In Louis Alexander’s new pursuit of adventure, he has taken on a journey of reliance, perseverance, humility and most all, a powerful willingness to climb Western Europe's tallest mountain, Mont Blanc.
The journey of gaining ground on such exponential height is one that requires rigorous training. To tell us more about his personal journey in the climb, Louis Alexander spoke with HOP about him pursuing a once in a lifetime opportunity to achieve a goal in conquering the mammoth heights of reaching Mont Blanc’ summit of 4,809m.
After completing an exceptional row on the English Channel, Louis was keeping the momentum up for his next adventure in telling HOP “the turnover from the row to the climb was only 4 weeks, but fortunately I finished the English Channel crossing with no injuries, so was able to start preparation for the climb quickly. Training wise, I switched from the rowing machine back to running and on the treadmill at incline.”
Soon after the training was complete, Louis was underway to Italy as he said “during my acclimatisation and preparation, I climbed a mountain called Gran Paradiso, which is the tallest peak in Italy at 4,061m. Around 5 hours into summit day, after moving our way through the snow, slowly but steadily zig-zagging up the mountain, I reached the scramble at the peak. This was rock with exposure of over 1,000m drops to the sides, and required full focus and composure. This was my first proper mountaineering experience, and despite being out of my comfort zone, I remained composed and focused. It was an incredible experience!”
After becoming accustomed to the mountains, Louis was underway in preparing for Mont Blanc. Louis told HOP “during our briefing on the first night, my guide, Fabio, explained he hadn’t successfully summited Mont Blanc during the season yet because of the high winds and a new crevasse problem near the ridge. Any decisions regarding the safety would ultimately remain in Fabio’s hands on the mountain. I decided then on the first night, I would only focus on what I could control: hydration, food, mindset and staying injury free. As the week continued, the high winds continued and proved unpromising. I knew if the opportunity opened up with the weather and conditions, I would summit. Luckily on Friday 10th June, the winds dropped down and at 15:22 I reached the summit of the tallest mountain in Western Europe.”
This extraordinary accomplishment done by Louis was made to support Walking With The Wounded, which Louis said “ I climbed in support of the incredible charity Walking With The Wounded, who support our wounded veterans with reintegrating back into society, through mental health support, employment and much more. I was humbled to become an Ambassador for the charity at the end of last year, which made it particularly special to hold their flag at the summit of the tallest peak in the Alps, at 4,809m.”
Louis is no stranger to perseverance, and soon after conquering the mighty mountains, Louis told HOP “this year I’ve done three challenges so far, across three different disciplines: running, rowing and mountaineering. Up next I’m going to explore another endurance sport, and this time it's ocean swimming!
I am going to attempt to swim from Europe to Asia by crossing the Hellespont and Dardanelles in Turkey which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.”
There is no doubt that Louis Alexander is a force who is accelerating in achieving incredible international feats of endurance. To contribute to such a great cause you can donate on https://givepenny.com/louismontblanc and follow Louis’s adventures on his blog below.
www.louisalexander.org/post/climbing-the-tallest-mountain-in-western-europe