On 10th January 2024, we were thrilled to co-host our first event of the year with The Altitude Centre in London. Bringing together three incredible women: Adriana Brownlee, Jessica Hepburn, and Becks Ferry, to speak on how they have each pioneered their own unique paths to success in the mountaineering world.
Adriana Brownlee - World Record-Breaking Mountaineer & VALLON Athlete
Adriana Brownlee set out at just 21 years old to become the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. In 2023, her pursuit was stalled due to the two catastrophic avalanches on Shishapangma - the last mountain she needed to complete her challenge.
Her passion for mountaineering has been life-long, starting when she was the youngest person to complete the UK Three Peaks Challenge in under 24-hours. Her latest endeavour has been co-founding AGA Adventures, through which she will share her knowledge and passion for mountaineering by leading expeditions worldwide.
She is a core member of the VALLON Athlete team, paving a path for other women in the mountaineering community; and we are excited to see what comes next.
Adriana wears VALLON Heron Glacier & VALLON Freebirds. Follow Adriana here.
Jessica Hepburn - Street, Sea, Summit Completionist & Adventure Activist
Jessica Hepburn, who describes herself as an ‘unlikely athlete’.
As someone who grew up as the ‘artsy’ kid, she never thought she would find herself as 'Street, Sea, Summit' challenge completionist. In parallel to pursuing a career in theatre production, she has summited Everest, swum the English Channel, and completed the London Marathon.
A triple bill that she shared gave her focus, motivation and a new lease of life when the cards of life seemed to be stacked against her. Her new book comes out on 7th March 2024.
Follow Jessica here.
Becks Ferry - High-Altitude Mountaineer and Competitive Endurance Athlete
Becks Ferry is a tour-de-force in the adventure community, daring to show anyone who says “you can’t”, that you most definitely can.
A Montane athlete, and mother of five, she holds an impressive record of adventure travel and endurance race pole positions, including being the second woman in the world to successfully summit Everest and K2 in the same year.
Becks is humble yet determined, and has even more exciting adventures up her sleeve for 2024. She’s one to watch!
Follow Becks here.
Our evening concluded with an insightful Q&A with the panel, and a raffle to win a pair of VALLON Heron Glacier sunglasses - the same pair of sunglasses worn by Adriana Brownlee to the top of the world’s highest peaks.
Congratulations to Megan for being our lucky winner!
We want to say a huge thank you to all our event partners:
Adventure Queens for livestreaming the event for a UK-wide audience.
Our wonderful food and drink sponsors, 3 Locks Brewing Company, Pentire Drinks, KIND, and Fulfil.
The Altitude Centre for hosting this amazing evening of inspiration.
We love working with partners that help you push new boundaries outdoors, and explore further. The Altitude Centre is a world-leading research and training centre, helping athletes and outdoor enthusiasts prepare year-round for their next great adventure. Learn more about The Altitude Centre here.
