Mont Blanc Documentary

“AFTER I COMPLETED THE SOLO SEA TO CITY ROW LAST YEAR RAISING OVER £15,000 FOR CANCER RESEARCH, I HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR MY NEXT CHALLENGE WHEN I WAS ASKED BY KIRA EGGERS TO DOCUMENT A CELEBRITY CHARITY CLIMB OF MONT BLANC: RAISE TO THE TOP 2018. EVEN BETTER: I HAD JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS TO PREPARE AND TRAIN FOR IT.”

“The climb raised money for NACOA.org.uk (Children of alcoholics) and www.bornsvilkar.dk og Børnetelefonen (neglected children), with the likes of Calum and Angie Best, David McIntosh, Sophie Grace Holmes and Rikke Goransson, among others.

“While Mont Blanc is often marketed as a ‘tough hike’ this label is something that authorities have tried to change as many often underestimate the difficulty and danger of climbing Mont Blanc. The week in Chamonix included a training climb of Gran Paradiso, climbing training in Chamonix, and the three day climb of Mont Blanc, and our guides made sure we were certain of the dangers during this time.

“Documenting this was no easy feat; limited pack space before even considering photography equipment, along with the additional weight, meant I had to carefully consider my equipment options to capture both stills and video throughout the climb. After some discussions with the guides, it was decided that while the usual practice at the higher altitudes would be around three people tethered together, I would ascend as a pair with one guide, giving me the flexibility to move between the groups and capture material as I needed.

“While this definitely gave the best outcome for photography, it really put the demand on physical fitness. We would start at the front, move between the groups, and then after letting the final group pass, would work to catch up to the front again. Exhausting, challenging photography, but undoubtedly the most rewarding project to date…

““Ç'putain est vite!” is probably the best thing I heard up that mountain.”

— Rory Gullan