Contributed
Adam Hyde on his way up Europe's highest mountain, Elbrus.

Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport

THE JAMAICAN flag flew high and proud in China in August, and in Russia, too.

On August 5, less than a handful of days before Jamaica's track and field stars began burning up the Olympic Games track in Beijing, Adam Hyde unfurled the green, gold and black banner on the peak of Europe's highest mountain, Elbrus.

The 40-year-old busines-sman/actor/mountaineer/adventurer earlier in the year conquered Africa's Kilimanjaro to start his bid to scale the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. The endeavour, in the climbing world, is known as 'The Seven Summits'.

At 5,642 metres, Elbrus, near the Russian border with Georgia, is slightly less lofty than Kilimanjaro (5,895m) but, according to Hyde, infinitely tougher to climb.

"There was snow, sleet, 45 mph winds and it was so cold," Hyde, also known at Royal Palm Estate as Richard Blackburn, said.

Got dizzy

"When we got to 'the Saddle' (the area between the mountain's two peaks), I started to get a little bit dizzy and was wobbling and one of the guys had to grab me," he said. "I wasn't drinking enough water and it was scary. I was so exhausted and I wanted to stop and clean my glasses but our guide, who has climbed Everest about eight times, said 'Adam, if you pant like a dog, you die like a dog'.

"He had taught us this pressure-point breathing where you push from down here (lower abdomen) and apply pressure and it supplies more oxygen to your lungs. Once you do it, your headache goes away, you don't feel dizzy and you are able to go on. I was okay in about five minutes but you have to keep breathing like that and it's not easy."

Climbing with a group of 13, plus four guides, Hyde reached the summit after a three-day trek but was a little let down at the peak.

"By the time I got there the weather was so bad it was a white-out (virtually no visibility). We spent about 10 minutes, up there and if you didn't sink your crampons in, you would have been blown right off the mountain," he said.

"I was exhausted, so tired. I took a few pictures and got the hell out of there. It was nasty."

Hyde ranks scaling Kilimanjaro as a more satisfying achievement, but says he learned a lot more about himself and his skills on Elbrus.

Challenge was difficult

"I was fit and made it to the top, but I realise I have a long way to go before the next challenges. It (Elbrus) was very difficult and dangerous because of the crevasses," he said. "You have to concentrate all the time, you can't just wander off and enjoy the view. You have to stay within a prescribed area and then the weather was so terrible and unpredictable - minus-20 Celsius."

"I learned a lot more realities on that mountain. Putting up with difficult conditions, it was so cold all the time. It was really more of an expedition than Kilimanjaro. I was sick all of the time I was above 3,000m and you have to force yourself to eat, they were forcing food into my mouth.

"I was so miserable. It's one thing climbing but another when you are so cold and half frozen and worrying about frostbite. It made me wonder how much more I need to mentally prepare for the tougher mountains. In some dark moments I started to wonder can I really do this because of the cold and the illness."

With two of the seven summits under his belt, Hyde is now looking to mountain number three, which will either be South America's Aconcagua (6,962m) or North America's Denali (6,194m) early next year.

Survival winter course

"I am thinking of doing a survival winter course in the States first, before Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) or Acon-cagua. They (the guides and other climbers) strongly recommended I do that before trying Denali. My biggest fear on that mountain is frostbite. They say it's as cold as Everest. It's four weeks on the mountain and you have to pull a sled with all your gear over ridges and the like. I will probably do Aconcagua before that just to harden me up a bit more."

Of course, all this takes money and Hyde is starting a search for local sponsors as he continues his historic quest. He estimates the Elbrus venture, including gear, airfare and accommodation, cost him about US$9,000 and the other mountains, including the daddy of 'em all, Everest, are going to be as, if not far more, expensive to tackle.

Costly equipment

"I spent about US$2,000 on equipment alone. The boots were £400 and the crampons were about £350. So, I need sponsorship. I have checked out some sites and things look positive. Crimson Dawn helped me out with clothes for this last climb, including a nice fleece jacket which was very warm, but it's only going to get more expensive from here on in."

If all goes well, within the next three years Hyde will have scaled 'The Seven Summits', so what could possibly be next for Jamaica's foremost adventurer?

"Well, they say you have to do the seven summits AND the two poles," he said. "That's the ideal adventurer's goal. It's the new thing.

"What else am I going to do? I want to leave my mark. I like being the first to do things - I know I am the first Jamaican to climb Elbrus and that's a nice feeling. I want to make sure my record stands for a long time."

Spoken like an Olympian.

Feedback: tym.glaser@gleanerjm.com

THE SEVEN SUMMITS

The highest mountains of the seven continents