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Starting off at 8.30am the expedition took a steady pace and successfully reached the summit of Scafell Pike at 5.30pm.

Director/camerman and fellow climber, Peter Smalls took time out to speak of the team's delight at achieving their goal. "It was good thing for morale that we got to the top today," he said.

But of course what goes up must come down - a challenge in itself.

"We're now anxious to get down because the clear day has become a white out and the light is fading fast, so we have to move pretty quickly to get down in daylight. We're fine in the deep snow because we can slide Phil down but when we get to rocks that's when it gets very tricky in the dark"

Phil admitted the challenge was more physical than he had anticipated.

"I did not expect the conditions to fatigue my body as quickly as they did - and so early on," he said.

"But the weather and track conditions we faced were extreme, even for the experienced climbers in the group. The aim of this Sport Relief challenge is to show people what they are capable of and lead by example - that includes making tough decisions in difficult situations.

"We have a team of qualified professionals with us and we all agreed it was necessary to turn back. Despite the frustrations of the first day we all felt a real sense of achievement which continued to grow with our success on Scafell Pike."

So how does the going look for tomorrow? "The weather is suppposed to be good but the way it's closing in down here, doesn't bode too well, but as I speak there's a beautiful sunset!"

They hope to get a decent sleep tonight - after they've reached base camp, got out of their wet clothes and had some much-needed food. Then on Sunday, they face Snowdon.

Read about Kate's experience of Ben Nevis here