By Jessica Knowles
Christopher Ward Watches is sponsoring a team of young British mountaineers who are setting out on a journey to tackle a number of un-ascended peaks in Tajikistan.
Should the highly challenging Silk Road Tajikistan Expedition 2013 starting in July be successful, a newly conquered peak will be officially named ‘Mount Christopher Ward’.
The team, led by Struan Chisholm, a 20-year-old student at Cambridge University, will set out from Inverness in early July on a 7000+ miles round trip to reach the remote Rog Valley of central Tajikistan. Their first rest point will be a visit to the Christopher Ward HQ in Maidenhead, near London.
With plans to attempt multi-day ascents of a number of unclimbed peaks the expedition schedule anticipates that, subject to weather conditions on the mountains, the main climbing phase will be from around 19 July and the base camp will be dismantled by the end of the first week of August.
Mike France, co-founder of Christopher Ward notes that the company’s first major sponsorship project is an adventure into uncharted territory: “The moment we heard about this expedition we loved its boy’s own spirit of independent British adventurers on a shoestring budget seeking a fantastic challenge and we were determined to support it.
"Even with their extensive mountaineering experience and careful preparation, these five remarkable young men are setting themselves an incredible and serious challenge. I like to think that a spirit of adventure has always been a characteristic of the Christopher Ward story – from our business model to our designs, we’ve strived against the odds, always determined to reach higher – and now we’re aiming for an extraordinary new peak."
All five climbers will be wearing Christopher Ward watches throughout their journey. Chris Ward, co-founder at Christopher Ward, has selected the C11 Makaira Pro 500 as the best model for them to use in the high, harsh and varied environment. The expedition will be a unique opportunity to carry out a series of extreme tests.
Christopher Ward is also working on a special commemorative edition of the C11 Makaira Pro to give to the team to mark the expedition.
The expedition will depart in early July.
