Galway adventurer tackles world’s highest peaks for charity

It takes a special mental fortitude and bravery to scale some of the world’s most desolate mountains, but these are attributes that Killererin native Peter O’Connell possesses in spades.

He has climbed the highest peaks for good causes – most recently for Jigsaw – and while mountaineering started as a hobby, it has now clearly turned into a huge passion in his life.

Most recently, on June 1, Peter set off to tackle the 20,310ft Denali Mountain located in Alaska, United States. With only a 23kg backpack of supplies on his back and another 50kg on his sled he would have to make do with only these items for the next three weeks.

With little to no comfort or luxury items, every item needed to be carefully selected because he would be hauling this weight up steep slopes and peaks.

Although, he did manage to take along both Galway and Killererin flags which he was happy to say he, “wasn’t going home without getting both to the top.”

On this expedition, his days consisted of 6am starts at minus 15 degree temperatures and he was usually in his sleeping bag at 9pm.There were many challenges for him and his crew which they needed to overcome.

“The toughest part is the temperature changes, from minus 20 to plus 20 in the space of an hour; it’s hard to keep the clothing and sun protection correct. One morning I didn’t have goggles on and the wind was blowing, my eye lashes started frosting and sticking together,” he said.

Peter O’Connell plants the Galway flag on the summit of Denali Mountain.

His climbing group contained seven “enthusiastic and positive” Americans and himself. The mountain, which has only a success rate of 18% from attempted climbs, is something which motivated the Galway business man ever further.  But the actual climb wasn’t the biggest obstacle for him.

“The tough part can be dealing with team members and trying to keep everyone happy. Sometimes I wish I had more patience, a psychology degree could be handy,” he joked.

His preparation was quite meticulous before he even began his ascension.

“I always keep fit throughout the year, but the training increased substantially since Christmas. The training involved regular trail running in Connemara, long days of hiking with a heavy backpack along with strength and conditioning classes with In2fitness in Salthill. I usually train every day. My diet is sensible; an avoiding alcohol is preferable but not always practical.”

While he agrees physical fitness is an absolute necessity he stated that mental toughness is just as important.

“You need to be able physically, but staying positive and staying motivated is what will get you where you want to go. I find it easy to be motivated when I’m surrounded by such beauty.

“The mountains are so spectacular that I find it hard to ever complain, I just appreciate how lucky I am to have the opportunity to be in such a special place,” he added.

While Peter is a keen climbing enthusiast, there is another more pressing motivation for these climbs. These bigger climbs are used as an opportunity to raise funds for selected charities.

In this particular case, the charity he has chosen is Jigsaw Galway, a free and confidential support service for young people aged between 15 and 25 living in the city and country.

Even more admirable is the fact all donations will be matched by both his companies OCC Construction, Sweet Spot Capital and EpicIreland.com

Mental health is something which is very close to Peter heart, with suicide having affected his family.

“Mental health for young people is a huge issue and I think small things can make a big difference. I sometimes get depressed myself and I can see how people without a good support network in place could suffer. For me, getting away to the mountains is a great escape from everyday life,” he said.

This isn’t the first major charity driven climb that Peter has undertaken, in 2013 he became the first Galway native to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain which raised an over €50,000 for the Pieta House charity.

He has plenty more plans on the horizon and his mountaineering goal is to eventually complete the seven summits which are the highest point on each of the seven continents. Another would be to take an Irish expedition to Antarctica.

“I would like to organise an Irish expedition in Antarctica. Maybe ski to the pole, I know one or two guys crazy enough to go, so watch this space. I’m pushing on now too, so I’ll need to find someone to tolerate my gallivanting,” he says with a smile.

Justin McDermott of Jigsaw Galway described Peter as “one of our most wonderful supporters.”

“We are so proud of Peter for what he has achieved in summiting Mount Denali. He has been an incredibly passionate supporter of our work for a number of years now and the fact that he uses this expedition to again raise awareness and vital funds for Jigsaw Galway is a small indicator of his commitment.  He is a very, very proud Killererin man and Galway man and a true hero in our eyes,” said Justin.

Jigsaw Galway is located on the Fairgreen Rd, Galway City. Their opening hours are 12pm-6pm Monday-Thursday for drop in hours. Friday’s office hours are 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-5pm. Saturdays are for first time visits, by arrangement from 10.30am-3pm. Their telephone number is: (091) 549252.

■ If you would like to donate to Peter’s campaign please CLICK HERE