Martyn Bould to climb Mt Aconcagua for Red Cross

One man’s efforts to climb Mt Aconcagua in Argentina is merging with a Cayman Islands Red Cross (CIRC) campaign to raise funds for the “Climb for Red” initiative, supporting community programs such as Disaster Management, First Aid/CPR & AED training, Aquatics training (water safety & lifeguard training), Child Protection & Sexuality Education and Thrift Shop Referral Centre.

Martyn Bould, who has lived in Cayman for some 50 years, has been training the last few months for the 6,965m (22,841ft) ascent of the World’s tallest mountain outside of Asia.

Bould arrived in Cayman some five decades ago to work as a chartered quantity surveyor and has managed numerous projects both here and throughout the Caribbean since then. He is “passionate about cultural preservation and development”, the press release said. He served as founding board member and chairman of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation for almost 40 years and founding board member of the National Gallery and past chairman of the National Trust.

Bould and his wife, Vivian, frequently host cultural events at their home, and in 2012 he was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with an MBE for cultural preservation.

The Boulds have climbed peaks including Blue Mountain in Jamaica, Pico Duarte in Dominican Republic, Bhutan in the Himalayas, Mount Sopris in Colorado and Martyn Kilimanjaro in 2019 also to raise funds for CIRC. So, Aconcagua was a natural progression.

The mountain, which is one of the Seven Summits is on the border between Argentina and Chile in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in both the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere with a summit elevation of 22,841feet.

To prepare for the challenge, Bould started focused training some 140 days before the scheduled climb, practising in particular a breathing programme known as “Oxygen Advantage”, coupled with altitude training in Colorado and Utah, as well as continuing a daily workout routine with Dottie Rau which he has done for the past 20-plus years

Bould became more familiar with the Red Cross movement following the passing of Hurricanes Irma and Maria through the Eastern Caribbean, and he was able to witness firsthand the response by the British Virgin Islands Red Cross, which received support from the Cayman Islands Red Cross, in the aftermath of those storms.

“In light of the wonderful work that the Red Cross performs in the traumatic conditions following the passage of a hurricane, climbing for CIRC appealed to me as a natural way to give back,” said Bould in the press release.

“I hope my journey brings awareness to the importance of the work of the Red Cross and encourages the community to donate funds to the CIRC, thus enabling their trauma preparedness and response efforts and capabilities.”

The eighteen-day trek to the peak of Mt Aconcagua climbs gradually in order to acclimatize to the reducing oxygen levels, with rest days along the way with a summit day requiring a 12 hour climb. Those who make it to the top are treated to one of the most spectacular sights on earth.

“Climb for Red is a bold initiative by the Cayman Islands Red Cross, designed to raise awareness and vital funds for the organisations disaster preparedness and response programs. By scaling Mount Aconcagua, Martyn Bould embodies the spirit of resilience and preparedness we aim to cultivate within our community, particularly when we approach the peak hurricane season in September” explains CIRC Director, Jondo Obi . “At the CIRC, we work hard every day to empower the community, to build its resilience, and to serve the most vulnerable. Having someone like Mr Bould undertake such an amazing journey on behalf of our organisation and our work is truly an honour, and we are sure that this endeavor will help us reach a wider audience” says Obi.

“People can follow his journey on the CIRC’s social media accounts, and hopefully while they are cheering him on and donating to our cause, they are also engaging with the information which we will be providing,” she added.

Should you wish to donate to the campaign please click the Red Cross link below:

https://www.caymangiftcertificates.com/ci-red-cross