Super Supporter Climbs the Combined Heights of Ben Nevis, Mont Blanc & Everest for Golddigger Trust!

Conquering Everest is the adventurer's pinnacle. Months, if not years of training are required prior to any serious attempt to scale the world's tallest peak. Many are forced to turn back due to adverse weather, altitude sickness or simply the severity of the challenge itself. So how could anyone possibly climb this behemoth as well as two of Europe's highest mountains in the space of two and a bit weeks!?

Dave Stout, husband of Golddigger Trust CEO, Beth decided to take on this near impossible mission. But he required no altitude training, specialist equipment or logistical plans prior to his attempt - he just needed his staircase!

Speaking about the challenge prior to starting, Dave said "rather than running or walking, I wanted to do something different." Of course, climbing 15km using only his staircase at home was the next logical solution!! 

Dave would probably admit he didn't fully realise just how physically demanding a challenge this would actually be. He'd originally aimed to scale his stairs around 333 times a day for 15 days (close to 5,000 flights in total!). On reaching the 'base camp' checkpoint on his Everest ascent, having already climbed the heights of Ben Nevis and Mont Blanc, Dave posted on his Just Giving page "Legs are hurting, in particular my left ankle which definitely has something wrong with it. Not sure what but it’s not happy!"

During the challenge, Dave caught the attention of the local media, speaking on BBC Radio Sheffield with Sarah Major, who followed his achievements on Twitter. He also featured in an article in the Sheffield Star newspaper. All this publicity meant Dave could promote his challenge and Golddigger Trust to a much wider audience.

We wanted to recognise Dave's unbelievable effort and thank him for being a fundraising superhero for Golddigger Trust. He set out an initial target of £5,000 on his Just Giving page and his total currently exceeds £6,300 before Gift Aid!!!

On his completion of his challenge, Dave said "I was blown away by people's generosity. Before I'd even begun climbing the stairs we'd passed the original target of £1,500. So I decided to aim for £5K which felt like an impossible task but almost unbelievably it reached that target, and then surpassed it by over a grand more! Throw in gift aid and the total was nearly £7,500! It's amazing that by simply climbing stairs (albeit loads of times) people would support the brilliant work of Golddigger Trust".

Dave's Just Giving page is still open for donations. If you wish to visit, please do so by clicking here