Conquering the Everest Challenge at 70

Steve Moffatt has done a few tough and hairy things in his life, such as climbing Aoraki Mt Cook dressed in 1890 clothing and hobnail boots, paddling across Cook Strait in a canoe designed in 1858, and carrying that canoe up over Harper Pass from the West Coast and paddling it down the Hurunui River to the mouth and around Pegasus Bay to Lyttelton recreating a journey made by two brothers in 1890. Steve has won his age group in the Longest Day Coast to Coast and suffered through five and six day Adventure Races.

In early December Steve will embark on the hardest physical thing he has ever done in his life, which is to ride a bike the height of Mt Everest - 8849 vertical metres in one go.

Steve is raising funds 50/50 for the Christchurch City Mission, and the Aspiring Youth Development Trust; the Trust is responsible for running the Coast to Coast Rangers program, turning around the lives of students from East Christchurch by giving them an opportunity to train and compete in an epic challenge. The program is into its sixth year and changing lives and outcomes for the youth and mentors involved.

This video may give you some idea of how it works:

https://www.facebook.com/KathmanduCoasttoCoast/videos/448603752738401/

Funds donated to the City Mission will also go towards assisting families with children that would benefit from assistance.

The Aspiring Youth Trust is in need of a vehicle that can seat at least 10 students safely, and can tow a heavy trailer.

Back to the challenge. The rules are simple but brutal. Find a hill that has no dips in it (a dip would give an advantage with gravity assist) and ride it up and back until the metres are clocked up. There is no time limit - but no sleeping allowed. There it is - pick a hill that's gentle and you end up riding more than 350 ks and being on your bike for over 30 hours, or too steep - shorter distance and you trash your legs, and it becomes impossible. Roughly, only 6,000 people worldwide have achieved this feat, and only one, aged over 70. There's the second challenge as another 70 year old – to beat his time.

Steve's chosen hill is close to Lake Hawea. He will climb it over 100 times and ride 206 kms.

His plan to raise $100,000. He has been in hard training for months and has no doubt he will get there on the bike, but his immediate challenge is to ensure that every metre of The Everest he climbs is sponsored. As every climber knows, it gets tougher the higher you get, and this is where you come in. We need your help!