Oxfordshire man raises nearly £6,000 for charity climbing the Andes
He climbed around 5,100 metres above sea level
An Oxfordshire man has climbed mountains in the Andes and has raised nearly £6,000 for two charities.
Chris Hurdman, 64, a veteran and market stall holder from Oxford, climbed more than 5,100 metres above sea level, reaching the summit of Mount Bonete in Argentina.
"Sleep deprivation and the lack of oxygen was tough"
It was part of his attempt to climb the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas, Aconcagua, which is one of the ‘Seven Peaks’ and sits at an elevation of 6,961 metres.
Mr Hurdman said: “I was the oldest on there, but I felt strong in my ability to carry on walking and climbing but the incline was pretty brutal.
“I trained hard physically; I was doing up to 60 kilometres a week. I was on the bike, the rowing machine, and believe it or not, being a market trader helps when you're when you're on your feet for 12 or 14 hours a day without stopping.
“But night time - the sleep deprivation and the lack of oxygen was tough, so you can get pretty down at night time.”
Mr Hudman says that his experience in the military helped with “the mental discipline helps and those values that they teach you.”
"Raise the profile and show what ordinary people can do"
The money raised will be split equally between Helen and Douglas House and REACT which is an emergency and crisis response charity, operating in the UK and overseas.
Mr Hurdman said: “I have a friend, whose son uses Helen and Douglas House, and she and her husband are wonderful people.
“They're very inspiring, you never see them without a smile on their face and because I've known them for so long, I thought that this was something that I wanted to do to help.”
He added: “It's about raising the awareness of these two charities and obviously the money is a bonus.
“They both need vast amounts of money to keep the their organisations going, but for me it's trying to raise the profile and show what ordinary people can do.”
The veteran says it was like “being on a different planet” as he was surrounded by “some of the most Amazing places that I've ever been”.
He said: I’ve never been to Argentina, never been to South America but, going through the Vacas Valley is probably one of the most amazing places that I've ever been.
“The colours, change the rocks, change from greenery to a little bit more barren, but it's still very, very beautiful.”
You can find Chris’ fundraiser here