REACHING FOR THE SKIES
Andrew Fairbairn, Director of White Commercial Surveyors www.whitecommercial.co.uk, and Jeremy Wilton, Editor of Four Shires magazine www.fourshires.co.uk, recently completed a climb to the peak of the Daubenborn mountain in Switzerland to raise money for Katharine House Hospice in Banbury and Prospects Upper Basic School in The Gambia. Andrew is a senior member of Banbury Rotary Club and has a penchant for adventure and supporting charities.
The Daubenborn, set in the Bernese Alps, has the longest secured climbing route in Switzerland, known as a via ferrata. It is well recognised for its difficulty but that didn’t stop Andrew and Jeremy. The day before their climb saw heavy snow but thankfully it melted and the climb was able to take place as planned.
The route to the summit was long and very exposed with one climber that followed our pair falling off! Fortunately, their harness kept them safe although the entire contents of their rucksack were sent into a 3,000 foot void. Andrew and Jeremy arrived at the 2,791m summit in just under 8 hours – a fantastic achievement and we congratulate them both.
Andrew comments “For me, a challenge is exactly that. There must be an element of uncertainty as to whether I can achieve it otherwise it is a misnomer. The combination of sustained exposure to sheer drops of up to 3,000 feet and long sections during which there was little opportunity to rest represented physical and mental hurdles with no guarantee of success until we finally emerged from the precipitous rock face just below the summit.”
Jeremy comments “My good friend Andrew asked me to accompany him on an Alpine jaunt but I had no idea that he meant climbing the Daubenborn! However, once I realised it was for charity I was prepared to give it a go so packed my trusty festival tent into his car and off we went. It was truly an amazing experience – thank you for inviting me Andrew!”
White Commercial are pleased to say they have made a donation to Katharine House Hospice, which is also their nominated charity for 2019. If you would like to donate to either of Andrew’s or Jeremy’s chosen charities then please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/daubenhorn
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