January 2008 PS

As mentioned below, a variety of charities was supported by boys on the trips - group of around ten boys raised £2529.24 for SOS Children's Villages which enabled them to buy a minibus for Lhasa Children's Village

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Success for all three groups!

August 2007
75 boys and 9 staff travelled in 3 separate groups to Everest Base Camp (at 5200 metres) in Tibet during the summer holidays. The different groups had a series of adventures along the way during their 22 day expeditions.

The groups visited Beijing, walked on The Great Wall, saw the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, explored Lhasa and Shigatse before trekking for 4 days to Base Camp.

Boys from the first two groups then trekked for another two days to 5800 metres but the final group woke up to a covering of 18 cm on the ground at Base Camp and so left ahead of schedule.

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Paulines prepare for trip of a lifetime

22nd May 2007

The countdown for the three trips seems to be accelerating. The first group, imaginatively called Group A, leaves on Sunday 1st July, with Groups B and C flying out on 8th and 15th. All 84 people going (75 boys and 9 staff) have been working on improving their fitness and stamina in various ways, including some long walks locally.

Several of the boys are individually raising sponsorship for a variety of charities while others are hoping to raise funds to help buy a minibus for the SOS Lhasa Children's Village. Contributions to the latter can be made at

www.justgiving.com/stpaulsgroupa
www.justgiving.com/stpaulsgroupb
www.justgiving.com/stpaulsgroupc

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19th March 2007

In recent weeks, bedraggled groups of Paulines have been seen yomping round Richmond Park in preparation for what must be one of the most ambitious expeditions ever launched from Lonsdale Road.

Three groups of Paulines ranging from the 5th form to the 8th form will set off for Beijing this summer. There they will see the most famous of the city's monuments including Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. A visit to the Hongqiao market gives three days to absorb the atmosphere of the city where the 2008 Olympics will be held.

Days 4 and 5 will be spent trekking the challenging Great Wall of China and taking in its stunning views. There will also be some steep terrain there which should be valuable preparation for the real test of endurance later on in the expedition.

Thence by train to visit to the Terracotta Warriors at Xian and onwards by plane to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Here the boys' own individual battles with altitude will begin. Along the journey towards Everest Base Camp are many Buddhist and uniquely Tibetan sites such as the Potala Palace, the former home of the Dalai Lama, and the Tashilhunpo Monastery. After a few days of some gruelling walking all hope to make it to Everest Base Camp at 5200m and the fittest plan to continue to 6000m.

Everest

Lhasa

Then the long 2 day journey will begin in style on the newly constructed railway from Lhasa to Beijing before the return to London.

It is a truly gigantic trip and one that everyone is really looking forward to and all are just starting to realise the enormity of the expedition. It is highly likely that some will not reach Base Camp but many are now undergoing fitness programmes to maximise the chances of doing so.

George Band, the youngest member on the first successful expedition to the summit of Everest with Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing in 1953 came to give a fascinating talk and slide show on the story and drama of the first ascent. His pictures made those present even more excited about the amazing sites and sights ahead.

George Band

Richmond Park

Some training walks on the towpath and in Richmond Park (not really much of an altitude!) have been arranged and these, all are assured, will come in useful on the Tibetan Plateau in the future.