Sunday, December 1, 2024
Everest 2021

York man aims for UK climbing record

A property developer from York is swapping the city’s riverside paths for the ridges of Everest as he attempts a mountain climbing record.

Steve Davis, founder and chief executive of Grantside, is acclimatising at base camp in Nepal ready to embark on a two-month expedition.

He is expected to summit Mount Everest at the end of May, depending on conditions, and hopes to then climb K2 in June. If all goes to plan, it is believed it will be the quickest summiting of the world’s two highest mountains by anyone from the UK.

Record-breaking mountaineer Nims Purja is leading the expedition party. He recently hit the headlines when he was part of the team to complete the first ever winter ascent of K2 in January. Nims also scaled all 14 mountains over 8,000m in the world in a record time of just over six months.

Extreme photographer and filmmaker Sandro Gromen-Hayes will be documenting the trip and highlighting climate change in the region.

This supports the Grantside philosophy since Steve re-launched the property company with a renewed focus on sustainability in development.

Steve said: “Climbing both Everest and K2 in such a short space of time is a real challenge, and it has not been achieved before by anyone from the UK in these timescales.

“This attempt is a massive personal achievement but I also want to document the impact of changing climate on this extreme environment to highlight the pressing need to change how we live our lives and to promote sustainable growth. The documentary makers will capture some stark realities, both on the expedition and the environment.”

Nims Purja said: “Steve is very focused, determined and his decision making ability on high altitude expeditions is amazing.”

Grantside, established in 1993, has delivered more than £750 million worth of real estate across the UK. The company has various current development sites including two in Sheffield, two in York and various major joint ventures in the pipeline.

Follow Steve’s progress at https://www.instagram.com/stevedavis72/

Update – Unfortunately Steve contracted Covid while on the mountain and had to withdraw from his challenge.