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 Everest 2004 Expedition: Moonshadow Step by Step for MS takes on Mount Everest | ||||||||
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| The Latest News is here It takes a certain kind of profound and hardnosed optimism to take a setback and turn it into a triumph. It's the sort of optimism you'll find when you encounter Iain Gibb, Sandy Gascoigne and their organization Moonshadow. Iain was fresh out of school with a degree in construction management when he faced a recession in the UK building industry. Without prospects in his chosen trade Iain turned to mountaineering and spent six months in the Karacorrum Himalayas of Pakistan. Further travel took him to over 70 countries in Europe, Asia and South America before settling in Austria.
Austria brought a new phase to Iain's life. He worked in a bar, taught English, golf and met his girlfriend Sandy. Like Iain Sandy, who was born in Michigan and grew up in Utah, had a love of the outdoors and the mountains. She spent summers with her family camping and hiking in the red rock canyons. Winter and its frozen slopes provided further opportunity for adventures in skiing and hiking. Sandy would bring another awareness into Iain's life, one that would lead to the founding of Moonshadow and a quest to conquer Mount Everest. Just before leaving to spend a year in Brussels while her father was on sabbatical Sandy's mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Although the symptoms were mild at first as the disease progressed it created greater difficulties for Sandy's mother and had a greater impact on Sandy and her family.
Iain first got the idea of climbing Everest to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (as opposed to climbing it as a personal accomplishment) in 2003 from an article on Pro-Golfer Colin Montgomerie who mentioned that climbing the world's tallest mountain for the benefit of charity was a goal of his own. Iain optimistically fired off a letter offering to join Montgomerie's expedition only to find that any eventual expedition would be years off, after Montgomerie finished his playing career. The golfer was however interested in how things went with Iain's own project. Although not able to climb Everest with one of his favorite golfing legends the exchange did cement in Iain's own mind just how much he wanted to climb the mountain. After a heart-to-heart talk Sandy agreed. They would climb Everest as part of a Multiple Sclerosis fund-raising project. And so Moonshadow was born with the goal of raising money for MS and climbing Everest as the vehicle. Capable and experienced climbers Dave Pritt and Jill Pinkerton, of the British-based Adventure Peaks climbing company, will lead Iain and Sandy's Everest project. The expedition will kick-off from the Nepalese capital Katmandu and is scheduled from March 29th through June 3rd. The expedition will cross the border into Tibet and take the North-East Ridge route to the summit. Another of Moonshadow's supporters is best-selling self-help author Allen Carr. Iain was impressed by the Carr's work after using one of his books to stop smoking. Iain contacted Carr regarding the Everest Project and Moonshadow. Carr replied that he was both proud and humbled that Iain could use the methods in his books as motivation and inspiration for the climb. He also wished Iain and his team the best not only in the arduous task of climbing Everest but in the incredibly worthwhile and important act of fund-raising for MS. Iain and Sandy know that even under the leadership of experienced mountaineers like Pritt and Pinkerton there will be risks on the expedition. There will be times when they will be tired, cold and hungry but with the support, generosity and encouragement of the people behind them, they are optimistic. If things go well Moonshadow and its good people and good works will find success on Everest. Much more on their expedition in the coming weeks... How to donate Project MoonShadow To donate In Switzerland and from all other countries please e-mail us
They are currently working to register MoonShadow as a charitable foundation.
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