Last night, 7pm BST, the Walking With The Wounded Summit team and the Glenfiddich Pioneers participated in a world first … a LIVE whisky tasting from Everest base camp.

The Team and the Pioneers were introduced by a London studio panel featuring presenter Monty Halls, WWTW Founders Ed Parker and Simon Daglish, Glenfiddich’s Jamie Milne and Mark Thomson from Dramatic Whisky.

It was a fantastic evening, with a lot of laughs and some of Glenfiddich’s finest reserves shared by all.

Settle down with a bottle of Glenfiddich, follow the tasting and enjoy a truly pioneering broadcast from Everest Base Camp.

Following the decision to postpone this year’s Everest summit attempt, The Walking With the Wounded expedition team will be toasting their last day at Everest Base Camp by taking part in the world’s highest ever whisky tasting.

The live broadcast will take place on Thursday 10th May at 19:00 (BST) from Everest Base Camp at 5364m, where the team will nose and taste a selection of Glenfiddich’s finest single malt reserves whilst ‘lifting the lid’ on what has been a traumatic Everest season.

They will be joined by a well-known host and an eminent panel of guests live from The London Stock Exchange. Guests will include Jamie Milne (Glenfiddich UK Brand Ambassador), Ed Parker (Charity Founder) and Mark Thomson (Director of Dramatic Whisky).

The 45 minute show will be streamed live online at www.glenfiddich.co.uk/everest, on the Walking With The Wounded website, Telegraph.co.uk and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walkingwiththewounded

Viewers tuning in will receive a introduction to whisky tasting, hear more from the Walking With The Wounded Everest 2012 Expedition team, and a lucky few will be able to ask the team questions via Twitter using the hashtag #WWTWLive.

Private Jaco Van Gass comments,
“As a team, we are all deeply disappointed not to be assaulting the summit during this year’s climbing season, however we are all really looking forward toasting our last day at Everest Base Camp and breaking the world record for the highest ever whisky tasting.”

The Walking With The Wounded team will be interviewed from ‘The Glenfiddich Yurt’, a specially designed mongolian-style tent, that’s been carried by the team over 50km, high in to the Khumbu Valley.

Inside, Glenfiddich has provided all the creature comforts an explorer could require – comfortable chairs, snug cushions, a warm stove, boardgames, map reading tables and even an acoustic guitar for a sing-a-long in the evening!

They will be greeted by the Glenfiddich Pioneers, four members of the public who, last week, won a nationwide search to trek to Everest Base Camp and hand deliver the Glenfiddich 12, 15 and 18 year old single malts especially for the Whisky Tasting. In addition a very special delivery of Glenfiddich 19 Year Old Age of Discovery Madeira Cask Finish has been added as a treat for the team.

Glenfiddich Pioneer, Emily Stranger said
“It’s been a tough trek up here. Just over a week ago we were still in London and I’m very proud to have made it in time to wish the team well before their return to the UK.”

The news that the Walking With The Wounded Everest 2012 Expedition supported by Glenfiddich has been postponed for this season was broken by charity patron HRH Prince Harry. Speaking from Washington, having been awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award by the Atlantic Council, His Royal Highness said:

“Last year, I struggled to keep up with the four British soldiers whom I joined for part of their expedition to walk to the North Pole. Each of these men had recently been gravely wounded on the battlefields of Afghanistan. Theirs was the fastest team to reach the Pole that season.

At this very moment, another team of our wounded are returning from Mount Everest. Sadly, I have to be the first to say they have been frustrated from reaching the summit by the unusually warm weather, which brings particularly dangerous conditions. However, the mere fact that they are up there on that fearsome peak, I find totally amazing.

Ladies and gentlemen, these people – ours and yours – are extraordinary.”

The reason for this disappointing news is simple: the temperatures experienced by our team this season have been the warmest ever recorded on Mt Everest. Russell Brice, the expedition leader who has led expeditions up to Mt Everest for the past 25 years, commented that he had “never seen conditions like this before – the mountain is in a very critical condition indeed”.

Our team has been keeping you all regularly updated via our interactive team blog and this morning David Wiseman explained the team’s views on the matter – please click here to listen – and Expedition Team Manager Martin Hewitt put his thoughts into words and sent a written blog update through to Walking With The Wounded HQ, which is available by clicking here.

Co-founder of Walking With The Wounded, Edward Parker, further explained the decision and fully understands the risks that face all who are on Mt Everest this season:

“On Saturday I was contacted by Russell Brice, the expedition leader. We had chosen him to lead the team as he has comfortably the best record on Everest. He and I have been in close touch since the team deployed to Everest and I was aware that this season was proving to be particularly difficult. The main issue is it is unseasonally dry and warm. The result of this is there isn’t enough snow on the mountain side, leading to very loose rock, and hence rock fall. Also, as the core temperature of the ice cliffs is higher than normal, there have been a far greater number of avalanches. Last week an avalanche narrowly missed a team climbing with our boys.

“A Sherpa was also hit by another and swept down a crevasse. He has survived but has a broken back. Last week one of our summit team Dr. Francis Atkinson, was also needed to tend another climber who has been hit by rock fall in the face. Coming back through the Icefall on Friday the boys missed two rock falls by no more than three minutes. During the last phase we were not able to get the team above the Lhotse Face and onto Camp 3 because of the dangerous conditions. In our discussions Russell described sending his Sherpa team through the Icefall each day (as they take supplies to feed our boys at Camp 2) like sending them off to battle. Sadly one Sherpa, from another team, has now been killed in the Icefall.

“The decision not to aim for the summit was not an easy one, but it is the right decision to be made.

“The team are very low as they have worked so hard over the last 9 months to achieve the target, but they do understand why we have made this decision and they were involved in the process.” 

The team will partake in a scheduled whisky nosing, which will set a record for the highest event of its kind, at Everest Base Camp on Thursday 10th May. The record-setting event will be broadcast live at 1930 BST – come back to this website to find details of how to watch this unique, ground-breaking event in support of our wounded servicemen and women.

It has been an intense period of activity at Base Camp, involving the summit of a neighbouring 6,119m peak Lobuche for further acclimatisation, focused technical training for the Khumbu Ice Fall and the undertaking of local rituals – the Puja ceremony, which prays for the safe passage of climbing teams through the mountains.

The notorious Khumbu Ice Fall (a vast glacier lying just above Base Camp) is one of the most dangerous sections of the Everest climb and the summit team has undergone extensive technical preparation for this terrain – a series of plummeting crevasses which must be crossed with hanging roped ladders.

Historically the acclimatisation schedule has entailed multiple crossings of this ice field as summit teams move up and down from Base Camp to Camp 2, but we have reduced this by incorporating Lobuche peak into our preparation. The boys all summited and enjoyed some breathtaking views of what looms on the horizon ahead of them.

Once through this difficult section the Everest 2012 Expedition will ascend to Camp 2, past the Lhotse face and on to Camp 3. All will go quiet for a few days as the boys move up to the higher camps. Expedition HQ will be updating the website here with voiceblogs from the team as often as the team can send them out via satellite.

Our expeditions are purely to raise awareness of the work we do – delivering training, education, career transition advice and planning for our wounded, and getting them ‘Back to Work’. Here is a recent case study provided by The Poppy Factory, one of our partner organisations which we fund, showcasing what is achieved with your generous donations:

After 19 years of serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Gary was severely injured in a road accident, resulting in numerous operations and extensive mobility issues. Sustaining a permanent full time role was to be extremely difficult.

In January 2010 Gary registered with The Poppy Factory, subsequently gaining a role funded by them. Following this contract Gary established his own business, The Wolverest Group Ltd., providing medical training and event cover. With the business growing at a rapid pace,Gary approached The Poppy Factory once more for help with both developing his business model and assisting another Wounded, Injured or Sick ex–Service individual into the workplace.

In March 2011, The Poppy Factory supported Gary in developing the job description and identifying appropriate candidates, providing further funding for Gary to employ John, a former sergeant who suffered from health complications as a result of active service, who was being supported by The Poppy Factory to understand his own future career ambitions and opportunities.  Gary, John and the Wolverest Group Ltd continue to go from strength to strength.

This success story is one of many which are powered by The Poppy Factory and funded by Walking With The Wounded.

Our Expedition Patron, Prince Harry, has been awarded the Atlantic Council’s 2012 Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership, in recognition of his charitable and humanitarian work supporting servicemen and women.

Prince Harry has supported a number of charities that work in the field of rehabilitation of servicemen and women including Walking with the Wounded. We are very proud and honoured of our association with Prince Harry who remains a tireless supporter of our Wounded.

A Statement from Clarence House comments: “Prince Harry has chosen to accept the award on behalf of his brother The Duke of Cambridge, and their joint work through The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, and will use the award to pay tribute to British and American veterans’ charities for their achievements in helping to rehabilitate wounded servicemen and women and to reintegrate those who have served in the Armed Forces into civilian life”.

ITV News reports:

“Edward Parker, the co-founder of charity Walking With The Wounded, has told ITV News that he was “thrilled” Prince Harry is receiving a prestigious humanitarian award for his work supporting the UK’s injured servicemen and women.”

See the interview on the ITV News website:
http://www.itv.com/news/story/2012-04-23/prince-harry-honoured-for-forces-support/

A huge thank you to all of our marathon runners who went through an intense training period and the gruelling 26 mile run to raise for us. Amanda Brook, Tom Bird, Kim Hunt, James Gray, Mark Bradbury, Sam Swan and Nicholas Slater – your efforts really do make a difference.

To find out about running the 2013 London Marathon to raise for us please contact Fergus Williams: 01263 863900 or fergus@wwtw.org.uk

A huge thank you to all of our marathon runners who went through an intense training period and the gruelling 26 mile run to raise for us. Amanda Brook, Tom Bird, Kim Hunt, James Gray, Mark Bradbury, Sam Swan and Nicholas Slater – your efforts really do make a difference.

To find out about running the 2013 London Marathon to raise for us please contact Fergus Williams: 01263 863900 or fergus@wwtw.org.uk.

The expedition team can add these stunning shots to their family photo albums when they get home – they are some magnificent images, which you can view by clicking here.

Thanks to The Daily Telegraph for publishing this album, which shows a brilliant mixture of the breathtaking scenary, the arduous conditions and the day-to-day activities of the team.