Alex Staniforth (born 1995) is an English adventurer, speaker, author, and charity ambassador. He has made two attempts to climb

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

and completed numerous endurance challenges. His debut book 'Icefall' was published in March 2016 and is an autobiographical account of his attempts to climb Everest. In July 2017, Staniforth became the fastest person to climb all 100 UK county tops in 72 days.

Early life

Staniforth was born in Chester, Cheshire in 1995. He grew up in

Kelsall Kelsall is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located around east of Chester, west of Northwich and north west of Tarporley. The village is s ...

and attended

Tarporley High School Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College is a Mixed-sex education, coeducational secondary school and sixth form with Academy (English school), academy status, located in the village of Tarporley, Cheshire, England. Admissions It has around ...

and Sixth Form College.

Everest

Staniforth first attempted to climb

aged 18. After reaching

Everest Base Camp There are two base camps on Mount Everest, on opposite sides of the mountains: South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of (), while North Base Camp is in Tibet, China at (). The base camps are rudimentary campsites at the base of Mount Eve ...

from

Lukla Lukla ( ne, लुक्ला ) is a small town in the Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality of the Solukhumbu District in the Province No. 1 of north-eastern Nepal. Situated at , it is a popular place for visitors to the Himalayas near Mount Eve ...

, he and his team were preparing for their bid on the summit when an

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...

in the Khumbu Icefall killed 16 climbing Sherpas. The decision was taken to abandon the expedition. Staniforth returned to

Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

in 2015. On 25 April 2015, the Nepal earthquake struck. The earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and precipitated several avalanches on Everest, one of which hit base camp and killed 3 Sherpas in Staniforth's team. He and his team was just below Camp 1 (6,050m) and became stranded on the mountain for two days before evacuation by helicopter.

Cho Oyu

In Autumn 2016, Staniforth attempted to climb the world's sixth highest mountain Cho Oyu which stands at over 8,000 meters, in preparation for another attempt on Everest in the near future. He reached Camp 2 (7,125 meters) before abandoning his summit bid.

Book

Staniforth's autobiography, 'Icefall', was published in March 2016 by Coventry House Publishing. It tells how he has overcome adversity since his childhood in Cheshire and his two

attempts. Adventurers Bear Grylls and Mark Wood both endorsed the book. 'Icefall' won a bronze medal in the Readers Favorite International Book Contest 2016. In summer 2016, Staniforth toured the UK signing books and talking about his experiences.

Charity work

Staniforth is a charity fundraiser and ambassador for YHA England and Wales and PHASE Worldwide. In August 2016, Staniforth became an ambassador for PHASE Worldwide. He has worked with PHASE since he helped to organise the 'Walk for Nepal' event on the anniversary of the earthquake in April 2016. Over 120 people, including Staniforth, climbed

Mount Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

in Wales and raised over £20,000 for PHASE.

Awards

After fundraising over £24,000 for mental health charity Young Minds UK, Staniforth won the Pride of Britain 'Fundraiser of the Year' award for the ITV Granada Reports region.

Speaking

Staniforth tours the UK as a speaker to a variety of audiences including schools, corporate audiences, charities and conferences

References

External links

Mount Everest Interview with Alex Staniforth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staniforth, Alex 1995 births Living people People with epilepsy English writers with disabilities English motivational speakers English mountain climbers People from Chester 21st-century English writers