Mount Kosciuszko climb in photos: $50K raised from Charity Challenge

30 superstar participants joined distinguished Australian mountaineer Tim Macartney-Snape on an expedition on Saturday, February 5, 2022, to raise much-needed funds for ground staff in Nepal and Peru who are impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

The result? Over $50,000 was fundraised for the 'Grants 4 Ground Staff' appeal under the charitable wing, World Expeditions Foundation (and still going!). You can make a donation via this page.

Veteran Peru expert Andreas Holland, Upper Mustang trekking specialist Margie Thomas and World Expeditions CEO Sue Badyari also joined the 30 enthusiastic travellers rallying behind the cause to summit Mt Kosciuszko, Australia’s tallest mountain.

But it was no easy feat, with each person opting to return via the tougher route alongside Everest mountaineering legend and World Expeditions' long-time guide, Tim Macartney-Snape.

The summit walk to Mt Kosciuszko

Participants embarked on the demanding 12-hour trek via Blue Lake to Kosciuszko's rooftop and through the South Ramshead 'goat trail' to Dead Horse Gap for the return.

While it was anticipated to be a relatively achievable walk, walkers were faced with some interesting weather of below zero temperatures with the windchill factor, ferocious winds, swollen rivers and some really gnarly weather.

But come the afternoon, the weather thankfully cleared up for a delightful summit hike, with everyone reaching the top of the 2228-metre peak.

Rewarded with sweeping views across the Snowy Mountains and Victorian High Country, participants celebrated a collective achievement of giving back to the people behind the scenes of their adventure travel holiday in Nepal and Peru in their time of need.

Adding to the memorable experience were Tim's engaging stories from the field, which enthralled all, as well as his technical prowess scaling huge rock boulders.

The group of like-minded trekkers, many of whom were long-term World Expeditions travellers, walked 25 kilometres through the pure beauty of the Australian alpine in true expedition fashion, braving the weather and sticking it out only to return to their hotel around 8pm.

Everyone managed to bring their glows to dinner at the Ski Rider Lodge, located in the midst of the isolated bushland (halfway between Jindabyne and Charlotte Pass), where they enjoyed a fabulous curry night and a local acoustic musician for some fun downtime in the evening.

With more than 600 care packages of food and hygiene supplies sent to World Expeditions' local crew in 2020 as part of the Lend A Hand Appeal, this year's appeal brought the total fundraising tally to $100,000, furthering efforts to provide support to the ground staff in need.

Seeing how far these funds will go to help our friends across the globe who are doing it tough is reassuring and it was heartening to receive the many genuine thank-you messages from some of the local crew in Africa, Nepal, Peru and India from our first appeal.

David Thomas, a Mount Kilimanjaro porter, sent a handwritten note to the World Expeditions team and its donors:

“From the bottoms of our heart we say thank you very much. Know that it’s really touched [and] blessed our family… This is not small, it for us [is a] blessing and is more than a donation to us.”

A great success and a big thanks to everyone involved, especially to all the amazing participants and the generous supporters who made this special weekend possible. An incredible effort in fundraising but also in spirit.

The 'Climb Kozi 4 Ground Staff' Charity Challenge is set to be an annual event to further fundraise for the World Expeditions Foundation.

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