Avalanche survivor marks 10 years since Nepal quake by scaling 446 UK peaks

A SURVIVOR of the devastating earthquake in Nepal in 2015 is marking 10 years since the disaster by scaling 446 mountains across England and Wales.

- By SARAH PING

Adventurer Alex Staniforth was 19 when he survived an avalanche on Mount Everest after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing thousands of people and injuring thousands more.

Alex recalled the moment when he believed he would die after hearing a loud crack before being hit by the avalanche during his second climb of the world’s highest peak.

Speaking over the phone from North Wales, he said: "At this point, I wasn’t aware of an earthquake. I didn’t feel the ground shaking, but my teammates did. I was completely on my own, and I remember feeling something was wrong.

"I could sense there was an avalanche coming towards us, but I couldn't see it because the cloud was so bad... I remember feeling really confused, and then feeling this massive blast of white just knocking me off my feet.

"For the first time in my life, at 19, [I remember] thinking 'This is it, game over, and that sickening feeling of fear that I've never really felt before."

The motivational speaker, who lives said he was 'grateful' to have survived the avalanche and is now commemorating 10 years since the earthquake by scaling 446 mountains across England and Wales in 50 days for charity.