LADS ON TOR

We join Wales and British & Irish Lions legend Jonathan 'Foxy Davies for one of the most iconic treks on the planet

- JULIA CLARKE

IT'S 3:20AM as I tiptoe down the creaky stairs of the Buddha Lodge teahouse in Gorak Shep and push the front door open to an icy blast of alpine air.

"Good morning," says Jonathan Davies, who's already waiting outside in the dark with two of our Himalayan guides, his headlamp strapped to his head in anticipation of our pre-dawn hike.

The celebrated Welsh rugby player and I have been trekking in Nepal for the last eight days with a small group pulled together by his friend and mentor Rhys David, the new CEO of EverTrek, an adventure company that Davies has recently become a brand ambassador for.

Yesterday we reached Everest Base Camp, at 17,598ft (5,364m) above sea level, where we hugged, high-fived and clambered giddily up onto a famous boulder for a group photo. After an hour or so of ogling the Khumbu Icefall and the smattering of yellow tents that remain late in climbing season when most mountaineers have summited or been repelled by the mountain one way or another, we hiked back down to Gorak Shep to begin our descent.

Before we do that, though, we've opted into an excruciating alpine start to climb another 1,000ft (300m) higher than Base Camp up Kala Patthar to watch the sun rise over Everest and Lhotse. Our trekking companions have, quite sensibly, chosen to remain in bed.

A fox on the trail

The 37-year-old Davies, known as 'Foxy' - a nickname he tells me people are often disappointed to learn he only earned because his parents owned the Fox and Hound pub in Carmarthenshire and nothing more salacious - recently retired from a successful 18-year rugby career. After signing with the Scarlets out of high school, his stint saw him play for Wales 96 times, win two Grand Slams and go on two British & Irish Lions tours.