating as much as possible) and getting plenty of sleep (that’ll be the day working in the events world!), all in the name of training.

Just a bit of info on our fundraising! This wasn’t really our main priority in setting ourselves the goal of running the Everest marathon – more the lust to travel and have an achievable goal ahead to train for. Neither Patrick nor I really enjoy sticking our necks out and asking for cash, but Bufo ventures (the Everest Marathon organisers) recommended setting up a Virgin money giving page and we thought we would give it a go! The result has been astonishing and we have been both overwhelmed by people’s generosity and support of our endeavours and three very worthwhile causes.

Bufo ventures request that half of sponsorship monies go to the Everest Marathon fund – helping to improve the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. Having visited Nepal previously on a couple of occasions and therefore having witnessed some of the poverty first hand, I was more than happy to get involved with this. As a paediatric physio, another cause very close to my heart is physical disability in children. Therefore, the other half of my monies will be donated to the “In je eendje” project (www.in-je-eendje.com). Helping to support children with cerebral palsy and their families.

To visit my fundraising page please CLICK HERE

For Patrick, his Mum passed away due to the cruel cancer, Myeloma, just over 1 year ago and therefore his second charity is Myeloma UK.

To visit Patrick’s fundraising page please  CLICK HERE 

In just a couple of weeks we’ll be promoting our charities by taking part in the Welsh 3000’s mountain challenge. We’ll also be carrying out regular fundraising events such as mountain navigation workshops and guided hill walks in return for charity donations. If you want to get involved don’t hesitate to contact us.

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• What made you want to do a charity challenge

The chance to travel to places that I had not considered before.  I’d never been beyond package holidays.  To go to the Sahara Desert, then Namibia, was something other people did.  With Iceland, lots of people will say it’s a place they would visit,  though most just don’t get around to it. 

• How many have you done

Three

• Which was your favourite?

They are like children; I like each for different reasons, and can’t really choose.  I guess the first is extra special.  Namibia, where we built school playground equipment and took part in some school classes, had the special element of giving help to a community.       

• Which charity did you raise funds for and reasons why

RP Fighting Blindness – the charity’s main purpose is to raise funds for research into finding cures and treatment for the eye condition retinitis pigmentosa, which I have myself.  The Charity also focuses on information and support to individuals and families affected by RP, via its Helpline service, for which I do a weekly session. 

• Tell me a bit about your training and fundraising – for example: was it hard, at times difficult to get motivated, what was your best fundraising event/idea

The thought of fundraising for the first trek was scary – I’d wake in the night thinking ‘what have I let myself in for?’  Then after a week I decided if I really couldn’t raise the money, and had to pay for it myself, it would still be worth it for the experience of the Sahara Desert.  Immediately the pressure was off and from then I was very motivated.  I could set about ensuring I paid as little as possible.  Even every £10 raised would be £10 less for me.  Then ideas flowed, some good some not. 
 I didn’t have any single event, but lots of little ones.  Supermarket collections were top fundraisers; writing to the Cambridge University colleges brought in £400; my own family was a good source – if I were to say ‘could you give to the charity’ that would be rather rude but to say ‘I’m doing a trek’ meant all those I wrote to donated.    
 For training, the area in which I live is not hilly so I used to walk on a 10 mile route which included a footbridge with around 30 steps each side.  I would cross the bridge 5 or 6 times with rucksack and walking boots. 

• Best thing about your treks

The impact of the camaraderie amongst the trekkers, which was instant and constant, and the superb attitude of the trek leaders. 

• Worst thing about the treks

Probably when the airline lost our luggage for 4 days in Namibia.  However, our trek leader handled the situation brilliantly as he put us in his house for the first night, and his wife cooked a superb lasagne made with oryx meat.  We lent each other spare clothes to stay decent and sociable!     

• Best bit of kit you took

Has to be the boots – the first pair were donated by a manufacturer (Magnum) and the second pair (Scarpa) were at a much reduce cost, as both companies wrote to tell me that they thought the trek was a worthy charitable cause. 

• Joke/funniest moment of the treks

Wow, there are so many!  The Icelandic guide liked my quip about our charity RP Fighting Blondeness, referring to the fair haired Vikings.  Passing round thee hand gel with the question ‘Have you gelled?’  A sighted trekker falling into the arms of the guide in Morocco, our Moroccan guide walking in white plastic crocs, and…me saying to a colleague about the risk of getting toothpaste mixed up with Savlon; result Savlon on teeth and toothpaste goodness know where.  ‘Ring of confidence’ maybe. 

• One thing you’d recommend to anyone thinking about going on a charity challenge

Pack some underwear in your rucksack!  If there is an opportunity for an extra walk or trip (e.g to an Arab village or to Casablanca as we did), do it no matter how tired you feel.  You can sleep when you get home!

• One thing you’ll take away with you

Thoughts and crystal-clear memories of the awesome sights and sounds and the wonderful trekking colleagues. 

• Was there good camaraderie amongst the group

Absolutely: Extremely good from the moment we met to departing, I think because of the visual element.  On each trek the sighted people constantly looked out for potential obstacles throughout, including getting us through airport checking in/out procedures. 

• Can you sum up the trip in a sentence……

The proudest achievements of my life, which I will remember all my life; proudest, because I gratefully accepted the opportunities that came to me because of my disability, and overcame the challenges despite it.

For more information on RP Fighting Blindness click here.

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In early Nov Patrick and I will set off ahead of the main Everest Marathon pack (possibly the only time that we will be ahead of them!) and get a rickety bus from Kathmandu to Changma and trek from Jiri  to Namche Bazaar. In Namche we will meet the rest of the gang who will have flown Kathmandu to Lukla.  The Jiri to Namche trek will take 8 days and should be excellent training as it traverses the valley systems of the lower Khumbu and therefore provides lots of ups and downs! View the route.

By the time we reach Namche  we will be at 3440m and will have an acclimatisation day before setting off on the trek to Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Lakes. View the route.

Finally, on 2^nd Dec 2011 we will attempt the 26 mile run from Gorak Shep back to Namche Bazaar and hopefully the Everest Marathon shall be complete! View the route  .

From there it is a flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu for fine dining and a knees up before flying home, well…..that’s the plan anyway.

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We recently asked a few key clients why they booked with us and these were some of their responses…..

• You are very trustworthy
• We know how much you value safety on the treks and appreciate the importance you place on this (i.e. a doctor on all treks, taking an extra day to ensure everyone gets to the Kili summit etc)
• You help us to create the itineraries that we want and that sell so well to our corporate supporters.
• Your in-country partners are usually fantastic
• You send great teams of Expedition Leaders, Guides and Doctors on our Challenges – who pretty much always get excellent feedback from participants.
• Your office staff are very responsive – I feel we have an excellent relationship and that you always get back to us promptly and add value wherever you can.
• All of you are very friendly, approachable and experienced.
• You really look after our participants well 
• You are a small but committed team and we really appreciate that and the fact that we know you all – we know who to speak to about which element of the trek and appreciate getting the same familiar (expert!) voice 
•  The knowledge that we have a fully qualified doctor who is trained to deal with emergencies in extreme environments is a huge comfort when taking 40 supporters of the charity abroad.
• The ATD trip leaders really take all the stress and pressure off the charity staff members.  They run the projects extremely efficiently and are excellent at dealing with all situations whether it is an emergency or dealing with difficult participants.  The support provided at the information evening is also hugely appreciated and really helps to reassure any nervous or high maintenance participants.

So if you are speaking to your current overseas challenge supplier make sure you check about UK staffing ratios, if they supply a medical kit and what’s in it, and if a UK Doctor is on the trip.  These are key values which we know our clients appreciate over cost.

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The work that porters do is often key to the success of a trek, and yet not all operators recognise this. On Kilimanjaro in particular, local crews carry loads of up to 25kg up the mountain, before pitching tents, setting up the dining tent and catering area, collecting and boiling water and preparing a hearty meal for the trekkers.  They often still find the energy to sing and dance, to welcome the group into camp!

At Across the Divide we are committed to the fair treatment of porters on Kilimanjaro, and work closely with our local agent, Good Earth Tours, to improve the working conditions of porters on the mountain and ensure that they receive a fair wage for their work. We are therefore delighted to announce that we recently became a Partner for Responsible Travel with the International Mountain Explorer’s Connection (IMEC). IMEC created the Partnership for Responsible Travel Program to recognize those tour operators committed to fair treatment of porters on Kilimanjaro. In order to become a partner you must consistently meet IMEC’s guidelines for proper porter treatment on Kilimanjaro: this is monitored by IMEC’s local initiative, the Kilimanjaro Porters’ Assistance Project.

IMEC’s guidelines for porter protection cover things such as ensuring that porters are provided with proper shelter and sleeping arrangements on the mountain; that they have adequate water and at least two meals a day; that their loads do not exceed the legal limit of 25kg per porter; and that sick or injured porters receive the same standard of treatment, care and rescue as their clients. There is also a minimum wage of 8,000 Tanzanian Shillings a day for Kilimanjaro porters.

The porters and guides on Kilimanjaro rely on tips to supplement their income and, unusually, tipping is obligatory on this trek. The park authorities suggest US$240 per participant as a guideline which sounds a lot, but which works out at around just £18 a day. Some previous participants have even tipped more than this, in recognition of the amazing job the local staff do. In praise of the porters, here are some of the comments we have had from our Kilimanjaro trekkers:

• The Tanzanian porters and guides were incredible.
• The local guides / porters were absolutely superb all the time!!!
• They all redefined the word hero.
• Excellent local staff – porters and guides – couldn’t do enough for us!
• Most friendly and helpful people EVER.
• The local staff could not have been better. They made the trip for me and I thoroughly enjoyed their welcome songs.

Of course I know that you shouldn’t have favourites (!) but one of the local staff on my Kilimanjaro trek, Boru, will always hold a special place in my heart. He was calm and enthusiastic throughout our trek, and was full of encouragement on summit night. On reaching the summit I turned to thank Boru for all of his help and support, and he just smiled, gave me a big hug, and said: “Madam, you are strong as an elephant”. Praise indeed!

Would you like to sing the praises of your porters? If so, we would love to hear your comments.

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