University of Bristol science student, Jake Meyer, is on the brink of creating history.  If he succeeds in reaching the summit of Everest in the next few weeks, he will become the youngest person in the world to complete the seven major summits and he will also be the youngest Briton to conquer Mount Everest.

Jake, 21 can already lay claim to having climbed six of the highest mountains in the world, a combined height of 104, 269 ft, in some of the remotest destinations on earth. Jake is currently halfway up the seventh, Mount Everest, hoping to reach the summit later this month.

Jake’s passion for climbing began at 13 and at 15 he climbed his first of the seven summits, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.  He then scaled Mount Elbrus in Europe and Mount Aconcagua in South America aged just 18.  Facing yet another remarkable challenge, he then went onto conquer one of the coldest mountains in the world, Mount Denali in North America, aged 19, followed by two more incredible achievements climbing Mount Kosciusko in Australia and Mount Vinson in Antarctica by the time he was 20.

The Seven Summit Challenge, has only been completed by 150 people worldwide.  It tests a climber’s physical, mental and emotional capabilities to the absolute limit. Jake will have had to endure dangerous terrain, extreme weather conditions, poor visibility, fatigue, frostbite, altitude sickness and the risk of avalanches and plunging through snow bridges.

In preparation for his current expedition to Mount Everest, Jake followed a strict training regime that enabled his body to acclimatise to some of the extreme conditions facing him on his journey. The regime involved running to ensure he is physically fit, a protein rich diet to increase his body mass allowing him to store energy, plus a series of trips climbing up and down mountain ranges in Switzerland and in Antarctica.

Apart from the personal challenge, Jake aims to raise £15,000 in sponsorship money for the expedition and for The Children’s Wish Foundation, a charity dedicated to granting wishes for dying children.

To find out more about the challenge and to follow Jake's progress read his online diary at www.bris.ac.uk/news/2005/jakes-blog.html, which describes the challenge in more detail allowing readers to follow his progress.