A tutor from Furness College is determined to prove to his students that you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it by trekking to Everest Base Camp.
Matt Goslin, who is a curriculum leader for adult outreach and runs the college’s RV projects initiative at Victoria Hall, will take on the climb next month.
He will ascend the Kalla Pattar in Nepal – known as the black rock – and then head to Everest Base camp, both are more than 5000m high.
Matt said it would be the highest he had ever climbed.
“This is the ‘if I can do this, I can do anything’ trip,” he said. “I am looking forward to being part of a team of people with a single vision and a single objective, pitting ourselves against nature, being totally absorbed in working together to survive a desolate environment. One that has as its reward some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring scenery the planet has to offer.”
In his day-to-day job Matt said he sees people from across Furness build their own confidence to be able to fulfil their ambitions and this is what he plans to demonstrate during the trip. Adult outreach, which is based at the Trinity Enterprise Centre, is an increasingly successful area for the college with students getting the qualifications they need to upskill in their careers or move into employment.
“I have seen people overcome major life challenges and go on to reach their full potential by securing employment and career progression they could never have dreamed of. I hope I can inspire others to see that they can achieve.”
“I am confident if we faced any problems that everything I have done with Furness College over the 18 years I have been here will come into play.”
His climbing partner is David Richardson, 57, who works in Barrow and is a co-director of RV projects which has partnered with the college for 11 years. They will travel to Kathmandu with a group of 12 on February 8th.
As part of Matt’s training, he has been doing a 20km walk that combines all ten summits of the Coniston horseshoe and 1500m of ascent at least three times a fortnight – five times over Christmas. He has also been altitude training in Manchester and double ascents of Snowdon in Wales to test his discipline and motivation.
“I am feeling pretty confident, I think you have to go into an expedition like this believing in yourself, and your ability, that you are going to achieve it. Any creeping doubt could be fatal in a hostile environment like this mental resilience is crucial to success.”
Father-of-four Matt, who turned 50 this month and is a qualified mountain leader, said the biggest challenges would be altitude sickness and the cold, which can go down to -30C at night.
He said he had chosen Everest Base Camp due to its global significance but would not be going to the top.
“Everest is obviously steeped in legend and history and the place where every mountaineer wants to test their mettle. I am no exception to this however I have a few issues with how the mountain is administered and I think sometimes the revenue it generates is put before the safety of the mountaineers.
“I am looking forward to finding out if I am still crazy or if I should hang up my ice axe and crampons and chose a more sedate hobby,” he said. “I will be taking a Furness College flag to the top to show my students they can achieve anything they set their mind to.”
For more information about adult education courses, including business administration and retail, contact the college on [email protected]
