When you can change your thoughts...
you can change your world.

Challenge

CHALLENGE

Standing at 8848m, Everest is known to be one of the hardest climbs in the world. The 21 day adventure covers 152kms of rugged terrain, below freezing temperatures, and high altitude crevice navigation's and glacier climbs.

Previously, climbers were faced with a straight forward crampon glacier crossing followed by a steep ascent and a glacial head wall of about 150 metres. With a fixed rope set and a jumar, this was a physically demanding challenge.

More recently, the glacier field traverse has become much tougher, as a number of deep crevasses have opened up and the routes are having to be changed regularly, which is making this climb much harder. You need to rope-up and wear crampons. Over all of this section there is a risk of falling into snow covered crevasses. Ladders are strapped in place to get across. This can be daunting due to endless depths below, and safety lines are used at all times. Finally, you reach the foot of the head wall. This is the toughest part of the climb as the ascent is very steep and the air at its thinnest. It takes a lot of determination to get up the summit ridge.

Challenger

Andrew Deeble

Originally from one of the best preserved Roman cities in the UK, I arrived in Perth, Western Australia 15 years ago after some time teaching scuba diving out in South East Asia, and haven't looked back since. Australia has given me so many opportunities and experiences, and feel very privileged to be here. I have an amazing daughter, Amelia, who is nearly 5 (going on 15) - my absolute world. She has the same love for the outdoors and nature as I do, and I try to get her experiencing as much as I can.

CHALLENGER

I work for a company called CBH where I oversee the companies Integrated Management System - which ironically enough, falls under the Risk Division - go figure. Previously I worked in the emergency services field, both DFES and St. John Ambulance.

Outside of work and daughter-daddy time, I spend time with my god-kids and best mates, weekends away enjoying the lifestyle and diverse environments that this great state has to offer, skippering in the annual Rottnest swim, camping, fishing, climbing, diving and socialising with my epic groups of friends.

Adventure

Safety

Memories

Experiences

Training

TRAINER

David is the WA state climbing team coach and chair of the WA Climbing Association. He has a Masters Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology and over 10 years coaching experience in the climbing industry, and is an advocate for mental health. David has been published with his paper on the effects of climbing on mental illness, and supports this challenge to no end.

David has been published with his paper on the effects of climbing on mental illness, and supports this challenge to no end.

There isn't a great deal of training that can be done for this challenge apart from physical conditioning, aerobic exercise, technical equipment and climbing, and experience with mountaineering - preferably with experience reaching at least 2 other high altitude summits.

With my experience of this type of challenge, which is zero, this is definitely going to test not only my physical self, but mental too. It is quite literally a "zero-to-hero" type situation.

Some of the physiological issues that I may well come across that can't be trained for are Acute Mountain Sickness, High Altitude Cerebral Oedema, and High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema. These can occur anywhere from 2,500m.

"The greatest growth happens at the edge of your comfort Zone" - David Baretto, 2022.

LIVINwell

LIVINwell is a non-profit mental health organisation that was founded in 2013 in loving memory of their friend and a great man, Dwayne Lally. Dwayne took his life after living in silence with a mental illness.

Like a lot of people, Dwayne lived in silence because of the stigma that surrounds mental health and he didn’t know how to ask for help. Everything they do is about empowering people to speak up because It Ain’t Weak To Speak®. Livin want to be proactive in combating mental Illness, through championing mental health and encouraging preventative action and help seeking before things become unmanageable.

LIVINWell In School is a program building on LIVIN’s mantra that “It Ain’t Weak to Speak”. Delivered by carefully selected. experienced, and highly relatable facilitators with a blend of lived experience and mental health training. Upon completion of the program, students will be equipped with:

Conversational strategies to drive stigma reduction.
The knowledge to identify warning signs and symptoms of mental health challenges.
Practical strategies to help those around them who might be struggling.
Effective strategies to help themselves including coping, resilience and stress management.
Information on when and where to get professional help.

Click the links below to access the LIVIN website and videos:

What is LIVINwell In Schools?

#ITAINTWEAKTOSPEAK

Statistics

STATISTICS

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15 to 24. The proportion of deaths by suicide is relatively high among children and young people due to the fact these age groups do not tend to die from other causes. In 2020:

381 Australian young people (aged 18 to 24) took their own lives
99 deaths by suicide occurred among children and adolescents (aged 5 to 17) with the majority occurring in those aged 15 to 17 (74% in 2020)
deaths by suicide represented 31% of all deaths in young people aged 15 to17 and 39% of all deaths in those aged 18 to 24 - up from about one-quarter (25%) of all deaths in these age groups in 2010.