Gavin Bate: Leader and organizer of the trip, Gavin also organized the British Everest Expedition in 2000 as part of his Seven Summits Millennium Expedition. But on the 16th May 2000 Gavin turned back from the south summit, just 100 vertical meters from the top, and watched team mates Andrew Salter, Polly Murray and John Barry summit the highest mountain in the world. Now he returns to tackle Everest again but this time by the north side with no Sherpa support and hopefully with no oxygen. "Just a lot harder, more challenging, more purist, more everything really," says Gavin, "I'm stoked at having the chance to go again, and with a couple of really good climbers. I'll be writing my book at Base Camp and of course I get the biggest kick out of organizing it all. I love the logistics of it all. I'd hate to just pay some operator $40.000 to organize it all for me. After this, I'll have organized 2 Everest Expeditions from both sides from scratch and even I don't summit, I'll be happy with that achievement". Gavin has been to 8000 meters several times now and summitted Cho Oyu, 6th highest in the world, back in '98 without supplementary oxygen. He has been organizing and leading expeditions for ten years now. Gavin runs Adventure Alternative Expeditions, Adventure Alternative Safaris in Kenya, is the UK distributor for Russian oxygen to high altitude expeditions, and chairs his own charity called Moving Mountains which currently street children in Kenya and number of environmental and community programmes in Nepal. He is currently writing his first book about climbing the Seven Summits. His home is currently leaning more towards Ireland. "If home is where you are happiest, then it's Ireland for me" says Gavin, "but I also live in Kent and I have an office in Glasgow. My home in Kenya is also close to my heart though."

Will Canning: Met Gavin on Mt McKinley in 2000 during the Millennium Expedition and excelled there. He is a qualified mountain instructor with bags of experience and has been working at the Ardclinis Outdoor Centre in Northern Ireland but just recently Will has become engaged to an Australian beauty and got his papers for emigration ! Now he's left Ireland and settled in Sydney. Everest is his last big bash before tackling the even bigger challenge of marriage ! Bachelordom is losing a true stalwart. Will is from Northern Ireland ( Newtownstewart ) and if you can actually understand a word of what he's saying through the thick Ulster accent then you'll find one of the best blokes around... Will was on an Annapurna Expedition which was beset with bad weather ( no summit )and this is his first foray into the icy world of the Death Zone at 8000 meters plus. "Aye well, it'll be no problem sure, I'll just gi'it ma best shot sure'n'try to keep me toes....(half hour of fast Ulstertalk later)...and if I summit I'll be the first from Norn Iron to do it without oxygen !" A record in the offing ! Will is a spare individual who is always laffing and smiling, always laid back, always easy going, consummate climber who would think of others before himself, completely non-anal and great craic. He's one of those guys on a hill who wears just an old T-shirt and fleece when everyone else is in full down suits; tough as old boots is our Will.