Rhys Jones from the New Forest became the youngest person to climb the highest peaks on each of the seven continents on May 17th, his 20th Birthday. Rhys joined us for exclusive webchat shortly after returning to the UK- read the emails and answers below. This webchat has now closedRhys: Thanks for all the emails... I've got a party to get to! Helen Boulton from Bartley: What was the most scariest thing that happened? Rhys: The most scariest moment was probably, in the ice fall when we heard a massive crack and then we really actually though we were going to die. I looked at the other guy I was with and we thought it was the end. Harvey Monaghan from Bognor Regis: How much weight did you have to carry? What was the most important piece of kit you had? Rhys: I probably carried 40 kilos on the way down and that was the most. My most important item was my 'pee' bottle, so I didn't have to get out of my sleeping bag when it was -40! Matt Payne, Salisbury: How windy did it get on the mountain? (My 8 year old son Josh has asked this one!) Rhys: The windiest days were at base camp luckily, there was probably 50mph winds, but luckily when we were climbing it was never too bad. Mark, Ferndown: First many Congratulations. and 2nd what was the night sky like from the top of Everest? Rhys: It was day time when we summitted, but certainly at night time at camp three in particular it was amazing, because we were so high you could see the curvature of the earth and the stars were in a rainbow shape. Roger Jones from Southampton: Who were you raising money for, have you exceeded your target, and how much did the trip cost in total? Rhys: I was raising money for Wessex Heartbeat and I'm trying to raise £1 for every foot of Everest (29,035) but I'm no where near unfortunately! The trip itself cost £35,000, that was just for Everest. Tom Wardle, Hook: How tiring was it climbing every mountain? Rhys: Funnily enough, it was pretty tiring! You're pretty exhausted on the mountain it was really hard. In terms of trip after trip, I've always had time at home to rest in between. Stuart Johnson from the Isle of Wight: Hi Rhys, Congratulations on your great achievement. I am a 22 year old male form the Isle of Wight. I want to start mountain climbing on a serious level. I have done a fair amount in the Lake District but now want to continue on bigger mountains. I am not sure how I can start. Are there clubs to join who do excursions to the Alps etc where I can gain experience? How does one start this amazing sport? I look forward to your reply! Many Thanks Rhys: The best thing to do is to look into a company that organise entry level courses to begin with in Scotland and the Alps, try Jaggedglobe.co.uk and they'll be able to help you. Rob Silk from Romsey: Hey Rhys, Well done on all those climbs, must feel weird being a world-record holder! My question is: Did you get your inspiration from someone else's achievements? Or was it just to put lazy people like me to shame ;) Cya Rhys: Yes! I got my inspiration from other climbers, I never though that I'd be joining the Everest Summitters club! I can now eat for free in a Kathmandu restaurant for the rest of my life and I got to sign the wall! Roddy and Alisdair McIntyre: Hello Rhys Well done. My Mum has seen Everest . Is it true that if you see a climber in distress on Everest or any other mountain you would leave them as we have heard this week in the news. Rhys: We didn't see any climbers in distress and I'd certainly do what I could to help, I'd def turn around from my summit bid to help someone that was injured. Chelsea from Totton: What were your emotions when you got to the end? and did you just want to turn home at any point? Rhys: When I got back to base camp and I'd summitted then I could really start to relax because the bulk of the danger was over but all the way down I was just worried about making it back to Base Camp so I just felt massive relief. Carol from Emsworth: What did it feel like to stand on the summit? Rhys: Just relief more than anything, glad that I got to the top but I was very very aware that I still had a long way to go down. Stuart from Shanklin: What does the summit look like… is it big small….? Rhys: It's pretty small really, the size of a table for six, you'd get a few people on it. Morton, Southampton: What else is there for you to conquer? Rhys: There's loads of other mountains I'd still like to climb. I was pretty lucky top get up it and down in once piece. There are some much quieter mountains I'd like to climb especially in the Antarctic ... and do some sailing! | 
