In his ‘Peaking for Christmas’ challenge, Ed Jackson and his friend Ross Stirling used a special Berghaus rucksack and adapted clothing to take a Christmas tree to the summit of Thor Peak in the Sierra Nevada range in California, in aid of the Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation. Ed was also accompanied by his wife Lois and mountain guides Kurt Wedberg and Trevor Anthes. They completed their climb on Thursday 22 December.

 l-r Ed and Lois Jackson Ross Stirling and guide Kurt Wedberg with their Christmas tree on the summit of Thor Peak

Ed Jackson was a rugby union professional when, in 2017, he fractured multiple vertebrae in his spine. Now a partial quadriplegic, Ed has become a successful outdoor adventurer and uses his challenges to raise money for the charity that he founded, the Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation (M2M). In December 2021, Ed and Ross Stirling raised funds by carrying a Christmas tree up some of the UK’s highest mountains. With Peaking for Christmas, they went much higher. Their original plan had been to climb Mount Whitney, but snow conditions on the mountain prevented them. Instead they climbed nearby Thor Peak, which at 3,751m is almost three times the elevation of Ben Nevis. Ed works closely with outdoor firm Berghaus, which has made bespoke adaptations to its high performance kit that allow him to attempt ever more difficult terrain, despite his profound spinal injuries. Ed and Ross also used a specially altered rucksack so that they could climb while carrying the Christmas tree.

Ed Jackson comments: “We’ve had a brutal, epic few days. I struggle to walk on level concrete at times, so to be able to summit a big mountain in winter is not something I really thought was possible, especially given that we had carried in all of our gear for four days camping while trudging through waste deep snow. Oh, and there was the small matter of Ross having to carry a five foot Christmas tree as well.

“Although snow conditions and time didn’t allow us to reach our ultimate goal of Mount Whitney, it was an amazing experience and I’m so pleased that I got to share it with Lois and Ross, who defies physics at times. I’m hugely grateful to our guides Kurt and Trevor for even entertaining this crazy idea, to Berghaus for making it possible with some amazing kit and the special adaptations for me, and to everyone who has donated to our fundraising. This will help Millimetres 2 Mountains support so many more people who are facing some of the issues that I have experienced since my accident.”

 l-r Lois and Ed Jackson Ross Stirling Trevor Anthes and Kurt Wedberg

M2M recently launched ‘Together Outdoors’, a programme that helps people who have experienced physical or mental trauma to get active in the outdoors. Money raised by Ed, Ross and Lois through Peaking for Christmas will contribute to setting up, supporting and funding groups that deliver Together Outdoors activities in communities across the UK.

Donations to Ed Jackson and Ross Stirling’s Peaking for Christmas fundraising can be made at www.justgiving.com/campaign/peakingforchristmas.