Expedition Everest

futurejournalismproject: Scaling Mt....

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:20:44 +0200

Scaling Mt. Everest

Twenty-five-year-old Raha Moharrak is the first Saudi Arabian woman, and youngest Arab ever, to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. She accomplished the feat with the first Qatari and Palestinian men to ever reach the peak, and an Iranian man.

The group calls itself Arabs with Altitude and the expedition was made in an attempt to raise $1 million for education projects in Nepal.

Image: Raha Moharrak on being “first”. Mt. Everest aerial view via Wikimedia Commons. Select to embiggen.

Congratulations Raha!

“What will our children do in the...

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 14:00:00 +0200

“What will our children do in the morning

if they do not see us fly?”

Classic shot of Toby and Helen Kinuthia: the team of century!...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 02:04:25 +0200

Classic shot of Toby and Helen Kinuthia: the team of century! Hard to think of the Olympics with a team as star studded as this one. Go Africa!

Standard Digital Article on Toby, Sibusiso, Flying Kites, Expedition Everest and our girl: HELEN!

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 19:52:29 +0200

Standard Digital Article on Toby, Sibusiso, Flying Kites, Expedition Everest and our girl: HELEN!

“I am thrilled to have been selected to join Expedition...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:51:27 +0200

“I am thrilled to have been selected to join Expedition Everest. To climb Everest has been a dream of mine since I was a child, and to be able to do so on behalf of my country and my continent is an honor.” -Helen Kinuthia

Expedition Everest is pleased to announce Helen Kinuthia as the...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 22:43:32 +0200

Expedition Everest is pleased to announce Helen Kinuthia as the Kenyan climber who will be joining forces with Toby Storie-Pugh in Spring of 2014 to climb Mt. Everest. Not only will Helen be the first Kenyan to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, but she will also be the first African woman to reach the tallest climbable summit in the world.

Toby being interviewed by KAMEME FM in Nairobi on Expedition...

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 03:49:00 +0200

Toby being interviewed by KAMEME FM in Nairobi on Expedition Everest and the final five candidates. Now that they have all successfully climbed Mt. Kenya as a test run, Toby has chosen his teammate and he or she will be revealed this weekend. Stay close!

Sunset from the first night at Old Moses Camp on Mt. Kenya,...

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:47:00 +0200

Sunset from the first night at Old Moses Camp on Mt. Kenya, evening of July 14th.

Above are the final five candidates ready to take on Mt....

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:16:00 +0200

Above are the final five candidates ready to take on Mt. Kenya… and only the mountain knows what Toby Storie-Pugh has up his sleeve for these five unsuspecting climbers. Let’s see if they can muster enough sense of humor and determination to score them a spot on team Expedition Everest. Only one spot available and five very impressive Kenyans.

In order of appearance: Helen, Amanda, Mohamed, Chris, Steve

An exciting segment broadcasted on Kenya’s national...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 22:52:00 +0200

An exciting segment broadcasted on Kenya’s national television station, “KTN” featuring Expedition Everest. Take a look!!!

The Selection Process

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 02:41:48 +0200

A recap on Round 1 interviews from July 4th.

It was a very exciting day at the Hilton Hotel Nairobi, and we couldn’t be more thrilled that they graciously opened their doors to us for the selection process. Thank you Hilton!

There were 22 applicants. Toby and Sibusiso were able to narrow it down to five remaining candidates, 2 women (Helen & Amanda) and 3 men (Mohamed, Christopher, & Steve.) The 22 interviewees had 30 minutes each to talk about their climbing experience, tell a joke, discuss what the word “risk” means to them, and expound upon the impact they foresee having on Expedition Everest in the event that they are chosen to make the climb. Needless to say there were five very impressive candidates (mentioned above) so BIG CHEERS and an ecstatic HOO-RAH to them. We wish them the best of luck in the upcoming weeks.

The final five will be making the climb up Mt. Kenya as a test of endurance, attitude, motivation, drive, and heart. Let’s see how these young Kenyans take on the summit with Toby Storie-Pugh and Sibusiso Vilane as their mentors with a reporter from the National Newspaper not too far behind taking stock of every step.

Good luck to all!

Selection process begins July 4th at the Hilton Nairobi, and we...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:32:00 +0200

Selection process begins July 4^th at the Hilton Nairobi, and we are excited as all to get the interview process going as we have some very strong candidates both male and female. We are almost at our goal of 20 applicants. Here is a shot of Toby being interviewed by Citizen TV, Kenya’s fastest growing local television channel. Big thanks to Citizen TV for the news spot and interview! Toby is getting the word out about Expedition Everest and specifically asking local mountain climbing/adventure enthusiast to apply. We are looking for the best possible candidate who is courageous, and just as passionate about EE as we are… and we’re nearly there! The person who is selected by the committee will be on their way to train on Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. We wonder who is walking around Nairobi right now, not knowing that they soon will be picked to join the Adventure Challenge of a lifetime! But maybe they can’t get the idea of joining us out of their head—propelling them closer to being chosen. Hey—If you put it out to the universe, the universe responds! Good luck to all our interviewees!!

If you are a Kenyan citizen and harbor an ambition to climb Mount Everest apply at www.expeditioneverest.org — 2 days left!

mountainousness: Sunset on Mount Everest by Larry He on...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:14:26 +0200

mountainousness:

Sunset on Mount Everest by Larry He on Flickr.

Okay, so you may be wondering, who is THIS guy, and what has he...

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:37:15 +0200

Okay, so you may be wondering, who is THIS guy, and what has he got to do with Expedition Everest?

He is Sibusiso Vilane, a man Nelson Mandela dubs a “real hero.” Former president Thabo Mbeki reveled in the pride felt by all South Africans upon the recognition of Sibu’s astounding feats: he has summited the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents- with a double summit of Mt. Everest from both the North and South sides-as well as reaching the North and South Poles on foot, the explorer’s ‘Grand Slam’! He is an inspiration to us all as he continues to set himself huge challenges, and does so with grace and always with a philanthropic goal in mind. In 2005, when he climbed Everest for the second time, he successfully raised $40,000 for children’s charities. Needless to say, he understands what drives us, just as we understand what drives him.

Naturally, we were anxious to have him on the selection committee that is tasked with finding the Kenyan climber who will join us on our 2014 climb to the top of Everest. We are thrilled that Sibusiso agreed to join us in Kenya this July to help us find the man or woman who will become our teammate! We could not be more pleased to be working beside him as we have a shared vision to change the world, one adventure at a time. Sibu says, “You’ve got to dream and then you have to set out to achieve that dream. There will always be challenges, but it’s about being persistent and not giving up.” We couldn’t agree more.

For more information on Sibusiso Vilane, visit his webpage at www.sibusisovilane.com

Meet our Western climber, Toby Storie-Pugh: an adventurous,...

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:03:00 +0200

Meet our Western climber, Toby Storie-Pugh: an adventurous, challenge-seeking, problem-solving, mountain-climbing-enthusiast who NEVER stops, even when he passes the finish line.

This strong-willed and bold spirited man co-founded Flying Kites Global in 2008 with two equally ambitious women, Justine Axelsson and Leila De Bruyne, and since then, have hit the ground running with incredible programs to raise money for their school in Kenya. One of the programs, Flying Kites Adventure Challenges, allows for people to marry their adventures and philanthropic pursuits, raising money through sponsorships to go on once-in-a-life-time daring adventures such as (you guessed it) mountain climbing! plane jumping, borough biking, marathon running, rafting, camping, etc. If it’s crazy enough to think of, chances are, the program encourages it.

It’s safe to say Expedition Everest is the biggest adventure challenge yet, pioneered by the nutty social-enterpriser himself: Toby Storie-Pugh, with a Mt. Everest size target of $500,000 dollars to raise for Flying Kites Global. For Toby, climbing Mt. Everest is “the idea that won’t away.” For the rest of us, it is an exciting, selfless, and courageous fundraising initiative, one that makes us question (or not question) our own comforts and what one is capable of achieving when determined, inspired, or just plain loony. The success of this campaign will prove indeed, that anything is possible, and if mountains must be climbed to challenge the aptitude, integrity, and generous spirit housed within the human heart, mind, and body, well then… Everest awaits.

one of our favorite quotes, spotted! “IF YOUR DREAMS DO...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:52:00 +0200

one of our favorite quotes, spotted!

“IF YOUR DREAMS DO NOT SCARE YOU THEY ARE NOT BIG ENOUGH”

There is an orphan crisis in Kenya. Right now, there are 2...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:06:00 +0200

There is an orphan crisis in Kenya. Right now, there are 2 million children orphaned in Kenya, and approximately 60,000 of those children are in desperate need of help. Many of them are forced to forage the city’s garbage dumps for food, beg and steal as means to survive, and many female children are forced to live as prostitutes and slaves. Through our volunteer work we have seen first-hand the plight of the Kenyan child and the heart-wrenching inadequacies of their care. In traditional orphanages children often exist on subsistence diets, have little social development and no attachment, and receive poor education due to the lack of teachers and learning materials. It is no wonder that the cycle of poverty continues. These children are not given the critical tools needed to pull themselves out of this brutal self-sustained and systemic cycle.

It is our mission to ensure that the children we care for are given these tools and that they are equipped with the resources, which will allow them to build relationships, seek out opportunities, and, most importantly, recognize what they need to live a life of true fulfillment.

At Expedition Everest we will go to great heights - the greatest height! - to make sure our children do not have to face these challenges alone. We hope to show them what it takes to achieve fulfillment in one’s life, to demonstrate the courage it takes to commit to a goal and to chase it relentlessly, and to show that experiencing fear, self-doubt and enduring yet inevitable setbacks merely means you are on the right track. The summit beckons.

tin-kid-tourist: Himalayan Mountains. Photo: ESA

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:55:26 +0200

tin-kid-tourist:

Himalayan Mountains. Photo: ESA

Expedition Everest is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:40:00 +0200

Expedition Everest is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the mission to climb Mt. Everest in the Spring of 2014. It is an initiative to raise 2 million dollars for Flying Kites, our sister NGO, and to help the first Kenyan climber to reach Mt. Everest’s summit. Flying Kites is an organization that provides remarkable health care, housing, and education for Kenya’s most vulnerable children. As global citizens, we believe it is our responsibility and our heart’s work to create a sound support system for Kenya’s orphaned, abandoned, and abused children so that they are able to compete on a level global platform. By developing their imagination, resolution, and commitment we will help them to first identify and then to pursue their goals. It is our dream to one day be standing on the summit of Mt. Everest; we wish to show our children that no ambition is too lofty if you dare to start and are determined to finish. As each arduous step brings us closer to the summit, we will be raising awareness of the plight of the world’s most desperate children, and encouraging bold engagement from our readers, our sponsors, and our friends. As a community of those that have both the imagination to dream and the courage to dare, we will be able to change our reality, and the world.