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They picked a day when Ben Nevis was experiencing some of the worst weather in a long time, for the first part of their journey.

"Today was an extremely tough climb and the whole team were tested," said Kate.

"Phil was extraordinarly determined and was clearly never going to give up. But the weather was against us in so many ways and we encountered some of the worst conditions on Ben Nevis anyone had seen in a while."

"After over 10 hours of solid climbing and faced with a complete white out - we made the decision based on safety to come down - just 100 metres from the ascent.

"Five hours of climbing in the dark followed and we were all utterly exhausted by the end of it."

"Having said that we've had a tremendous day, surrounded by a magnificent team of Phil's friends - all professonals in their field and all determined to ensure we complete our next two climbs of Scafell Pike and Snowdon."