Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Jack Osbourne To Attempt Everest

by Mick Ryan Fresh from his success on the Eiger North Face with Kenton Cool and Ian Parnell, 63 year old Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE is planning to attempt Everest next April by the South Col route first climbed in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Once again Sir Ran will also be raising money for the Marie Curie Cancer Care, with a target of £3 million, which would be bring his lifetime charity-raising total close to £15 million. Joining Ranulph and Kenton is third team member, Dr Rob Casserley, a medic and high-altitude cameraman. Sir Ranulph has been on Everest before, in 2005 he made it to camp 4 at 8400m on the North Ridge, before turning round a few hundred metres from the top on summit day. Jack Osbourne who turned his debauched drug-taking and partying lifestyle around by embracing climbing, with the help of climbers Mike Weeks and Bean Sopwith, is also reportedly making plans to climb the world´s highest peak. Jack, aged 22, has already been in contact with Conrad Anker, part of last years Altitude Films Everest Team as a possible guide. Osbourne, the son of rocker Ozzy and Sharon – a judge on the X-factor TV programme – has already climbed El Cap, deep water soloed in Croatia, bouldered around Bishop, ice climbed in the Alps and climbed around the UK, shedding 70lbs in the process and turning to a life sobriety (he weighed in at 16st 7lb before his transformation). Earlier this year Jack was thinking of going into outer space on Richard Branson´s spacecraft. It makes sense, with his resources, to cast his gaze on Everest and we can be sure that it will be televised all the way.

QuelleUKClimbing