It’s not often our Directors Paul and Cathy head off to a mountaineering event and have “nothing to wear” but last Thursdays Gala Dinner and auction to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Everest; The Hard Way, highlighted a gaping hole in their expedition wardrobe!

Happily, the internet was full of advice on Black Tie attire and they soon discovered there are actually shops out there selling more than just waterproofs and comfy footwear.

The Gala Auction was all about celebrating the vision of one climber to complete a promise: to re-build a Sherpa Heritage House in the ancestral home of Pertemba - Sirdar of the 1975 expedition and summiteer. The previous Heritage house was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake and will stand as a showcase to preserve Sherpa culture in the Everest region.

This project will run alongside the many health posts, schools and land management projects already in place or completed in the 30 years since mountaineer Doug Scott founded Community Action Nepal.

Our comperes for the evening were the incredible Sir Chris Bonington, leader of the 1975 SW Face expedition and the absolutely fabulous Dame Joanna Lumley whose links to Nepal through her Father’s service in the Gurkha Regiment are world renowned. It was a truly sparkling evening with the added familiar face of one of our regular customers; Leo Houlding freshly returned from a successful expedition in Kyrgyzstan.

Thanks to the generosity of those attending, a huge amount of money was raised to help complete the Sherpa Heritage House project. If you would like to donate to help realise Doug’s promise to Pertemba you can find a link here

To listen to Sir Chris Bonington and Paul Braithwaite talk about the expedition in person please click the link below:

Outdoor Gear Chat Podcasts - Everest 50

Everest 50th Anniversary Gala

Retailer of The Year