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Leeds Beckett praise for Gurkhas Everest summit success
Image courtesy of Alun Richardson
The 13 summiteers were led by Major Dick Gale, who was a central figure in Leeds Beckett’s Everest West Ridge expedition in 2006, and included soldiers serving with the Brigade of Gurkhas and high-altitude mountain guides.
Speaking about their success, John Allan, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Outdoor Education, and friend of Major Gale, said: “Dick has been a great advocate for resilience, my own area of research. In 2015 his Gurkha team were prevented from their first attempts at tackling Everest due to the devastating avalanche and spent their time helping others survive.
“Dick has been a great supporter of our sport science research in the Carnegie School of Sport and has shared his expertise in the past with Leeds Beckett students on a level six outdoor education expedition module. He was also pivotal in providing first hand data for our psychology project which resulted in two subsequent book chapters.”
Chairman of the Gurkha Everest Expedition 2017, Brigadier Ian Rigden, said: “It is with great humility and pride that we can confirm that 13 members of the expedition have now summited Mt. Everest. Put simply, this is electrifying news. The aim of the expedition was to place a serving Gurkha on the summit of Mt. Everest for the first time. That the team had achieved this by placing nine Gurkhas and four British team members on the summit is a magnificent achievement. They have made history. Their success is due to hard work, self-belief, true teamwork and outstanding team leadership. I specifically highlight Major Dick Gale and Major Andrew Todd, without whom this would not have been possible.
“As we think of their success, we must remember that they are now in the process of extracting from the mountain. I ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers until they are all safely home.”
In 2015, the team was chosen to take on the challenge as part of the celebrations of Gurkha 200 marking two centuries of Nepalese and Gurkha service to the British Crown. However, they were forced to return after avalanches set off by the devastating April 25 quake killed 19 climbers, including high-altitude guides and helpers at base camp and the Khumbu Icefall.
Dave Bunting, Outdoor Development Manager for Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie Great Outdoors, led an elite British team of mountaineers in an attempt to climb the formidable and rarely climbed West Ridge of Mount Everest in 2006.
The expedition was filmed for a televised documentary, 'Everest: Man v. Mountain', and was highly publicised in the media, earned Dave an MBE for his outstanding leadership.
Speaking about the Gurkha expedition, Dave said: “The Gurkha Everest Expedition 2017 who have had significant success with multiple team members summiting in the last 24 hours including the first serving Gurkha Soldiers! Major Dick Gale, the Expedition Leader, also reached the summit. He was previously a team member of the Everest West Ridge expedition 2006, which was closely supported by the University. Huge congratulations and safe descent to all!”
Dave is a leading specialist in the mountains with more than 20 years' experience gained in the Army's Physical Training Corps developing people within the British Services, including elite units such as the Royal Marines and Special Air Services (SAS).
Since the groundbreaking Everest expedition in 2006, Dave has since contributed to and edited a book; Mountaineering: Training and Preparation, published by Human Kinetics.
In 2016, Leeds Beckett researchers joined with servicemen and women from the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force in a trekking expedition in Nepal, and were tasked with improving their physical performance at altitude.
The research was carried out by the Centre for Sports Performance at Leeds Beckett, in collaboration with the Defence Medical Services.
Speaking about the research, John O’Hara, a Professor in Sport and Exercise Physiology at Leeds Beckett and leader researcher, said: “This research provides us with the opportunity to build on our previous research, and further our understanding of the best strategies to minimise an individual’s susceptibility to acute mountain sickness, which is relevant to recreational climbers and military personnel. This medical research expedition also further develops our important research collaboration with the Defence Medical Services.”
Leeds Beckett researchers involved in the project include Professor David Woods, Dr Matthew Barlow, Mark Cooke, Dr Sarah Clarke, Dr Kevin Deighton and Jamie Matu, who worked in collaboration with the Defence Medical Services Hypoxic study group.
Research published following the expedition revealed that climbing above 4,000m can provoke abnormal heart rhythms in otherwise healthy mountaineers, with the abnormalities increasing with altitude, new research has shown.
The study, by sports scientists at Leeds Beckett University and cardiologists at Poole Hospital, found that in a team of 16 healthy mountaineers, without a previous history of heart disease, more than half (56.3%) experienced rhythm disturbances at altitudes of 4,100 metres or above.