KID WHO CONQUERED THE MATTERHORN
Scots schoolboy Jules, 11, becomes youngest to scale deadly 14,000ft peak
MOST 11-year-old boys would be happy to celebrate the easing of strict lockdown restrictions with a game of football or a trip to the local park with friends.
But schoolboy adventurer Jules Molyneaux toasted his new-found freedom by becoming the youngest person to scale the 14,692ft Matterhorn – one of the world’s toughest mountain challenges.
He reached the summit after months of intensive training, including spending most of lockdown building up his fitness.
After becoming obsessed with the idea of scaling the pyramid-shaped peak – which is more than three times the height of Ben Nevis and 14 times as high as London’s Shard building – Jules and his father, Chris, took on the challenge as soon as travel restrictions were lifted. Being so young,
Jules had to prove himself up to the task of scaling Europe’s sixth highest peak to local guides before they allowed him to tackle the potentially deadly climb.
After his record-breaking ascent, Jules – a pupil at Ardvreck School in Crieff, Perthshire – said: ‘I feel tired, happy and relieved. It was an experience, definitely tiring, and my legs felt like jelly after the climb.
‘The sunrise is worth it when you go up. Halfway up the mountain, you can see all the orange behind the Alps – it’s amazing.’
The Matterhorn is part of the Alps, straddling the frontier between Switzerland and Italy.
Jules said: ‘It is one of the most deadly peaks in the world.
‘I felt a bit nervous but you don’t really feel scared or anything, you just have to keep focusing, one step after the other. Lose concentration and you slip and fall.’
Another climber scaling the mountain at the same time as Jules and his father tragically fell to his death.
Team Molyneaux reached the summit at 9am on July 8, proudly carrying the Ardvreck flag all the way to the top.
Although there are no official records, Jules was hailed as the youngest person to climb the mountain by the Matterhorn Museum in Zermatt, Switzerland.
Mr Molyneaux, from Northern Ireland, said: ‘They said the youngest person they knew of who had climbed the Matterhorn was 12.
‘That was a local kid whose father is a guide, who successfully climbed it a couple of years ago. Jules is a good bit younger.’
The youngster’s feat was inspired by climbing he had done with his school. For two years, Jules dreamed of climbing the Matterhorn and he had trained hard for the past 12 months.
His father said: ‘He kept training and training and then, a year ago, he started to take it seriously.
‘Six months ago we thought we would give it a shot. Where we are based in the Highlands, we are surrounded by Ben Nevis, but it’s more of a serious game in the Alps.’ Mr Molyneaux said a climber would normally have to be 16 before being allowed to take on a mountain of this size, but Jules had proved himself to local guides.
He added: ‘We did a lot of technical, high-altitude climbs and Jules aced it, so they gave him a shot.
‘The climbing has just opened as it was pretty dangerous, lots of snow with falling rocks.’
Regarding the tragic loss of the member of their group who did not make it to the top of the mountain, Mr Molyneaux said: ‘On the day of our climb, there were ten of us and one person died. A guy fell 400 metres (1,300ft) and they had to collect him by helicopter.’
Despite breaking the record, Jules is taking his climbing success in his stride. He said: ‘It’s not about being the youngest ever to climb the Matterhorn. It’s about doing it together and having as much fun as possible.’
Ardvreck, an independent boarding school, posted about their pupil’s feat on its Facebook page.
Messages of congratulations have flooded in, with one well-wisher saying: ‘We are so impressed and exceptionally proud of you. Congratulations.’
The first ascent of the Matterhorn was on July 14, 1865, by the English mountaineer and artist Edward Whymper, accompanied by six companions.
On the descent, one slipped and pulled three others down to their deaths. The rope broke, saving two guides and Mr Whymper.
‘You don’t really feel scared, you just have to keep focusing’