A group of amateur north explorers are preparing to climb the uncharted peaks of Kyrgyzstan in central Asia next month.
During their four-week trip the team, who all met at school in Inverness, hopes to scale one of the most prominent unclimbed peaks in the region.
It stands at 15,420ft – three and a half times the height of Ben Nevis.
While most expeditions in the region are conducted via helicopter or larger 4×4 military vehicles, the friends will make the expedition on horseback, using 10 horses for the 50-mile challenge.
Their aim is to document their journey and experiences, as a means of encouraging more enthusiastic climbers to follow in their footsteps and explore Kyrgyzstan’s unblemished natural beauty.
The five explorers from Inverness, Calum Nicoll, 25, Struan Chisholm, 24, Sam Newmark, 24, Neil Smith, 24, and Sandy Fowler, 23, and their university friend Mark Chonofsky, 24, from Boston, will be setting off on July 15.
Mr Nicoll, who now lives in London, yesterday said: “Neil and Sandy still live in Inverness, but the rest of us go back quite frequently and whenever we are there we try to go on adventures.”
He said the group began by going on trips around Scotland, then started organising bigger and bigger trips further afield.
Mr Nicoll said: “We did an earlier trip to Tajikistan and on the way back a pile of Russian visa issues meant we were trapped in Kyrgyzstan for a couple of weeks.
“While there, we drove around and saw the most incredible unexplored mountains.
“That was when we decided we wanted to go back and do it on horseback.”
He added that they were all really looking forward to the trip.
“When I’m in the big smoke in London I’m dreaming about getting out into the mountains and sleeping under the stars,” said Mr Nicoll.
Their horses, expeditionary supplies and food for the Kyrgyzstan expedition will all be sourced locally as they are keen to maintain an ethically and environmentally responsible approach.
In preparation for the trip, the group has been training to improve their horse riding skills and learning how to manage the daily needs of the horses.
They are being sponsored by luxury British watch brand Christopher Ward, who will be providing each member of the team with a bespoke timepiece for the trip.
