News

Helen’s aiming high

Published 4 April 2013

A University of Brighton graduate is the first Kenyan and the first black African woman to attempt to climb the world's highest mountain.

Helen Kinuthia, is already in training to attempt to scale all 29,029 feet or 8,848 metres of Mount Everest in 2014.

Helen, 26, graduated from the university with a Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) degree in 2007 and is now a teacher, mountaineer and photographer in Kenya.

She was selected from 150 climbers after completing an audition climb on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest mountain. She and fellow climber Toby Storie-Pugh will make their attempt as part of Expedition Everest, a Kenyan charity which is organising the climb.

Helen Kinuthia

The University of Brighton's Sport and Exercise Science Consultancy Unit in Eastbourne is supporting Helen and has offered her the use of the unit's climate chamber which helps people adjust to higher altitudes.

Dr Neil Maxwell, principal lecture in the School of Sport and Service Management, said: "Supporting individuals like Helen is one of our key priorities, based on the skills and expertise we have, and we are delighted to help Helen. She was a great student and what she is doing now is truly remarkable."

Dr Maxwell ran an exhibition in 2003 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Everest climb, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, which first inspired Helen. Dr Maxwell said: "Environmental physiology is a particular strength here at the university where research and consultancy activity is embedded in the curriculum. Supporting Helen and her team will give some of our students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and, importantly, be inspired by a graduate from the same course they are studying on."

Helen said her time at the University of Brighton introduced her to the idea of climbing Everest and also helped her with preparation: "The first I had ever really come across Everest was reading the posters of the Everest exhibition Neil ran. I was fascinated by them and often re-read them whilst walking to the labs. And studying the Expedition Physiology module was the first time I had looked at the effects of altitude, cold weather and I found it very interesting and useful.

"Coming from Kenya with its reputation for producing long distance runners, I took a keen interest in the lectures to try and understand what effect altitude had on the success of our athletes. The knowledge I gained from the Expedition Physiology module has also been incredibly useful in my adventures to date and has given me a better understanding of the environments in which I carry out my hobbies which include hiking and rock climbing. The module has also helped with organising the logistics of trips, recognising symptoms of injuries and how to deal with them.

Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.

"Climbing Everest is something I never thought I would be able to attempt but I could not turn down the opportunity. This will be a challenging year for me, balancing training around work and making sure I am in the best shape possible shape, but I hope to inspire other women to set goals which they feel might be outside their reach.

"I also hope to get more people involved in mountaineering in Kenya – there are so many peaks to hike and very few people are actually attempting them. We have the second highest mountain in Africa on our doorstep and Kilimanjaro next door, but still many Kenyans have never climbed either."

Helen added: "I am honoured to represent my country on this expedition. It is a true privilege to have the chance to climb for Kenya and to have the opportunity to be the first black African woman on the summit."

Expedition Everest is raising funds for the expedition by leading a trek into Everest Base Camp in March, 2014. The trekkers will accompany Helen and Toby as they head in to start our climb.