 Good evening everyone and thank you for joining us, just waiting for a few more people to join us this evening, so we'll be starting very shortly. Hello Alex, can you hear me okay. Yeah, as always all sounds good. Excellent. Excellent. Everyone can see me and can see my background and wants to play along you can have a guess at where this picture was taken. I don't know how big I am in most people's screens so it's maybe a bit difficult but if you can, you can see and maybe guess where Alex is as well. If anyone wants to have a guess at that, you can put your answers in the chat chat box, or just play along at home without without showing your answers. We will give you your answers as well in a minute. I'm not quite sure where mine was to be honest. Oh no. Yours does look a little bit like Scout Scar and Kendall until you realise how far away it is. Is that somewhere near Bristol? It is, yeah, yeah. I'm warm, I'm warm. Someone says Spain. I think it does look a bit like Spain actually. It was after the dry spell in the last few months. Yours is a bit greener so I would assume it's late district or somewhere. It was taken by a friend, Dan, a couple weeks ago actually up near Ulzwater. I've given it away but I need to guess which mountain I was on. So actually I've had one correct answer so far. Anyway, we'll make a start. My background is Cheddar Gorge actually. Great, thank you very much for joining us this evening. I just posted something in the chat. If anyone's got any questions for Alex as we go along then please feel free to pop your questions in there. And I'll be keeping an eye on it so if I look like I'm looking down then I'm just checking the chat so I can put as many questions to Alex as possible. Obviously if you're on Zoom that's great, you can use the chat box. If you're watching us on Facebook because we're streaming live to Facebook then please use the comments section down underneath the video. And you can pop your comments in there and they should reach me as well. I've got someone looking out for those. So I'll try and get a few through as many as possible in the next half an hour, 40 minutes. Fantastic, so it's really great to have Alex here. He's an endurance athlete, award-winning author. He's charity fundraiser, mental health campaigner. The list is endless really Alex. And it's been a while since we caught up. I think I saw you about four years ago when you were doing a few talks in Bristol and Covent Garden and Manchester. And then you just come back from Everest but obviously quite a few things have changed since then. How's lockdown been for you the last few months? Yeah, well it's great to be here Mark. And again I think last time I saw you would have been Artinalis Brigham Talk, proud to be an ambassador for the brand. That's another thing on the list. I think since lockdown when it was start really, I think this year we need to just plug it in and start again. It's been really interesting. Most of the challenges we get to choose but this thing has been completely out of our hands and we've kind of been dragged along if we like it or not. And in some ways I felt quite grateful. I've managed quite well during this time. I've had a lot that I felt thankful for and for me it's been fairly easy compared to some. As an introvert I've really enjoyed the time alone and just that sort of space. But equally it's brought us challenges. It really hasn't been tough at times. I think all of us have had our resilience on the test. And I guess now we're coming to see some kind of light at the end of this tunnel. I'm just having to adapt as best we can but I think obviously being self-employed, that's been a very uncertain time. And yeah, it's been kind of nice to have sort of a change in pace but equally like many people, plans and goals that have been put on hold have been taken out of my hands and we can't quite see the top of the mountain yet. I was always trying to kind of find the opportunities, trying to find the positives, trying to help with people on the way. But also at times I found it really quite difficult. And I think it wasn't for the ability to run and get outside and just to find some perspective and hope. I genuinely don't know how I would have handled it and I felt incredibly grateful that I've got the hills on my doorstep. I've said healthy, I've not been in a high-risk group or my family are well. So yeah, lots of grateful thought but I think all of us have been on this roller coaster and we have all been in the same storm but we're not all in the same boat. Yeah, totally agree with that and I've been going for more runs than normal and it has been a real saviour at times. So that's great, that's good to hear. And last time we met, you kindly gave me a copy of your book, Icefall. And when I was coming to sort of organise this talk, I sort of reread your autobiography and the words that kind of came to mind about you, that sort of described you and particularly over the last five years what you've achieved, a sort of resilient, I think you said it there and determined and very driven. But that's quite different from the person you were when you were younger who pretty much hated sports and you very much suffered a lot of adversity from bullying to your stammer and things like that. Yeah, do you feel that you've obviously used or channeled that adversity in a really positive way over the last few years? Do you feel it's been your kind of motivation? Definitely, to go back to where the journey started, I was never a typical outdoors candidate. I was lucky to be brought up near the forest and came in the countryside, so I always enjoyed being out walking the dogs, but in terms of any challenges of physical sports, I was never really into that. I think when I was about nine years old, things really changed for me because I was diagnosed with a mild form of epilepsy. I was brought under control, but was just a catalyst for a whole host of other challenges such as anxiety and panic attacks, having a bad stammer ever since I've been able to speak, which comes and goes where it likes, but like Donald Trump. And it's just been, it was a really unlikely journey, I was relentlessly bullied throughout my entire time at school, so my confidence was down in the valley. Even having a seizure in McDonald's when I was about nine, meant that even the smell of fast food could cause a panic attack. So going through school was really spent just trying to manage this anxiety, while some of my friends were more interested in football and PlayStation and so on. And that really sent me on a different path. Now, finally outdoors by chance when I was about 13 or 14 was that really kind of life changing moment for me because I finally found somewhere where I, you know, where I belong. I found a way to fight back to prove myself to prove all the bullies wrong. And suddenly your mindset shifts, you know, you become, you kind of move from this victim mindset to a victory mindset, and realizing that actually the biggest barrier was myself. You know, I started to realize that actually I had a choice. We don't always get to choose our challenges like now, but we can choose how we respond. Absolutely the outdoors was a way that where it was only myself versus the, you know, versus the environment. I wasn't being held back by anything else and that was where the confidence this passion came from and from the early age, sent me on this journey to keep on challenging myself keep on finding out what else I could overcome. And ultimately now using those experiences to try and inspire people to overcome their challenges. Fantastic. So there may be people watching this who possibly don't know that you've, you've attempted ever as twice but I can't really speak to you Alex without maybe talking about Everest. I'm sure you, you may be tired of talking about it because you've done so much since but one of the questions I wanted to ask about ever so you attempted it. That's when you were 18, I think 2013. And then again, in 2015, both both times massive setback from an avalanche on your first trip to the big earthquake in the second trip. The question I wanted to say was, you know, on that second trip you were your tent or was it your first trip got your tent got taken out. And you should have been in your 10th to some extent. And how did you deal really with it, the sort of disappointment when you you returned home of both those trips that had obviously been a long time in the making for them to be taken out of your hands you were just talking about controlling the controllable sort of thing but yeah. I mean both trips are very different. And I guess you, many people would argue it wasn't so much a long time in the making because I'd kind of been able to do a lot in a short time and gone from, you know, setting the goal setting the deadline, actually four years later, being at every space camp. That wasn't necessarily an approach that I would recommend it wasn't necessarily approach I take now but I was able to put the steps in place to actually make a goal of reality. You know, in the Alps climbing then Scotland, then 7,000 meter peak in Himalayas so I'd, you know, I've taken a, I wouldn't say a very shortcut approach, but a very unconventional approach to Everest. And so, even if it hadn't necessarily been a lifetime goal for many, for many people they might spend, you know, 10 20 30 years training and you know moving towards Everest. For me it was the ultimate goal it was the ultimate achievement that ultimate way to overcome, you know, all these early challenges, and I wanted it more than anything. So I guess even in a short time there was still about emotional investment there. So naturally yet there's a massive disappointment. I think the key lesson to me from the first trip in 2014 was that actually, you know the mountain doesn't give a damn how hard you've worked how much you've spent. I mean it taken a year of fundraising, trying to raise about 35,000 pounds in corporate sponsorship, whilst working in a pub washing pots, you know, nothing glamorous about that. So essentially I dedicated more than a year just to that alone. And, and then you realize that actually, you know, mountaineering is very much a gamble. Like anything in life you learn you have two choices you can see as an excuse you can complain you can feel sorry for yourself or you can think okay what's the opportunity. You know failure becomes another chance to win. So, yeah, you feel very frustrated and very reactive, but then quickly you start to have to accept it to be able to move forward. So, you know, I was lucky to come home safely there was an avalanche, which kills 16 people, you know, we didn't get to go on the mountain itself. So took that year to fundraise more to, to, you know, change my approach and training. So this peak you can see in the picture was the highest peak of Switzerland the DOM. That was one of the peaks of climb that that summer after Everest. Ultimately, you know, you just you turn it into a positive. And in hindsight, it becomes a positive thing. So 2015 went back to the mountain and this time was obviously very different because we were on the mountain when the Nepal earthquake hits. We were trapped at Camp 1 for two days. We got hit by a big power avalanche, but actually we were in the safest place of all because sadly 22 people have died at base camp, including three of our own team. So naturally that was a very different process because you know you don't care about the call at that point. You know you come home with this guilt this horrible confusion really you know you don't really want to be anywhere. And I guess for me it's that sense of you know why them why not me dealing with seeing base camp devastated destroyed and you know dreams can be replaced but lives can't. So that was a longer process definitely. So true. And from. So, so after you've been to the Everest the second time you sort of came back and it feels you threw yourself into sort of charity work and raising a lot of money from Nepal to help them rebuild after the avalanche. And then charities like Young Minds sort of culminating in in winning winning an award for for raising all this money is that is that. I think yeah when it came back the natural response was to raise money for charity, you know for the for the people in Nepal I mean over 9,000 people have been killed by the earthquake. It's only a very, very tiny part of that. And so you've seen this beautiful country, beautiful people that become, you know that become close friends devastated, you know, and people that have so little but give so much and so naturally to kind of cope with that kind of guilt and trauma you have to do something positive so I did a few challenges, you know to do that I decided if I couldn't climb Everest I was going to cycle it. It was a challenge call everything where you cycle the height of Everest in a day. That was good fun. I took about 21 hours on great don't fell in the pen lines. And then that was raising money for the Himalayan Trust. And then I started to work with a charity called phase worldwide been an ambassador for them now three years. We started a series called Walk for Nepal. For the next three years, we've done Benavis scarf or pike and Snowden. I think I think that's raised about 40,000 pounds now, which goes a long way in Nepal. And then did my, probably my biggest challenge today which was climbing UK in 2017, which is the young minds. And that's a kind of story itself. I was actually looking enough to be chosen as the Pride of Britain Granada reports fundraiser of the year so completely expected. But the most incredible recognition that you could ever ever get, you know, to be from, you know, cycling through Scotland in pouring Scottish rain in the middle of nowhere to actually being in a room next to Prince Harry and what have you it's just surreal. Yeah, that's really inspiring. What you did what you did that and what one of the things I mean you touched on it there. The, the climb, all the 100 UK's highest points. And I was going to sort of say, in your book, I saw you, you talk about how obstacles are there to overcome. I think in your kind of challenges that you create for yourself. You sort of, you create an obstacle, and then you sort of challenge yourself to overcome them is, I mean, how do you, how do you come up with these challenges you know it's kind of just interesting to to understand process it's, it's interesting with Everest it was always really instinctive. And I just had this calling and nothing else that had got me quite like that. And after Everest, there was, there was Troy you in Tibet, which is the six highest peak in the world. And surprisingly enough, I didn't reach the top of that either. But that's when I had this kind of shift in thinking towards, you know, what am I, well, had I been in that tent on Everest the year before. I was in the base camp. Obviously, you know, I'm most likely wouldn't be here now. What would I have left behind and start to realize that actually it's not just about the top it's about the journey. So, ultimately, I realized I wanted to do something close to home. And I kind of go through this kind of, almost this entrepreneurial type process where you're trying to find the idea you've got a criteria, I set what, you know, set out what they need to be. And it takes a while, you know, you can be absolutely stressing over an idea because it's not quite right because it's got to find the balance between it's got to be challenging enough that it scares me. And to be on the edge of can I do this is this is this a bit too daft. Is it too easy is it too hard and it's got to find that right balance and essentially I knew I wanted to do something else knew what I wanted to feel like. And for months and months and months I couldn't get it couldn't get it. I've always wanted to do something a bit differently, you know, my whole life has been very unconventional in a number of ways I've never liked the whole beat and track. And I guess Everest wasn't so much unconventional. And then, eventually I think I, I get to the point where I ask friends, you know, I ask people, I ask people for their opinions and I judge their, you know, I judge their response. My mom threatens to break my legs I'm generally nearly there. And then I think towards the end of that year, I got to that point where I was talking about this kind of moment. Where I kind of, you know, imagine that kind of finish line what that summit would look like, and these kind of goosebumps run my arm. I was having a coffee with a friend at the time, and his goosebumps just ran all around. And he just said to me, you know, that's your why you found it. And that was when I knew I had it because I'd only had that feeling when I imagined Everest. So I'm kind of looking for that moment but until then like any idea you've just got to keep on stressing till you get there. Yeah, you've got to almost find something that's just on the edge of challenging and make yourself accountable. You know, once I announce something once I'm committed that's it. The hard part is getting to that point of commitment. Because by that point, you've kind of got no way out, you've got to do it. It's a bit like throwing yourself in the deep end and learning to swim, but I've kind of always done it that way. Yeah, it's just naturally how I approach it really. I think it's a good way to be. I think if you kind of take too much time about it and you sort of take too tentative steps, then you never... What's been your biggest personal challenge, would you say, to date? Obviously, you know... Any outdoors or personal? Both really. I mean, the challenges that you've done and then, yeah, the sort of personal challenges that you've overcome as well. The endurance challenges, I guess, and the personal challenges, what's been the biggest? Good question. I think the thing is they're all part of the same journey because, for me, the physical challenges are a way of overcoming the personal ones. That's what my journey has always been about. And, you know, I think, as you said before, to kind of set yourself a challenge, where we have a choice, whereas we don't have a choice to deal with a lot of the things in our personal lives. But for me, that process, that resilience we would gain along the way is what makes that journey worthwhile. I think, on an adventure perspective, climbing the UK was probably the toughest thing I've done. I mean, that was sort of 5,000 miles of cycling, walking, running, kayaking in 72 days. It only been done once before in that style by Johnny Muir. And kind of, you know, I think I was faster than him, but to be honest, it wasn't so much about that. It was just something very different. A way to engage people around the UK. A way to see so much more of our home soil, which I never appreciated away in the Himalayas, you know, when you're in a tent halfway across the world, actually finding there's so much adventure and possibilities in our home soil. But that challenge really tested me because you've got day after day of effort, you know, cycling up to 222 miles, 18 hour days, all weathers. And it wasn't like lockdown. It was like two and a half months of just rain and wind and everything. And on Everest and on expeditions, you've got a lot of downtime. You spend a lot of time in your tent, eating biscuits, playing cards, waiting for the conditions and waiting for a climatization. On that challenge, I always wanted it to be self supported. So it was just, you know, me and the bike carrying stuff most of the time. And that day to day effort combined with not eating enough and a few kind of rookie mistakes. That race against time, you know, was was exhausting. I had everything to deal with, you know, chest infections, a Torah Muslim, a quad on day five. But I had the most amazing support people really got behind it. It raised a lot of money because people would love that home adventure and the mental health story. So that that was the Everest I never had really. And of course, as you can see, that was the big finale 72 days later bang on schedule. I could have taken more time and it wouldn't have been as physically challenging, but I would have been able to experience it more. But for me, the physical challenge is really important. Personally, though, I mean, I think my biggest challenge is probably mental health problems. You know, I mean, like many people, you know, I've suffered with the peaks and troughs over the years and probably over eight years now. And yeah, I'm, you know, I'm openly talking about that now. But for a long time, I wasn't able to, especially as this adventurer and athlete and speaker. There was this perception of, you know, I'm supposed to be mentally tough, whatever that means. And and yeah, I think I've always been very much an all or nothing type. And then when these disasters or when they were setbacks out of my control, the balance is tipped. And I found myself facing a different kind of Everest. And I think that could be a very, very difficult, very hopeless place. You know, for me, having challenges, having that purpose is what's got me through. But ultimately, you know, that was inspiration behind climbing UK was it took me, it took me longer to get an NHS appointment than to actually cycle, run and walk around the highest point of all the counties, which is quite worrying when you think about it. And I was lucky that I had the outdoors as a way to try and manage that, you know, to get me through. But I think, you know, anxiety, depression, underneath a disorder, you know, which started because of an injury when I couldn't run. I think it's, yeah, it's a different kind of mountain. But ultimately, you know, the outdoors and having these challenges is what's given me a way through. And hopefully to help other people talk about it as well, you know, to kind of put the hand up first. Because it took me a long time to do that. And actually, by speaking out, it's helped other people too as well. And I think I think that's really important. And good for you for doing that and writing about it as well in your book as well. It's kind of an easy thing to do. And I'm going to dip into a few questions from people. If that's okay. So Richard Ellis asks, everest aside, would you go back to Nepal? Hi Richard. Yeah, well, Richard has saved my skin on quite a few challenges up to date. So hi, Rich. I presume it's the same one, but you know, there's only one. Aside from Everest, I mean, I love Nepal. I've been lucky to go there five times now. And the most rewarding trip I've actually had out there was my last one in 2017. After climbing UK, I was out there on half of a charity, just, you know, just trying to actually visit, you know, you know, I want to actually see some projects out in the very, very rural Nepal. And see what the real Nepal's like away from tourist side. And that was phenomenal. You know, you're in the type of, you're in the places where the kids are walking over mountains to get to school. You know, where they have to walk a day to get to the nearest shop. It's amazing. And I got to see some of the friends and people that I haven't seen since the earthquake. It was so emotional. I think mentally and I think this, I think kind of, I think spiritually I had to almost put some of those memories to bed, you know, because I'll never forget what we saw out there. So that was an amazing trip and I'd love to go back, but I think at the moment I've just got so many other things and projects on that it's fine at the time really. As for the big mountains Everest and high mountains, I mean, it's, it I'm too young to say never, it's just not yet. There's bigger and more rewarding challenges, I think close to home now and but going out there just to enjoy it was phenomenal. Simon Lewis, Lewis asks, what is the one thing you cannot do without on any of your any adventure expedition? Is it a piece of kit you always have with you or is it a sentimental or motivational item? Hi Simon, again, asked is Simon helped out on the Waterford and Paul events himself. So let me think. It sounds very hypocritical, but I think my phone and not because I want to be on, you know, you know, on Facebook, you know, social media, but I think just to have music. I think in the moments and the really tough times, it's been able to play music has really got me through. I've always kind of enjoyed music and I think sometimes when you're on your own for long periods of time and challenges, it can be a real motivator. So not necessarily to have the signal and distractions because you want to get the time away from that. That's the whole point. But having music or some sort of music player for me. I think is is always very much a piece of mine thing as well. And I think a decent waterproof which I didn't have on climate UK. I made a big mistake there. And I think that was that's always a that's always a blessing really so yeah. And music player and I'm probably going to probably going to forget something else really because I have so much kit with me on, you know, on these things. But that's always the life saver for me. It's amazing how if you're too wet or too cold, how it can suck any kind of enthusiasm, enthusiasm out of you, isn't it? I recall a time I was, I was, I think it was on the climate UK challenge with I was in the middle of a club, then Africa, one of the most remote valleys in Scotland, and I had a bit of a meltdown because it was wet, cold, exhausted, scared alone. And it was, it was one of those days when you kind of can't see the top and then you then cloud lifts and you realise it's a false summit and the real ones miles away. I just think I sat there and cried to myself. And it was, I think it was rune rigged lot loam and came on came on the and I was just belting out singing along at full volume because there was nobody around to hear. And it's amazing what it can do for the spirits. Yeah. Yeah, it can be a great motivator. Thanks for your comment. Just just go to this question, I think. Yeah, I want to just talk, we'll dip into a few other questions a minute, but I just want to talk about, sort of mental health for a minute, I know you've obviously touched on it already. you touched on social media, particularly there. You said about carrying your phone, although you said that it's not because you want to be on social media, but I just want to know what's your thoughts on social media and it's kind of rolling adventures and mental health. On one side, it obviously helps someone like yourself communicate that you've been there and done that, and I know that's not necessarily the purpose of what you do. But on the other, it's all this screen time and all this seeing other people do stuff is can't be that good for mental health. Well, it's kind of not, is it? I think it's been proven that it's not. So just get your thoughts on that. Really interesting question. And yeah, I mean, I do enjoy being able to share the adventures and the moments with people. I do enjoy getting to share those stories and it's not about, you know, look where I am. It's just, I love being able to try and put that into words and try and capture that moment. You know, if I've been on an amazing hill run at sunrise and I just get there, there's this magic feeling that I want to try and capture. And you know, I love being able to share that and see others and get inspired by where they've been. And you know, I want to explore it as well. That's the positive about it. It's about broadening horizons and I'm finding out about things. And I think there's a great online community. I've met so many great friends through, you know, through social media, through the outdoors that when it came to my challenge, they were able to come out and be part of it, which is fantastic. You know, some of those have become great friends. That's lots of the positives, but I think there is a very careful balance. Recently, I've actually kind of just come back from kind of two or three weeks, you know, where I went offline. I think because my work, you know, speaking of writing is very much kind of a creative process and there's only so much energy for that you have and social media can, when you, you know, when you have kind of, you know, when you have sponsors and you do various things, it can become a commitment. And ultimately, you know, it can take a lot of, a lot of your mental energy away, just trying to maintain that. And yeah, it becomes addictive. It's designed to be addictive. And I think if you're already struggling or feeling, you know, feeling bad, it can give you a sense of connection, but also it can make you feel worse. You know, especially if you're not able to do things that others are during lockdown and really feel for the people that haven't been able to get outside as much. I've been lucky that, you know, here in Kendall, I've been able, you know, on my exercises, I can get out and run on the hills. But equally, I felt conscious that other people might be feeling worse about that. So it's something that needs to be managed and I think, and carefully filtered. You know, we have full control over it, of what we see and how we react to it, but at the same time, the real risk of comparison and, you know, feeling inferior. I think it's important to keep check on what we're seeing and how much that is realistic and not using it as some kind of yardstick for ourselves. And after that two, three weeks away, just reducing the stress of having to respond to things and just to check things when we find ourselves reaching for our phones instinctively, I think it's healthy because it can become quite consuming. But equally, you know, it's quite nice to go on long runs and see nice things without feeling the need to get a picture for Instagram. But it can be fun as well. So I think there's a careful argument for both. But ultimately, you know, we have to keep in control of that. And I read recently that we spend an average of 24 hours a week on our phones. Whether that's true or not, but you think of how much we can use that time in more beneficial ways to go in the hills sometimes without our phones, just to enjoy it for ourselves without having to get a good picture of it is quite liberating. So, yeah, getting some time off is really good, I think. That's a great answer. Thanks. Thanks, Alex. So next question would be just sticking on on the mental health subject for a little bit longer. I mean, you've created this, you've created Mind Over Mountains, which is, you know, leading on from the sort of social media thing. It is designed to get more people out into the hills. Can you tell us a little bit more about that as well? Yeah, sure. So, yeah, it's a new project. It's almost a charity. You know, we're still in that process now, but at the moment we're a community interest company, so kind of a social enterprise. And we started this about two years ago with Aventure Uncovered, and it's kind of grown from that idea where we wanted to do an event to, you know, help people get in the hills for them, you know, for their mental, you know, physical health. I think for me personally, it's been the most powerful medication I've tried. You know, I've been, you know, on medication, I've been through those various, you know, the various options in treatment, but it took so long to get it that it almost became useless. And for me, it was always getting outside again, having a goal, something to get me out of bed in the morning that actually was a lot more powerful. And I think as a natural intervention, we've lost touch with that. So I really feel that, you know, by staying active and being outside more often, we can prevent a lot of these issues, getting to the where they are. So ultimately, I wanted to help more people access that. And we did an event in the lakes two years ago, which was a big success where we didn't just come, you know, didn't just offer the hill walking, but combine that with NLP, mindfulness, and, you know, and inspirational speakers. So there's that full, like, you know, that full holistic approach, which is a lot more powerful, because there's lots of people just doing days in the hills, but actually having the self-help skills and resilience, I think is really important. Getting people away from the phones for, you know, for, you know, two days, joining a group of people like them, because it can be very isolating. And you have no idea what people are dealing with. You know, I certainly didn't. So I think it's just getting people into that kind of safe space. So ultimately, after the success of that one, we did another event last year, and we had two events planned this year in the lakes and the peaks, which obviously were postponed because of COVID. So naturally, you know, we want to reach out to everybody, you know, who needs us. I think at the moment we've been looking for ways that we can support people that have been affected by the, you know, by the last few months of lockdown, because let's face it, I think our mental health has been affected more than ever. And I think all the challenges of that, you know, people need to reconnect with the outdoors more than ever to support those most affected. So we are doing two events in the lakes and the peaks again, next month where we're doing small groups. So we can also maintain, you know, the max group size. I think the social distancing rules are six at the moment. So we've got kind of smaller ratios and we're doing all the mindfulness, all the coaching, all online instead. Again, you know, more zoom, you know, it's more time on zoom, but hey, you know, we have to adapt. And we're doing that in the short term just as a way to help people get outside safely and responsibly. Because, you know, we've heard a lot of negative news about, you know, the parks and people going there in crowds and we don't want to add to that. So we're doing that and offering bursaries for, you know, people who are unemployed because obviously there's been a lot of financial hardship and also the frontline workers who've had to deal with all the trauma. So if anybody wants to find out more about that, I know you've put a link in the chat to the events and obviously on our site as well. But, you know, we do have bursaries available and access to actually subsidize counseling for people who need it. Because, yeah, we've all had an unclimbed mountain recently, you know, myself included. Oh, that's great. So just for people on Facebook who can't see the link, we will post something on there after this, but it's mindovermountains.org.uk forward slash events. And interestingly, the question that we had from Jennifer Tankard, she asks, it's been great to see so many people get into outdoor fitness during lockdown. And how do you think you can re-energize grassroots outdoors activity post lockdown? So I think that kind of links into what we were just talking about really about mind over mountains. Yeah, I think interesting question. I mean, again, it has been strange, you know, when Boris said that, you know, we were allowed one full exercise, you know, each day, it's like boxing day. Every man and his dogs are walking and it's been lucky that we've had glory sunshine, which has helped. And I think when things are taken away, people appreciate them so much more. And I think that's great. And I hope that habit keeps up. I hope people do realize benefits more of being active every day. I think I'm hoping that because of that, because we've seen an experience that I really hope that will change the attitude and culture towards it and that people will see the importance of, you know, of access to these things in the long term, you know, not just during the lockdown time. And I hope that includes, you know, more funding and more attention to those sort of projects because, you know, after the mental health challenges we've had during this time and during the ongoing uncertainty, I really think that people are going to need that as part of the process to recover. So I think ultimately as well, you know, we've been isolated, we've been disconnected from each other. And I think if we, I think people are going to be very keen to be reconnected. So I think if we keep that as our narrative and, you know, use that as an opportunity, I think that itself will be a good opportunity to set new things up. So I think it's just about bringing people back together is the message for me and, you know, trying to reach out to the people that have been most affected. I think it's hard to see what that might look like because everybody's sort of still working out what's going on. But I think if we've proven the need, so let's hope it changes attitudes. That's great. Alex, campsites reopened this weekend. Have you a favourite campsite or do you just prefer wild camping? I normally stay in hostels. I'm a real wimp, to be honest. Okay. I don't know if that's it for the white chase I'm a bit biased, but I do prefer hostels. And there's some great ones around the UK that I think give you a great base to go off and do things and run. I don't know if the hostels are opening again soon. I do prefer wild camping. I think, you know, I love the whole, just the whole freedom of it being able to be out in the hills and wake up to a sunrise in the mountains for me is magical. But since moving up in Cumbria, I'll be honest, I tend to prefer to get up really early and go back home. So I've not camped on a campsite for a while, but if I had to say a wild camping spot just before lockdown started, you know, me and a friend went up to camp on a home fell near Coniston and just to get a night away from the chaos of what was going on in the world. And then actually it was blissful to see the sunrise over Coniston water and then come back to the news and just, you know, the moon goes flat again. So I think just to get out in the fells and the lakes will be on my list very soon. Yeah, that's great. A few more questions from people then. If I may, the, let's go with, well, actually we'll go with Dom Ainsley who is actually, he also lives in the lakes. He asks, how do you structure your training? So you've been doing quite a lot of running recently. I know he's a big, big runner as well. So yeah, how do you structure your training? Yeah, hi, Dom. On the running side of it, I've come from kind of a row running background. Until recently, you know, I've always kind of, you know, I've trained sort of 5K up to kind of road marathon. And so typically, you know, for me a training week would, you know, it would always be one rest day and then I'd do sort of two or three speed sessions and, you know, a long run, you know, an easy mileage in between. Since moving in the lakes, I've been a bit more freestyle up and doing a lot more in the fells, which I'm sure you know, is a different type of training. And as a result, I've lost my speed and, you know, and I've spent a lot of time falling over instead. Last year was very much, I didn't run at a very good level. I just kind of just enjoy being in the fells and getting to get kind of, you know, to get stronger in the hills instead. I didn't necessarily follow a structured plan other than having a long run every weekend in the fells. And, you know, you know, the uphill race, I felt very frustrated that not really having a goal in mind was difficult to follow any structured plan. So, yeah, more recently, obviously, I've got, you know, I've got my next project in mind. And so I have had a coach which has obviously helped me to have more structure. Generally, it's on a four week cycle, you know, is an easy week, then it builds that a peak week, you know, of mileage intensity. But, you know, as an ultra challenge, I've had to adapt once again because I'm used to speed sessions and, you know, I was good, you know, I go faster, but now I've had to kind of accept myself as a plodder, less intensity, more long, easy mileage, which in some ways has been nice because I've been able to do more and I can see more. So ultimately, yeah, that's what I've been doing recently. I'm now not coach, so I'm now trying to train myself, which I think works well for me. I've always done my own thing. But it's following that kind of schedule really and trying to avoid injuries. So it's my kind of common challenge. Right. Thank you for that. So a question from Heather Lundbeck. I want to do a challenge, but I'm also safety conscious as someone who wants to set themselves a challenge, but isn't sure how to make sure they can do it safely. What would you recommend? What sort of advice would you give in order to allow her to upskill so that she can do something a bit more challenging? Great question, yeah. I think ultimately it depends on what you're interested in, you know, whether it's, you know, you know, it's mountaineering, it's running, it's cycling and what those risks are. I think at the moment, obviously we've got all the frictions in place and it's a bit difficult, you know, I know my challenge is on hold. It's, you know, it's good to go soon, but obviously it's, you know, we're in a pandemic and I've got to be responsible. So I think to have an idea of what those risks are, first and foremost, how you mitigate those, there's always going to be an element of risk. It just depends on how much of those you're willing to take. But ultimately, I think it's, you know, it's getting, you know, the experience in those places. For example, in this mountaineering, it might be doing a skills course first, you know, so you get the good background knowledge as a foundation and if it's running in the hills, you know, it might be to join a club to get more time with people to, you know, to learn, you know, you know, to learn from them. If you're looking at doing, you know, organized events, I mean, again, they have a lot of safety kind of in place in procedures. So I guess it depends what you're looking for really. Most of my challenges have been very much a kind of an independent self-propelled thing where I'm kind of putting myself out there, but ultimately I think it really depends on where you're going to be and then spending a lot of time just building, just I think, you know, you know, I think just actually building up to that, you know, not throwing yourself too much in the deep end, staying within a comfortable level of your expertise and experience so that you're not pushing yourself too far and potentially putting yourself in danger. But ultimately that only comes from experience and practice and you know, you know, you don't climb Everest in a week. You have to climb lots of peaks and the Alps and the Himalayas beforehand. So I think it's just a pragmatic approach and getting advice, being around people that have been there learning from them and yeah, enjoying the process. Yeah, definitely. I think a good place to start is, because you're an outside champion, aren't you? OS. Probably a good place to start is Ordnance Survey and refresh your map skills and depends obviously on what challenge you want to do but you get that confidence. They have a great hub actually on their side for the moment where lots of resources and maps and guides for all sorts of challenges. And I think ultimately it's just to join a club, to be with people like that around you that are doing similar things. And you know, if you're not confident on your own to begin with, then, you know, do a joint challenge, do an organised event just to build up that experience. Yeah, it's great. Great advice, thank you. A few questions that come in around this topic, so I'll ask it. Have, what's your favourite mountain or peak that you've summited? Not many. I think, you know, I love the lakes. I mean, that's why I kind of came up here. It's always been very special because that's where my everest dream was first inspired. And there's so many up here and so many more to do and during lockdown I've been trying to take them off close to home. I think Soutafell, which is near Blancathra, was actually where I had that everest kind of vision and moment. So that will always be special for me. Anywhere in Buttermere, that whole valley, those peaks, I loved a bit, especially on a kind of clear summer night. In terms of bigger peaks, I mean Mont Blanc was my kind of my very first bigish mountain. Summited that at sunrise in July 2012. And yeah, that was a really special moment for me. So I think it's difficult to say a favourite peak. But for me, running in the fells and sunrise in the lakes is magical and it still blows my mind even now. So I think anywhere in the South Lakes, you know, is great for me. But even my local hill, Benson Knot, you know, I can get there within probably half an hour from a front door and it still blows me away. So anywhere up high I'll do, really. Question from Molly Dutton. She says, how do you get into inspirational, motivational speaking? And what do you think makes a good speaker? Really interesting question. Thanks, Molly. And I've been lucky enough that through my challenges, I've kind of had a, you know, it seems I've got a kind of story to share because, you know, I'm now fortunate enough that I'm able to speak to, you know, kind of schools and businesses around, you know, around around the UK and in Europe now. And it's a phenomenal journey to be able to share what I've learned in a business context and trying to inspire people to overcome their challenges as well. And so how do I get into it? It kind of happened by chance, because as a stammerer, for me speaking on the phone is a nightmare. You know, I can speak to five or six hundred people in a room, fine. But then I can get on the train home and not be able to ask for a ticket. You know, I've smashed up phones at home for frustration and being able to say my own name. So that itself is an advantage because it kind of makes me very unusual for a speaker. But what it was was my old school asked me to go and speak before Everest, as you know, it was before Mont Blanc and just to inspire the kids and ultimately I would have run away. You know, I would have said to know because even at school I used to hide in the toilet some time to get out of speaking class. But I think I got into that mindset of saying yes to everything and actually realizing that I could do so much more than I thought I could. Actually, if I can inspire people, well, I can't say no to that. You know, I can't say no to an opportunity to actually, you know, share what I'm, you know, share what I've learned. And I did it and I've never been so scared in my life. And once it'll it sounds basic, but like anything, once you've done it once, you realize it gets easier and easier just like talking on mental health, you know, that first time is terrifying. And ultimately from then after, you know, after Everest went wrong, it became more of a story to tell. I really enjoyed it. I started to look for more opportunities. I started contacting schools and I guess people heard more about it. I got the chance to speak more and more. So I think I was lucky that I kind of had a bit of a break with those two disasters and people naturally want to hear about Everest. It's always got that appeal as a motivational speaker. And now it is, you know, it's my, you know, it's my main job. I'm able to, you know, do that to, you know, you know, kind of events and businesses and get some more practice. The stamina is still there, but it's part of me. And it's part of that journey. And I think it turns what makes a good speaker. I mean, well, I'm obviously still on my journey. Don't want to speak for myself, but I think having coaching early on helped me to learn a lot. And, you know, I think it is about being authentic. It's about being you. And, you know, after all these years, the journey's changed. I've had to learn new things, but ultimately going back to to why I'm doing this and, you know, what, why I'm on the stage is about overcoming challenges and letting people see, see, you know, see the real you, you know, you can do all the coaching. You can do all the, you can get all the skills of how to present. But I think you've got to have a good story and you've got to have that passion. Because if you don't believe in yourself, if you don't believe in the message, then other people are going to pick up on that. So I think, yeah, be authentic, have a great story and prepare a practice, you know, and all the things like, you know, being able to pace yourself and, you know, not sit urban hour and all that, it just comes with practice. Yeah, it's tricky, tricky one to master when I look back on in fact, some of these talks that we've done, a lot of thumbs and ours coming out there. Mary, Mary Guy asks, have you, have you climbed Killy? I haven't. No, interestingly, I was going to do that before Everest, but I realised going off, going to the Himalayas was more specific. It was a lot more useful for my prep and I'd like to go out there. It's not high on my priority list, but I think I've got time. So at some point, I'm sure I get out there. Yeah, it's great. Well, I'm sure you'll you'll succeed where I didn't. So that's that's good. With my luck, Mark, I wouldn't chance it. You you mentioned that you'd like, this is from Verity. Hey, she says, you mentioned that you'd like people to keep going outside and would need a community to do this. How do you see this being done? I think that was more along the lines of USA, and that people should sort of join up with other people and maybe join a club and things like that. Wasn't that I think it's a good question. Because I think recently we've been in this real surreal time where suddenly from from kind of shouting, you know, from shouting of the rooftops, you know, be outside, get outside. We've been saying, no, no, don't go outside. Come back, stay away from each other. And it's been surreal because we've not really know what to do with ourselves. And I've been a bit confused during this time as well, because we've obviously had to stay safe and do our bit and be responsible and we still do. And I think ultimately now is, you know, especially in the mountains, we're just trying to provide opportunities for people to to reconnect with, you know, with people that have been in the same position. And, you know, I think the outdoor community was was there beforehand for the festivals, for, you know, for the events, you know, and generally, once, once the restrictions lift those events and opportunities and festivals will start to open up again, people will be able to come back together. But in the meantime, a lot of that has gone online, you know, like now tonight, we've been able to do these things. There's forums and, you know, there's new ways to connect with people that share the interest. But I think in the meantime, you know, we might not be able to do the, you know, do the, you know, do the big events and groups. But I think ultimately it's about it's about finding new ways to connect in the meantime online and looking for those. And I'm not totally aware of that, but I know a great way to do that. If you look at WowBase, they do their, you know, these, you know, they don't have a number of virtual things online where people, you know, where people join along. There's a speaker, there's, you know, there's guests, there's a Q&A. And you really feel like you're at home, you know, you're chatting to people like you. And I think that for me is what keeps the spirit alive, is looking for things online and looking for new opportunities. And we will get back out there, you know, it's just going to have to do things in a different way for now. So sorry, that's not a very good answer, because I think we're still working it out. But I think it will, it will come if I have it. I think it's good. I think, yeah, I think there'll be a lot of people who are keen to get back out there and using using groups like Meetup and things like that certainly will help. But for the moment, yeah, it's just doing what you can online. But one question that Guy asked, time sort of getting on, so we probably just asked two more questions if it may, Alex, but Guy asks, what do you think is beneficial to the mind for inner city kids to get out into the hills? And how would you make it a regular thing for them to do it? Not just a one-off trip. I think this is talking about mind over mountains and whether you were focusing on any sort of kids and getting them out into the hills specifically. Good question, Guy. Yeah. I think at the moment for these events next month, it has been focused more on people in the north, which has been quite badly hit by the virus. You know, I think in Cumbria has the second highest rate of infections outside of London. But equally, we know that, you know, people in the big cities have had less access to the outdoors. And, you know, a lot of people don't even have a private garden. You know, it makes you feel very, very fortunate for, you know, all the things I have up here. And so ultimately, you know, at the moment, we're a very small project, but with funding and with plans, we're looking to, you know, expand to every national park in the UK so that we can help to connect people with their nearest places. You know, OK, there might be a long, long way away from the lakes or from Snowdonia, but it might be able to get, you know, the South Downs or, you know, in the Brecon Beacons. And ultimately, when those events are in place, you know, on the grocery basis and also partnering with organizations and charities, you know, our aim, you know, absolutely, is to, you know, to give these experiences available. But also not, as you say, not just, not just, you know, as a one off, because, as we say, that's not going to make a lasting change. We need people to make the outdoors part of a habit, you know, because that weekend can give them the spark and give them the skills, but they then need to be able to get out more often. So we've got plans for that in terms of, you know, you know, they're having events, you know, a weekend where people can head back out together and, you know, to make it more of a, you know, a regular thing where people can access the outdoors in a supported and guided environment. So I think at the moment, and, you know, it's, you know, early stages, but we are certainly trying to look for ways that we can help people in the cities to get outside, because they're the people that probably need it most. So I guess keep tuned on that really at the moment, you know, we're just encouraging people to make the best use of the space they do have, you know, where it's parks nearby or just walking, you know, you know, just out in the gardens. That's certainly better than the thing I think at the moment. And we're just looking at how we can access the people, but, you know, don't get to the national parks. Great. Thanks, I was, and I just want to end on this question, which weirdly enough has not been asked by anyone, but I know you get asked it all the time. So I'm going to ask, or before I do, I've just put on the last screen that you can see there is obviously if you want to find out any more about Alex, then please get in touch with him via any of those channels. He's also said that if we didn't get a chance to get to your question tonight, then please feel free to tweet him or get in touch with him on Facebook or or Instagram. And you'd be happy to sort of respond, probably in the next not the next day or two, because you're a bit tied up with an event tomorrow. But as soon as you can, I think you will get. But the final question would be what is planned for post lockdown for Alex? Well, I guess we're coming out of lockdown in some way now. And I know it's all very uncertain, you know, it's a day at a time. We can't plan much further than that. I didn't have a project planned to actually try to run the National Free Peaks, which was probably going to be my toughest challenge to date. I think running has been my big focus the last two years, especially being in the lakes now. And it's probably probably safe and Everest. My mum will be glad to hear. So that has obviously been put on hold, because that was going to be in May. I've been very grateful, actually, to have more time and to be more ready to be more prepared. That'll be fundraising, you know, actually four mine of mountains, you know, four mine of mountains again. So that's ready. We're just waiting for the, you know, for the green lights, so to speak. But that all involved running four 450 miles between the National Free Peaks unsupported. So starting on Ben Nevis and also finish on Snowden all being well running nearly the equivalent of two marathons a day. Now, instead, I come from a road running background, so I'm in new territory. But as I said, you've got to push the boat out, I think. And yeah, it's definitely in that borderline fear of, you know, can I do this? And, you know, I don't know if I can run 450 miles, but I can definitely run a mile 450 times. So we'll see. But yeah, of course, right now it's just about finding the right time to do that safely and responsibly in all three countries. But if people go to my site and follow me, they'll find out more about that. That's great. Thank you, Alex. For just as a way of saying thank you to everyone for joining us tonight, I've just about supposed to link to an online form that if you fill it out, then you can have a chance to win a £50 Brigham voucher between now and Friday night it closes. And Alex is very kindly said that you'd also add a signed copy of his Another Peak book, which he covers his exploits of when he climbed all 100 of the UK's highest points in 72 days, wasn't it? Is that all right? Record break here? Yeah, yeah. So Alex will also put that in as well. So so good luck to everyone to enter that. And thank you very much for joining us. Big thank you to you, Alex. I'm sorry to those who we didn't get a chance to cover all your questions, but that's been really, really interesting. And thanks for sharing your story again, Alex. And good luck. Good luck with the yeah, good luck with the three peaks when time comes, we'll be looking, watching out for that. Just somebody just said the surveilling isn't working. Don't you want to check that? OK. Yeah, again, it's been great. And think, yeah, we've had a really interesting year, but we've got to make the best of it. And yeah, looking forward to getting back out there. I've had a couple of years off and, you know, dealing with those personal challenges. And now I'm looking forward to getting on an outdoor challenge and putting one foot in front of the other. So, yes, so, you know, you know, just, you know, see, you know, a big, you know, a big thank you for everybody for being here tonight. And yeah, stay safe and look forward to seeing the hills. And if you do want more information up on the mind of the mind of the mountain's events, the website's there as well. That's great. Thanks. Thanks again, Alex. I will post the proper link that works in a second if you bear with me. Thank you, everyone. Thank you again, Alex. See you again. Bye. Bye.