BRITISH MUM AIMS TO BECOME FASTEST WOMAN TO COMPLETE EXPLORER’S GRAND SLAM

Masha Gordon, a British mum-of-two and business woman, is on course to enter the world record books by becoming the fastest woman to complete the Explorers’ Grand Slam challenge.

This ultimate adventure challenge involves climbing the world’s highest peaks on each of the seven continents as well as trekking to the geographic North and South Poles.

Amateur climber Masha, 42, from North London, is due to finish the challenge in June this year – in a world-record-breaking eight months.

As a young girl, Masha failed at PE at school, and at the age of 31 she was unable to run 5km without being out of breath. While on maternity leave in her 30s, she discovered a love of mountaineering after a friend invited her to join her on a climb during a visit to France.

A mother-of-two to Freya (8) and son Theo (6), Masha wants to inspire other women to take up challenges that were previously unimaginable to them, and for girls to take up outdoor activities to build their self-confidence and mental resilience.

She is in the process of setting up a charity, Grit & Rock, to encourage teenage girls in deprived areas to take up mountaineering as a way to build grit and other leadership qualities.

By the end of Masha’s challenge, she will have scaled the world’s highest peaks on each of the seven continents – Everest (Asia), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Vinson Massif (Antarctica), Aconcagua (South America), Carstensz Pyramid (Australasia), Mt. Elbrus (Europe) and Denali (North America) as well as trekked to the geographic poles.
The extraordinary demands of the challenge mean she will have been pushed to the edge of physical endurance and mental resilience. She will have spent over 100 days in a tent including three weeks trekking on skis to the North and South Poles in -40°C weather and exposed herself to the “death zone” – the high altitude above 8,000m where there is not enough oxygen for humans to breathe.

Only 45 people have completed the Explorer’s Grand Slam challenge to date and only two of those in under a year. The current female world record title holder, Vanessa O’Brien, completed the record in 11 months.
“As a teenage girl who hated any form of physical exercise, it would have been unimaginable to think that I would one day scale Everest – far less climb the world’s highest peaks on each of the seven continents and trek to the North and South Poles in just eight months,” said Masha.

“It takes grit to succeed in life – the ability to face challenges , motivate yourself and persevere. I hope my personal endurance challenge will inspire young women to do what may have been unimaginable to them. As I have discovered, mountaineering and outdoor sports are a fantastic way for women to build up self-confidence and mental resilience.” gritandrock.com

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