Guest
Alex Staniforth
Record-breaking ultra-endurance athlete, author and founder of Mind Over Mountains
Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking ultra-endurance athlete, adventurer, speaker and author from Cheshire who survived the two deadliest disasters in Mount Everest's history– the 2014 Khumbu Icefall avalanche and the 2015 earthquake– before turning 20. Having grown up with epilepsy, a stammer and relentless bullying, he rebuilt his ambition on home ground: in 2017 he became the fastest person to climb the highest point of all 100 UK counties, covering 5,000 miles by bike, foot and kayak in 72 days, and he later became the first and fastest to climb all 446 mountains in England and Wales by human power, in 45 days.
He is the author of Icefall and Another Peak, and founder of Mind Over Mountains, the charity restoring mental health through guided walks with professional coaching and counselling– work recognised with a Prime Minister's Points of Light award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester.
Credentials
- Survived the 2014 Khumbu Icefall avalanche and the 2015 earthquake on Everest, aged 18 and 19
- Fastest continuous round of all 100 UK county tops– 5,000 miles by bike, foot and kayak in 72 days (Climb The UK, 2017)
- First and fastest to climb all 446 mountains in England and Wales by human power, in 45 days
- Author of Icefall (2016) and Another Peak: Everest Is Not the Only Summit
- Founder and trustee of the mental health charity Mind Over Mountains
- Prime Minister's Points of Light award (2023); honorary doctorate, University of Chester (2025)
Find Alex
Their episode
What Surviving 2 Everest Disasters Reveals About Mental Health | Alex Staniforth, on The BEYOND Podcast with Aleksandra King.