Mont Blanc 2026 for the Perthes Kids Foundation

Updated - NEW DATE SPRING 2026. I plan to climb part way up Mont Blanc and then ski down it. At the height of 4,800 meters, Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe and still the deadliest in the world. As a former Perthes Kid myself, I will raise funds for the Perthes Kids Foundation.

In 2021, as a long-term effect of having Perthes as a child, I had a full knee replacement. This followed a total hip replacement five years before that - having suffered almost a decade of ever-increasing arthritic pain. This will be one hell of a challenge but my training effectively started the day I left the hospital and has been progressing well since then! I will be doing it with old friends, led by a hugely experienced mountain guide from Chamonix, Tom Grant. It will take two days but a week of preparation climbs to acclimatise to the altitude. By then, I will be 60 years old.

This would be a huge achievement and draw a line under a lifetime of having to cope with Perthes and its impact in later years. However, as much as I am doing it for me, I am also doing it to show all of those kids with Perthes, and their parents, that you can beat it and not let it limit what you can ultimately achieve in life.

As I prepare to go on this journey to the summit, I will blog and post in the hope that you can spare a few quid to motivate me but more importantly to help provide something that my mum or I never had when I was young. The Perthes Kids Foundation UK provides relief to children suffering from Perthes Disease by holding annual camps. They also support them and their families by providing information, advice and support. With a condition so rare (it is estimated to have a prevalence of 6 per 100,000) it’s really important for the kids and their parents to know they are not alone.

If it goes over £5,000, I will also donate some of your sponsorship to Arthritis Research and St Albans City Hospital (via The West Hertfordshire Hospital Charity), where I got my new hip and knee. Mr Tim Waters and his team at St Albans City Hospital are nothing short of miracle workers and I would like to acknowledge what they have done for me and countless others.