Ex HIMALAYAN VENTURE 2018
28 August to 27 September 2018
Nepal, Himalaya (Khumbu and Rolwaling Himal)
HIMALAYAN VENTURE 2018
Led by Peter 'Speedy' McCreedy, HIMALAYAN VENTURE 18 was the principal expedition of RAF100 - the celebration of the centenary of the formation of the Royal Air Force, the first independent Air Force in the world. The expedition also achieved recognition in being the largest single Service mountaineering expedition ever to have been mounted.
The expedition united over 75 members of the wider RAF family in a pioneering expedition the Rolwaling and Khumbu regions of the Nepalese Himalayan range. It brought together individuals with a variety of outdoor experience, ranging from the absolute novice to the experienced mountaineer.
Consisting of five teams, expedition members worked together in tough and challenging conditions. Four trekking teams conducted remote and arduous trekking at Very High Altitude with all personnel successfully achieved a crossing of the Tesi Lapcha pass at 5,775m.
The main 'alpine' team conducted exploratory mountaineering in a faster, lighter 'alpine' style at Extreme High Altitude, with 2 members making the first British ascent of Langdung (6,357m) as well as summitting neighbouring peaks above 5,500m within the Rolwaling Himal.
About HV18
Flight Lieutenant Andy England talks about preparing for HV18
As a member of the Alpine Team, Andy is one of the Alpine Mountain Leaders who will responsible for leading rope teams up to their objective peaks. To do so, he will need to train and be in good shape in order to maintain that winning edge.
THE PLANNING TEAM
Get to Know Us
Peter McCreedy
Expedition Leader
Peter is a Flight Operations Officer with extensive operational experience and is no stranger to expeditions or the Himalaya. Over a 19-year career he has previously led tri-service teams on expedition across the United Kingdom, Europe and the Himalaya, and has served as a volunteer with the RAF Mountain Rescue Service. A seasoned mountaineer who enjoys the challenges of traditional, alpine and ice climbing, HV18 is undoubtedly his biggest challenge yet.
Chris Fawcett
Deputy Expedition Leader & Training Officer
Chris is an Engineering Officer in the Communications Electronic field. Having undertaken expeditions to the Alps, Grand Canyon, Sahara and High Atlas Mountains over the course of a 16-year career, for him this will be his third expedition to the Himalayan Ranges.  A keen mountaineer, he has also been a member of the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service since 2006.
Stephen Day
Expedition Coordinator
When he's not climbing, maintaining RAFMA's mountaineering archive or editing the annual journal, Stephen can be found balancing his reserve commitment with a busy day job. As Expedition Coordinator, Stephen is responsible for ensuring that every aspect of expedition planning is delivered to the very highest standard. Stephen's wealth of mountaineering experience allows him to immerse himself in everything from establishing relationships with specialist climbing equipment sponsors to co-ordinating extreme temperature testing of clothing. If that isn't enough, Stephen is also responsible for photographing the exploits of the Alpine Team.
Steph Wilde
Media Operations
Stephanie is an Engineering Officer in the Aero-Systems field. Having undertaken expeditions to the High Atlas Mountains and South America over the course of her career, this will be her first expedition to the Himalayan Ranges.
Steph is a key part of ensuring that our busy teams keep in contact with our audiences back home, as well as making sure that we deliver high quality content for our supporter, the Royal British Legion, for their "Everyone Remembered" campaign. She will be keeping our communications lead busy!
Mandy Singleton
Logistics Lead
As an Aero-Systems Engineer Officer and RAFMA Vice-Chair, Mandy is at home meeting complex requirements. Mandy has the unenvious task of ensuring that each of the seventy-five strong team members are kitted out with everything required for an expedition that encompasses trekking through the humid jungle terrain through to putting the first British team astride the summit of a six thousand metre Himalayan peak. With first-hand experience of understanding the demands placed on those trekking and mountaineering in Nepal, Mandy is perfectly placed to keep the teams protected from the elements and with the right safety equipment when it counts.
Gordon Henderson
Communications Lead
Adding yet another engineer to the planning team, Gordon is a Communications Electronic engineer, and was responsible for coordinating all the expedition communications. An experienced mountaineer, who has served in the RAF Mountain Rescue Service and mountaineered extensively throughout the world.
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His expertise in communications is proving to be highly valuable. He doesn't just have to cope with the pressures of providing effective communications between the teams, but also has to coordinate the demand on satellite communication equipment for the increased media footprint required by the expedition and its supports.
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*Post expedition note: Gordon was one of the two of the first British climbers, (along with Olly Pirkis) who successfully summitted Langdung (6,357m).
