Avalanche survivor marks 10 years since Nepal quake by scaling 446 UK mountains
Mr Staniforth recalled the moment he believed he would lose his life after hearing a loud crack before being hit by the avalanche during his second climb of the world's highest peak.
Speaking over the phone from North Wales, he told the PA news agency: 'At this point, I wasn't aware of an earthquake. I didn't feel the ground shaking, but my teammates did. I was completely on my own, and I remember feeling something was wrong.
'I could sense there was an avalanche coming towards us, but I couldn't see it because the cloud was so bad… I remember feeling really confused, and then feeling this massive blast of white just knocking me off my feet.
'For the first time in my life, at 19, (I remember) thinking 'This is it, game over', and that sickening feeling of fear that I've never really felt before.'
The motivational speaker, who lives in Kendal, Cumbria, said he is 'grateful' to have survived the avalanche and is now commemorating 10 years since the earthquake by scaling 446 mountains across England and Wales in 50 days for charity.
In the UK, a mountain is generally considered to be a summit of more than 2,000ft (600m), according to the Ordnance Survey.
Mr Staniforth said: 'I'm very grateful that I survived that day, but I think, ever since then, I've just tried to make it count and try to give something back, and I hope that this challenge will do that.'
He is raising money for Mind Over Mountains, the charity he founded in 2020, which focuses on using walks in nature and venturing outdoors as a tool to support people with mental health issues.
He said the charity helps to 'give people the tools to stay mentally and physically well' by providing safe spaces for people to walk and talk about challenging topics around mental health and suicide.
'The outdoors has always been my natural health service, and I want other people to have access to that,' he said.
'By doing this challenge, it's not only opening conversations around mental health and suicide, but it's actually directly providing more access to (the outdoors), which, for me, is what makes it all worthwhile.'
The challenge started on Friday with the mountains of Yes Tor and High Willhays in Dartmoor, Devon, and Mr Staniforth is expected to finish in the Lake District at the end of June to mark his 30th birthday.
The whole journey will be human-powered because he is running and cycling to every mountain before scaling each one.
His bike ride was 103 miles (166km) and his longest run to come will be 36 miles (58km), while his highest mountain climb will see him tackle 11,483ft (3,500M) of ascent.
He said he wants his challenge to provide a 'bit of hope' for young people, particularly those approaching their 30s, who might be struggling to find a sense of purpose in life.
'I think when a lot of people reach 30… they feel like they're not where they should be or they feel like they're not where they want to be,' he said.
'There's a lot of mental health challenges and depression, and I just wanted to be a bit of hope for those people that things can go wrong but you can always pick yourself up and find another way.
'I think Everest, for a long time, was like my idea of success. It was like the be all and end all, and actually it's given me much bigger opportunities.'
The adventurer has already faced ankle issues and feeling sick from the 6,500 calories he is eating daily, but said the recent good weather and support from his team has encouraged him to persevere.
The journey will see him travel from Dartmoor to Bristol and through the Brecon Beacons and North Wales, before reaching the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland and the Lake District.
So far, Mr Staniforth has raised nearly £12,000 of his £100,000 target which forms part of Mind Over Mountains' Project 500 campaign to raise £500,000.
To support his fundraiser, you can visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/446challenge and track his journey here https://z6z.co/alexstaniforth/446-challenge
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- South Wales Argus
NHS lessens impact of doctors' strike as fewer take to picket lines
Hospitals were ordered to press ahead with as much pre-planned care as possible during the walkout across England, which ended at 7am on Wednesday. And hospital leaders said that fewer resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, took to picket lines compared with previous walkouts. Details on the number of appointments, procedures and operations postponed as a result are expected to be published later this week. Wes Streeting said he is ready to discuss 'real improvements to resident doctors' working lives' but cannot go further on pay (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Both the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA) have said they are prepared to continue negotiations with a view to avert further strike action. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said talks could lead to improvements in the working lives of resident doctors but he has repeatedly said there is no more money for pay. But BMA leaders have insisted that there must be some pay discussions during talks. The BMA has also launched a 'linked dispute' with the Government over a lack of places for doctors in training, which could lead to common ground during future talks. Great to see so much support for resident doctors over the past five days. We've come together to stand up for fair pay and restore value to our profession. Stick Together. Strike Together. Win Together. #PayRestoration #DoctorsStrike — Resident Doctors (@BMAResidents) July 30, 2025 Mr Streeting said: 'We made the decision to cancel as little planned care as possible this year, and thanks to their tireless work it's clear that far more patients have got the care they need than in previous years. 'That said, all industrial action comes with a level of disruption, and I feel angry and frustrated on behalf of those patients who didn't get the service they expect due to these strikes. 'That is why my door is open to the BMA leadership to resume the talks we were having last week, before they walked out. 'After a 28.9% pay rise over the last three years, we simply cannot go further on pay this year, but there are real improvements to resident doctors' working lives we can work hand-in-hand to make – from training positions to career progression and beyond.' He went on: 'After over a decade of being let down, resident doctors deserve better than their current working conditions, ebbing support from the public, and a seemingly intractable position from the BMA leadership, especially given a majority of them didn't vote for this strike action. 'I stand ready to continue our discussions. Our shared ambitions will reap rewards for both patients and staff but they can only be achieved if we work together.' Rory Deighton, from the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS organisations, said: 'Many patients will not have experienced any disruption whatsoever to their care and that is thanks to the NHS doing its best to keep the show on the road. 'It is welcome to hear from members that in many places fewer resident doctors have gone on strike and the impact has been less severe than previous walkouts. 'This does not take away from the frustration and inconvenience of patients who have had their vital care delayed and are now facing even longer waits in pain and discomfort.' Resident doctors in England have returned to work after a five-day strike (Owen Humphreys/PA) Dr Tom Dolphin, chairman of the BMA's council, told Times Radio: 'What's happened this time is that NHS England has been a little bit reckless, to some extent, about insisting that hospitals try to continue as much planned elective care as possible. 'Hospitals need to make sure that emergency and urgent care goes ahead (and) patients on the wards get looked after. 'To do that safely on strike days, when you're going to have potentially up to half of your medical workforce not there, you've got to release those senior doctors from the planned care to go and do emergency and urgent care, because they can't be in two places at once. 'If you try and do the other work, if you're asking those senior doctors to be in two places at once, that's where the risk arises.' He also said that pay would have to form part of future negotiations. 'This is a pay dispute, fundamentally, alongside the the unemployment issues, so there would need to be some discussion about pay but it doesn't need to all be at once,' he said. Dozens of resident doctors joined a picket line at King George Hospital in Ilford on Tuesday (Lily Shanagher/PA) NHS officials have said cancelled bookings would be rescheduled within two weeks but warned of knock-on impacts for other patients. On X, the BMA posted about a number of derogation requests made by hospitals – which occur when hospitals call for striking doctors to return to work from picket lines amid concerns about patient safety. In some cases, striking doctors were permitted to return to work but in some cases the requests were 'revoked'. Dr Dolphin said some derogation requests were granted but said that in other instances 'there was a complete lack of planning on the hospital's part' and managers had not made any 'attempts to find cover' and after discussions with the union these rota gaps were resolved by hospitals.
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Waitrose issues urgent recall over Salmonella fears
"Waitrose is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in stores that are selling this product." (Image: PA) This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. Waitrose is recalling Waitrose and Partners Egg and Spinach Protein Pot because it may be contaminated with Salmonella. Symptoms caused by Salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should stay away from work, school, or nursery until you have stopped having symptoms for at least 48 hours to avoid passing it on to others. Be warned there are a load of scam @waitrose accounts popping up - be mindful and check first and do not engage with them. Waitrose themselves don't seem to be doing anything about it - see below. This is not Waitrose! — Complete Control PR (@pollybirkbeck) July 26, 2025 Action taken by the company: A spokesperson said: "Waitrose is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in stores that are selling this product. "These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Please see the attached notice. "If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. For further information, please contact Waitrose Customer Care 0800 188 884, Option 4." Recommended reading: What is a product recall or withdrawal? If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be 'withdrawn' (taken off the shelves) or 'recalled' (when customers are asked to return the product). The FSA issues Product Recall Information Notices to let consumers and local authorities know about problems associated with food. In some cases, a 'Food Alert for Action' is issued. This provides local authorities with details of specific action to be taken on behalf of consumers.
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Leader Live
Waitrose issues urgent recall over Salmonella fears
"Waitrose is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in stores that are selling this product." (Image: PA) This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. Waitrose is recalling Waitrose and Partners Egg and Spinach Protein Pot because it may be contaminated with Salmonella. Symptoms caused by Salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should stay away from work, school, or nursery until you have stopped having symptoms for at least 48 hours to avoid passing it on to others. Be warned there are a load of scam @waitrose accounts popping up - be mindful and check first and do not engage with them. Waitrose themselves don't seem to be doing anything about it - see below. This is not Waitrose! — Complete Control PR (@pollybirkbeck) July 26, 2025 Action taken by the company: A spokesperson said: "Waitrose is recalling the above product. Point of sale notices will be displayed in stores that are selling this product. "These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product. Please see the attached notice. "If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. For further information, please contact Waitrose Customer Care 0800 188 884, Option 4." Recommended reading: What is a product recall or withdrawal? If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be 'withdrawn' (taken off the shelves) or 'recalled' (when customers are asked to return the product). The FSA issues Product Recall Information Notices to let consumers and local authorities know about problems associated with food. In some cases, a 'Food Alert for Action' is issued. This provides local authorities with details of specific action to be taken on behalf of consumers.
