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The Great War, followed by the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, affected the lives of an entire generation of young people. The British economy did not pick up after the end of the war in 1918 and it has been argued that it did not recover fully until after the Great Depression of the 1930s. It left little hope or opportunity for celebration in the post war years. With the races to the North and South Poles lost, Great Britain looked to the “third Pole”, the highest mountain in the world, to restore national prestige and gain a measure of hope and success. It was from the ruins of the Great War and the pandemic that the attempt to conquer Mount Everest became a fascination for the country. George Leigh Herbert Mallory (Old Wykehamist, College 00-05) was a pioneering mountaineer when the Royal Geographic Society and the Alpine Club chose him to take part in the first attempt to conquer Everest in 1922. After the first failed attempt, and having learnt hard lessons, he returned as one of the lead climbers on the 1924 expedition.

Following the coronavirus pandemic, the decision was made to cancel the Mallory Challenge 2020, our fourth major adventure challenge in the Lake District. During the three previous challenges, the Winchester College CCF have conducted an arduous week of journeying around the Lakes by canoe, foot and mountain bike to raise funds for Service Charities. It was a hard decision, particularly at a time when charities are in need of more support than ever before. To meet this need, a virtual Mallory Challenge has now been designed to keep the spirit alive in
uncertain times. The team will cover the distance from Winchester College to Everest Advanced Base Camp by bike and foot in the remaining weeks of the School term. Everest Advance Base Camp was the last place from which Mallory’s colleagues saw him and Sandy Irvine alive; it is an appropriate place to finish our virtual challenge and recognise the determination, fortitude, endeavour and sacrifice that Mallory and his generation made.

Mallory was a teacher at Charterhouse when the Great War broke out. He left the safety of the classroom to serve as a Forward Observation Officer on the Western Front. Later, he took a leave of absence from Charterhouse to conduct his first Everest Expedition, and then left the teaching staff to join the second  attempt on Everest. As such, it seems only appropriate that the team is made up of a mix of staff and boys from the School.

Like conquering big mountains, everyone’s individual determination, drive and resilience will lead to the success of the team. The team of 50 will complete their own demanding physical contribution individually and upload their results, with the team’s progress being recorded on the Mallory Challenge 2020 Club tally on Strava.

We are very pleased to be supporting SSAFA and hope that we will be able to make a worthwhile donation to a remarkable charity that support veterans, many of whom will have faced challenging times during their years of service.

The event will start on 08 Jun 2020, and we will aim to complete the 10,300km before the School term finishes. We have set the goal of running at least one third of the total distance, with a maximum of two
thirds cycling.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.  We are raising money for SSAFA Winchester, the Armed Forces charity. SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885. In 2018, SSAFA helped more than 82,000 people in need, from Second World War veterans to those who have served in more recent conflicts, and their families.