EMA’s action man survives ‘Mountain of Death’
East Midlands Airport’s ‘action man’ who trekked up one of the world’s tallest mountains for charity has returned after a series of issues forced him to abandon the challenge just short of the summit.
Michael McCorkindale, a security manager at the airport, embarked on his effort to scale Aconcagua in the Argentinian Andes, the highest peak outside the Himalayas at just under 7,000m. He undertook the challenge to raise funds for The Children's Society, Magic Breakfast and Medcare - charities being supported by EMA’s parent company MAG (Manchester Airports Group.)
Passed as fully fit and equipped to take on the challenge, Michael’s efforts to reach the top were beset with problems from the outset, with a heatwave making the start of the climb much harder. Led by Argentinian Sherpas, Michael’s group summited a neighbouring peak at over 5,000m as part of acclimatising to the gruelling conditions and lack of oxygen. The 36-year-old former soldier from Anstey, Leicestershire, suffered injury from a fellow trekker’s crampon as Michael saved him from slipping down the mountainside.
Once on the peak that is ominously known as the Mountain of Death, the group was hit by a combination of avalanches, mudslides and a storm. Michael spent a nerve-shredding night in a tent on a cliff edge as the storm blew in, causing an avalanche which forced the group to ascend a further 1,100m without any rest. Still desperately trying to reach the summit, he began suffering from hallucinations due to the lack of oxygen and physical exhaustion. He finally had to abandon the dream of standing on top of the world with only a few hundred metres to go.
“It was hard to make the decision to go down,” said Michael, “but the alternative was a one-way ticket to the top.
“I had been doing well physically and mentally but unfortunately everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I did defeat the Mountain of Death because I refused to let it take my life. A mountain man isn't someone who always summits but is someone who lives to tell the tale."
Michael is used to overcoming adversity after a difficult childhood – which is what inspired him to raise money for children’s charities – and once off the mountain, immediately set about booking his next daredevil challenge of trekking thousands of steps for five days along the Great Wall of China and helping to repair a broken section in May.
And his considerable efforts have not been in vain – not only does the adventure in the Andes reaching 6,100m mean he can now be considered for his ultimate dream of climbing Everest, but he has raised more than £3,000 for MAG’s charities. Further donations can still be made at https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/1858/michaels-aconcagua-climb/