David Tait Calls Off Double Traverse

Bowing out on a high

Few men could climb Everest and come away with a gnawing sense of failure.

But David Tait sets his sights higher than other men.

So it was with a heavy heart that the 44-year-old hedge fund manager announced he would be returning home to Cobham next week after failing in his attempt to become the first man to complete a double traverse of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.

Mr Tait successfully reached the top of the 8,858m peak last Wednesday, but will not attempt to retrace his steps and climb over the mountain again to complete the double traverse.

He said: "There might be some supermen in this world, but I discovered I am not one of them.

"During the latter part of the endless painful descent I realised I was not going to be able, in all seriousness, to motivate both mind and body to turn around and do it all again - at least not in the time-scale allowed."

This was the second time in two years that Mr Tait has reached the summit of Everest and was notable for the hazardous and rarely-trodden north-to-south route he followed.

But as the descent unfolded, he endured 36 hours without sleep, which took its toll to such an extent he could no longer ignore his mental and physical fatigue.

Mr Tait also paid tribute to fellow climber Phurba Tashi, claiming he would have been unable to justify holding him back just so he could grab the world record for himself.

He said: "In order for me to pander to my ego and claim to be the first person to double-traverse Everest, I would have to simply ask Phurba to step aside, the moment before we hypothetically summitted a second time. This was unacceptable to me.

"The fact is we both traversed Everest the first time as equals, despite his immeasurably superior experience and skills, but if I indeed had the surplus energy to attempt a second summit, I would have been a fraud in asking him to let me summit first."



Mr Tait has raised almost £96,000 for the NSPCC, which he hopes will be used for the Children in Court appeal, allowing victims of child abuse to give evidence electronically.

He has also announced preliminary plans for a book about his life and the remarkable experiences of the challenge, which started on March 29.

He added: "I also hope the charity finds a way of using both the significant money and minor profile I have raised in a positive way."