Moate man scales Everest Island Peak as IWA fundraiser

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Moate native Richard Ross has completed the most challenging climb of his life to raise funds for upgrades to the Ballinagar Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) centre where he works as the manager.

Richard set off with the Mullingar Hiking Group on April 10 for the 18-day-long trek to Everest's Island Peak in Nepal.

A total of 36 members spent 15 days climbing to Everest Base Camp, with 18 members staying on to complete the arduous climb to Island Peak. In the end, 14 members reached the peak.

Speaking about his experience of the climb, Richard told the Westmeath Independent: “The experience was fantastic. It was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. The days were lovely and sunny, but the afternoons got windy and cool, and the nights were very cold. The altitude was a big thing, and it made it very difficult to sleep at night, because it was hard to breathe.

“All 36 of us made it to base camp, which was really good, and then we split into two groups. One group headed back down the mountain, and the remaining 18 continued on to Island Peak.”

However, only 14 reached the summit, with four members heading back due to doubts or illness.

“Island Peak itself was a major challenge, it was a lot harder than any of us expected. We slept for about four hours, and we started the climb at midnight, so we all had head torches,” Richard said.

“Once we reached the snow line, we changed into our crampons and we had warmer boots because it was getting very cold. We were climbing up on ropes secured to the mountain, and we climbed up, and abseiled back down.

“It was very tough," Richard admitted, saying that a lot of upper body strength was needed. On top of that Richard had very little experience abseiling. "It took a total of 14 hours up and back.”

Despite the challenging conditions, Richard said it was the memory of his late son Tim that kept him going.

“It was a big achievement for myself, and I do these things in memory of my son. It was great to do it from that point of view, and while it was tough going, I never felt like giving up.

“I was delighted with myself for doing it. We had a great team of people there, so we kept each other going as well. Everyone was struggling at various stages, but there was great sense of camaraderie between us.”

The Irish Wheelchair Association manager set up an iDonate page ahead of the Everest challenge, which has amassed over €4,000, surpassing his original target of €3,500. The fundraising page will remain open until May 16, with all money donated going directly to the upgrades to the Ballinagar IWA centre.

"I can't believe we have raised such a huge amount," he said. "I don't fundraise every time I climb, but I had a good cause this time.

“I'm raising money for the Irish Wheelchair Association centre in Ballingar, because the heating is on the blink so that needs to be fixed. We need to insulate the windows and doors, so this will be a big help towards those jobs."

Richard extended his sincere gratitude to all those who have donated and shown their support for his fundraising efforts, and to the Mullingar Hiking Club for enabling him to complete the challenge.

To donate to Richard's fundraising page, go to: https://www.idonate.ie/event/EverestBaseCampforIWA