Aged 18 he became one of the youngest Britons ever to summit Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. He then attempted a solo climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in May 2008 and reached the summit on his 19th birthday. His last expedition before starting at the University of St Andrews, was to Russia, where he reached the highest point in Europe, by summiting Mount Elbrus. In July 2009, he climbed the highest mountain in North America, Denali, before attempting Mount Everest the following year. Geordie got to within 150 m of the summit before turning around. He was heavily delayed on the ascent after helping a Sherpa and two teammates who were all suffering from severe altitude sickness. Over Christmas 2010, he climbed Vinson Massif in Antarctica, before completing the 6th mountain in his Seven Summits attempt, Carstensz Pyramid, Indonesia in March. Geordie returned to Everest in spring 2011 and became the youngest Briton to climb the Seven Summits. Geordie climbed in aid of Help for Heroes and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. His first four climbs were self-funded; the remaining three were sponsored. During the finale of his Seven Summits attempt, Geordie filmed a one-off documentary, The Ultimate Climb, for Discovery Channel, which aired in May 2012.
In Search of Sisu
In July 2018, Geordie published his first book In Search of Sisu: A Path to Contentment via the Highest Point on Every Continent which covers his Seven Summits journey on and off the mountains. Bear Grylls described it as ‘A raw and honest account. In Search of Sisu touches on key elements of human psychology, overcoming adversity and difficult decision making on an intensely personal journey.’ Sir Ranulph Fiennes said the book was, 'Powerfully written and compelling. A must-read for anyone with an interest in adventure.’
In August 2018, Geordie departed the UK to begin a long-distance cycle tour. He rode solo across four continents for 430 days and covered 22,500 miles. Geordie returned home to London in October 2018 having successfully completed his attempt to cycle around the world.
