Safety fears delay show for 12 months

The stand-up gig planned to take place on Everest next month has been postponed.

Organisers have decided to delay the event for 12 months because of ongoing safety concerns stemming from the April avalanche which killed 14 Sherpas. The tragedy has caused several events and expeditions to be cancelled.

Rhys Darby, Craig Campbell, Glenn Wool, Tommy Tiernan, Ardal O'Hanlon and one other comic are now scheduled to leave London on September 22, 2015.

Their expedition to base camp, 5,365m above sea level, will set a new Guinness World Record for the world's highest stand-up gig and raise money for Save the Children.

Fifty comedy fans will join them on the trip, having raised a minimum of £1,000 for the charity as well as the £2,250 cost of the expedition, plus flights.

Darby said: 'Im very much looking forward to Everest. While the others are going over their material en route to base camp I shall be searching for signs of yeti.

'Sometimes in life things land on your plate. I see Everest as a massive steak – it'll be hard to chew but in the end I'll be one of those guys that can say: "Hey I ate that massive steak, well at least the base of it. I'll need a hell of a lot more sauce to go any further!"'

Expedition leader Richard Kirtley said: 'While hardcore explorers such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Bear Grylls have famously gone on to conquer Mount Everest, just being able to reach base camp – which is three times the height of Ben Nevis and a good 500m higher than Mont Blanc – will be no mean feat.

'The team's main challenge will be to avoid altitude sickness so the key thing for us will be to ascend gradually.'

To sign up to join the expedition, organised by the The Aid Fundraiser, visit www.standuponeverest.co.uk.

After the April avalanche, Sherpas announced they would not be working on Everest for the remainder of 2014 as a mark of respect for the victims.

Published: 17 Aug 2014