When were you at QEH? 

I was at QEH from 2016 to 2018 for Years 12 and 13.

Are you still in touch with any of your QEH friends?

I am still very close with my friends from QEH, especially those who have similar outdoor and adventurous interests. We even have an unofficial QEH 2018 leavers group called ‘Geobar Expediditons’ in which we go on annual expeditions away, including the Pyrenees, Isle of Skye, Swiss Alps and French Alps.

What do you do now?

I’m a Modelling, Simulation and Control Engineer working on submarine autopilots.

What is the Panmah Expedition?

We are a small team of young, passionate, and independent climbers who will travel to Pakistan on a five-week exploratory mountaineering expedition in September of this year. We have our sights on two unclimbed 6000m peaks in a remote and little-explored corner of the Panmah Muztagh, and we intend to establish a new technical line to one of these summits.

These expeditions aim to give young climbers the opportunity to make first ascents in the Greater Ranges, explore and support local cultures, and positively contribute to the collective achievements of exploratory Alpinism.

We are grateful to be supported by the Alpine Club, Mount Everest Foundation, Austrian Alpine Club (UK), British Mountaineering Council, and select brand sponsors. However, the cost of running exploratory expeditions is increasing yearly, and every pound from every supporter makes a big difference, particularly as we are a young team. 

We have ensured that this expedition will not only be an adventure for ourselves but will also support the local communities that we pass through. We will pay our porters fairly and ensure they are properly equipped for this challenging and hostile environment. This adventure is also about showing that young climbers with drive and passion can achieve amazing things. It is about unshading a little more of the map of unexplored territory and sharing these exploits with others to inspire their own adventures. This expedition will also inform talks at the Kendal Mountain Festival and the Royal Geographical Society Explore Symposium 2024, aiming to support the next generation of adventurers and explorers.

Who are you completing the Expedition with?  

Myself, Leo Kesner and Tom Davis-Merry

Why did you decide to do the Expedition? 

At university, I was increasingly interested in climbing and naturally progressed from indoor climbing to outdoor traditional climbing. This then took me to the higher mountains of the Alps in the summer and Scotland in the winter. I then joined the Alpine Club and climbed with people who have done similar expeditions and based on their stories of adventure I was hooked! Earlier this year, I was very fortunate to be asked to join this expedition by Tom due to a late dropout and it could have easily been somebody else!

Did your time at QEH and participation in outdoor pursuits trips influence your passion for adventure? 

Defiantly! All the Ten Tors training and expeditions I went on with QEH opened my eyes to the beauty of the world and the fantastic time we can have in the great outdoors!

The trust that QEH staff put in and we put in them allowed us to go to places that most people only dream of such as climbing in the Italian Dolomites to wild camping on remote Scottish islands.

Adam Calder, James Kelly and Rick Martineau stand out as QEH teachers who really helped build a sense of adventure in me and the rest of Geobar Expeditions and it's only looking back that we realise how lucky we were to have them as teachers and mentors.

How can people support your expedition? 

Unfortunately, we received some bad news from two of our funders at the last minute, which has put the entire expedition in jeopardy. We are one week away from flying to Islamabad and are now £3000 short of our planned budget. We therefore set up a GoFundMe to help plug the gap in the finances which has so far raised £1000!

This expedition has been 12 months in the planning; we have poured heart and soul into researching objectives, planning logistics and medical support, and securing funding from our amazing supporters. Following our safe return to the UK, we have organised a free lecture series across the UK and planned workshops with several schools and universities, seeking to share our adventures and inspire more young people into climbing and the outdoors.

We now can’t do this without your help. We deeply appreciate your time and consideration in visiting this page https://www.gofundme.com/f/alpine-club-panmah-expedition, and we are immensely grateful for any support you can give. Thank you!

We wish Felix the best of luck on his expedition and look forward to hearing how it goes! If you would like to support, you can do so by clicking the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/alpine-club-panmah-expedition