The Peak and Pond Challenge is a solo achievement by individual adventurers who successfully climb Mt. Everest and swim the English Channel. The members of the Peak and Pond Challenge include

1. Hugo Rodríguez Barroso (Mexico) – accomplished twice: Mount Everest summit in 1997 + English Channel in 1986 in 13 hours 0 minutes. Then, Mount Everest summit in 1999 + English Channel in 1993 in 13 hours 4 minutes. Then, another Mount Everest summit in 2000
2. Eric Blakeley, MBE (Jersey): Mount Everest summit in 1997 + English Channel crossing in 2003 in 20 hours 30 minutes
3. Georgios-Ioannis Tsianos (Greece): English Channel in 2000 in 9 hours 20 minutes + Mount Everest summit in 2004
4. Matthew J. Williams (UK): English Channel in 2010 in 15 hours 25 minutes + Mount Everest summit in 2008
5. Bill Borger Jr. (Canada): English Channel in 2000 in 12 hours 11 minutes + Mount Everest summit in 2011
6. Boguslaw Ogrodnik (Poland): Mount Everest summit in 2006 + English Channel in 2014 in 20 hours 33 minutes
7. Gabriel Viti (USA): Mount Everest summit in 2010 + English Channel in 2014 in 15 hours 50 minutes
8. Allan McLeland (USA): English Channel in 2008 in 16 hours 10 minutes + Mount Everest summit in 2017
9. Jason Snell (UK): Mount Everest summit in 2016 + English Channel in 2017 in 16 hours 30 minutes
10. Patrick McKnight (USA): English Channel in 2016 in 12 hours 54 minutes + Mount Everest summit in 2018
11. Rob Lea (USA): Mount Everest summit in 2019 + English Channel in 2019 in 11 hours 47 minutes…47 days apart
12. Greg Johnson (Great Britain): Mount Everest summit in 2019 + English Channel in 2021 in 18 hours 15 minutes
13. Anna Brown (Andorra): Mount Everest summit in 2018 + English Channel in 2021 in 13 hours 52 minutes
14. Jessica Hepburn (UK): English Channel in 2015 in 17 hours 44 minutes + Mount Everest summit in 2022

Greg Johnson – Going for the North Channel

Greg Johnson became the 12th person in history to complete the Peak and Pond challenge in 2021.

Now he is onto his next challenge: crossing the 35 km North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

But first he is going to do his final practice swim with the Wall to Wall, a nearly 24 km point-to-point ocean swim in Western Australia that runs along the shore line from Fremantle to Hillarys Beach Harbour. He predicts, “This will take me about 8 hours before I before I head to Ireland for the North Channel.”

He explains his goal and the reason behind his swim, “My fundraising campaign goal is to raise $35,000 for Lifeline WA, by swimming the North Channel in September. The North Channel is arguably one of the hardest of the Oceans Seven crossing because of the cold water, lion’s mane jellyfish, and wicked currents.

All donations are going to Lifeline WA to help finance essential Crisis Support Handlers who give their time to take calls from those desperately in need.

In my late teens, I went through some dark times that could have turned out very differently. It was friends and family that saved me – when I was able to speak out about what was happening for me.

Not everyone is as lucky as I am. Thank goodness that Lifeline WA is there. A trained Telephone Crisis Supporter (TCS) is there to listen and talk to anyone in their darkest hour.

If I can do anything to help spread awareness of, and fundraise for Lifeline WA, then I will.

I’ll be fighting off hypothermia, working against currents and tides, and dealing with the notorious lion’s mane jellyfish. Your challenge is to dig deep and stand with me and Lifeline WA is having life-saving conversations.

Each call costs around $39 so why not start there with how much to give? I hope you can dig deeper and I will dig deeper as I go through hours six, then seven of the swim thinking of your support and what we’re achieving. If we can raise $32,000 that will be six more TCSs in the world.“

To learn more and to donate, visit here.

The mission of Lifeline WA is to prevent suicide, support people in crisis, and create opportunities for emotional well being.

Greg Johnson, a man of action, a man of adventure.

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