Extreme adventurer, mental health advocate, and award-winning charity founder Alex Staniforth has passed a major milestone in his bid to climb all 446 mountains in England and Wales in one continuous, self-powered expedition in under 50 days.
Launched last month, the challenge marks the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Nepal earthquake where Alex survived being stranded on Mount Everest while three of his Sherpa teammates lost their lives at Base Camp.
The challenge also coincides with Alex’s 30th birthday, a milestone he is determined to mark by taking on his most ambitious adventure yet.
The aim of the challenge combines Alex’s passion for the great outdoors with his mission to raise awareness around mental health.
“After 17 days of running and cycling, I’ve now reached the mighty Yr Wyddfa, which is the highest mountain of all 446 Nuttalls, at 1,085m,” Alex said after conquering his 155th ascent.
“It’s one final push to finish all 190 Welsh mountains and it feels like the mountain gods have taken mercy on me for rescuing a sheep yesterday below Y Garn as it looks like the bad weather has mostly passed.
“Today I’m back out for the biggest day of the challenge – 57km with almost 4,000m of elevation! After five days of seeing nobody at all it’s nice to have some company for my own sanity.”
The 446 Challenge is unique in scale, speed, and purpose. While adventurer James Forrest previously climbed all 446 summits within a record time of six months while holding down a full-time job, nobody has attempted to summit all 446 Nuttalls in the UK (peaks over 610m with at least 15m prominence) in a continuous, human-powered push.
Alex is running or cycling more than 2,900km with a total ascent of 86,000m – the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest almost ten times. He is travelling entirely by foot and bike, supported by a motorhome crew but without vehicle assistance between peaks. Each night, he is sleeping in the motorhome before continuing on with his challenge.
The route began in Dartmoor before continuing to Wales, the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Pennines, and Northumberland, and is due to conclude the challenge in the Lake District.
Alex aims to raise at least £100,000 for Mind Over Mountains – a charity he co-founded in 2020, which delivers professionally supported outdoor walking experiences to restore and sustain mental wellbeing.
The funds will allow the charity to expand into Scotland by 2026 and enable 1,000 people to attend guided walks and retreats, combining mountain walking, mindfulness, and one-to-one coaching and counselling.
