Essex farmer tackles the Arctic’s highest mountain for FCN

Essex arable farmer Thomas Philpot has just returned from an attempt on the highest mountain within the Arctic Circle, as part of an endeavour to raise funds for rural charity the Farming Community Network (FCN).

At the end of April, Thomas was asked if he would like to join a team of four to climb Mount Gunnbjörn in the east of Greenland.

The peak, at 12,119ft, is considered to be the ninth most isolated in the world.

 It has only ever been climbed by about 60 groups due to the difficult logistics involved with accessing the mountain.

See also: England goalkeeper credits farming roots for his success

© Thomas Philpot

“I just said ‘yes’ without really thinking,” Thomas admitted. “I’d never climbed a mountain before in my life!”

With a month to prepare, the trip began at the end of May with a flight to Reykjavik in Iceland, before a heavily delayed transfer to Gunnbjörn Fjeld in Greenland once the weather permitted.

Challenges

During the expedition, Iceland was experiencing one of the worst episodes of icing seen for the past 50 years, with heavy snowfall at the drop-off point in Greenland.

The team travelled in a specialist six-seater plane on skis, which still struggled with the landing conditions.

© Thomas Philpot

Over the course of a few days, the team moved along the glacier towards the peak, walking in temperatures of -20C for 50-minute intervals before stopping for a five-minute break.

Towards the summit, however, the weather worsened significantly, and Thomas says that the team were unable to differentiate between the snow and the cloud.

“We got to about 350ft away from the top and the visibility just completely disappeared,” he explained.

“There were crevasses everywhere, and no-one had climbed the mountain for four years, so we didn’t have any set route to take.

© Thomas Philpot

“Because it is on a glacier, and glaciers move, crevasses had appeared that were new and that we weren’t expecting.”

When the weather failed to improve, the team prioritised safety and made the decision to descend.

Resilience 

Asked whether farming had prepared him in any way for his trip, Thomas said that he relied on his mental resilience to get through the isolated landscape.

“When you are walking, you can’t actually speak to anyone. You’re very much in your own mind, walking for eight hours a day.

© Thomas Philpot

“Being from farming, having that mental resilience is definitely something that helped me while I was out there,” he said.

Thomas has so far raised more than £2,000 for FCN, and donations can still be made on his JustGiving page.