What now Derek Mahon? 7 Summiteer and record breaker.
He did it! Mountaineer Derek Mahon our sponsored endurance athlete has completed his 7th summit challenge, read to learn more.
Our sponsored endurance athlete and mountaineer Derek Mahon has spent the last 2 months re-setting after summiting Mount Vinson in Antarctica in December 2024. We decided to catch up with him and learn more about his journey.
Antarctica, The Cold Desert, the most remote and inhospitable place in the world, and I loved it!
I left Ireland on December 1st flying Dublin, Madrid, Santiago, and Puntas Arenas before departing for Antarctica and Union Glacier.
Landing on the blue ice runway was a real experience but stepping from the very comfortable Icelandic Air Boeing 757 into a wall of -20 Celsius cold was just an indication of what we were to cope with over the next few weeks.
Conditions were perfect for our internal flight from Union Glacier Base Camp at 700m to Vinson Base Camp at 2,100m, with scenery so spectacular it was hard to believe no human ever has walked these snow and ice prairies or climbed these mountains.
Landing at Vinson Base Camp plunged us into ‘all hands on deck’ team work. Food and equipment had to be dug up from the icy ground buried a year ago by last year’s departing expedition. Our tents and mess tents had to be set up and food prepped. It was also time to rest and acclimatise over the next few days.
Moving to low camp at 2,750m was another test with backpacks and sleds weighing in at 40kgs each. It was a very tough day and each hour we took a 15-minute break to eat and drink. The trek itself wasn’t difficult but as we acclimatised to the altitude the bigger adjustment for me was the constant battle against the cold and of course, staying alive. Temperatures each day, despite the sunshine and 24-hour light, were -15 to -20 degrees Celsius, so ‘self-care’ was primary with sunblock to any exposed skin.
Low camp meant rest and plan until a massive storm forced us all to build ice walls all around camp to protect our tents and equipment. Building such at this altitude was also exhausting alongside the absolute threat of frostbite which was difficult to deter as it happens very quickly. Following this we decided to take an extra day’s rest before heading higher to high camp at 3,750m.
Excitement was building as the weather forecast was good for the next few days and the decision was made to head to high camp and the summit thereafter. However, a tough few days were ahead with the full use of crampons, ice axe, jumar/ascender, and fixed ropes and gradients of 45 degrees together with a 40kg backpack, which wasn’t easy. It was exhausting and at times scary. It was a cold 5-hour trek before we made it to high camp.
All was well till another unexpected snowstorm hit and very high winds with temperatures reaching lower than before, with wind chill to about -30 degrees Celsius which tested our camp setup and ‘self-care’. I bordered on frostbite and acted very quickly to reduce such to the lesser frost nip or frozen fingertips. This numbing and tingling condition will remain for a few months but will thankfully go away with time.
The following morning over breakfast it was decided to go for the summit rather than take a rest day, which is normal having reached high camp, as the weather window had lessened. This was a 9-hour climb with steep gradients coupled with some surprisingly flat terrain, which were a welcomed relief. The final pitch to summit was very steep but reaching the summit made any such struggle all worth it.
It was then the reality of my success became real. I am now a 7 Summit summiteer.
I sat on my backpack and took it all in as my happy tears froze, which was a very strange stinging feeling.
We remained on the summit for 45 minutes taking photos, rehydrating, eating, and planning our decent to high camp.
The next day we packed up everything and headed back down with Vinson Base Camp as our objective. When we arrived our Otter plane had landed much to our relief. We arrived back to Union Glacier hours later with the news that the weather was closing in and that our return to Chile was being expedited or at least being considered. Bar that we would be stranded for at least 10 days!
Good news was shared over lunch the next day and we left Antarctica with such fond memories, another summit, the completion of the 7 summits, and lifetime climbing friends.
I returned home on December 22nd to a great airport reception, a home cooked dinner, a very rare pint of Guinness and of course my family and Christmas to be totally enjoyed, which has been another rare experience as I have been for the last 12 years always preparing and training for a climb.
Reflections …
The life lessons learned have been huge. My self-belief and the success I now enjoy are both beyond anything I could have ever imagined and prove the simple task theory of 80% mental and 20% physical. The life lessons learned and shared continue to inspire and motivate me and together have made me a better person.
I remain shy and humbled by my success but firmly believe anything is possible through a positive attitude which ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’ incorporates! … one of my very early adopted quotes!
I have been very lucky to have completed the 7 Summits, have lived to tell the tales, lost no fingers or toes, had no accidents of note, and boast all bones and limbs intact but unlucky to have buried good mountaineering friends, have left me more than content in my decision to end my high-altitude mountaineering career, while ahead!
Achievements & statistics
- Less than 500 people worldwide have completed the 7 summits and I am one of them
- I am the 15th Irish person to complete the 7 summits
- I am the oldest Irish male to have completed the 7 summits – I am the oldest Irish person to have completed the 7 summits
So that’s it. 7 summits done and I am very proud of myself!
Would I do it all again? …. absolutely!
What’s next? … No plans yet, but there will be no more big mountains.
I would like to thank The Panel for all their support over the last 12 years. I am incredibly grateful and feel lucky to have met so many of their team who have continued to follow my journey and share my successes. Thank you!
Signing off, for now…
Derek Mahon
Click here to read the previous post about Derek’s preparation
