IT'S BEEN a long time since Richmond has been to the top of the mountain - 28 years to be precise.
No Tiger has scaled the heights of fanatical Richmond supporter Mark George who last month conquered Mt Everest with four other men.
As he stood on top of the mountain, he used his spittle to help thaw out the steel zipper on his coat which had been frozen solid by the unforgiving cold which has claimed the lives of many climbers.
It took him nearly 20 minutes to unzip his coat to finally reveal his Richmond jumper which helped to keep him warm, symbolically more than physically, as he made his way to the summit.
Although there was a feeling of jubilation and excitement, it was also moment of sadness for George who lost a friend in 2005 when they failed in an attempt to conquer the mountain after getting to the last summit.
``It was a bitter sweet return,'' he said.
``We had to finish the last 100m off for a few reasons.''
Now with the mission completed, George, 42, says he'll stay grounded for a while.
``We didn't want any press and just shot up there on a bit of a self-guided trip and we had someone do the logistics so we climbed by ourselves the whole time,'' he said.
``We had a beautiful crisp morning when we got up there. I was sitting on on the south summit waiting for for a long time for the sun to come up because we had got there early, there was no point getting to to the top in darkness. We waited for some sun before we did that stretch up the summit.
``It was a good feeling, but very hard to describe.
``But it was worth every bit of hard work, pain and anguish along the way.''
A financial planner, George was accompanied on the climb by another three Melbourne men, surgeon Simon Holland, his brother Travis Holland, Daniel Bull, who now works in London, and Englishman Andre Zalappinger. Simon displayed a North Melbourne jumper when he got to the top.
As for the Tiger jumper, George said it was great to see it on top of the world.
``Now we need the double _ the Tigers on top of the ladder,'' he said.
``I'm a lifelong Tiger supporter,'' he said.
While the Tigers are still chasing a flag, George and his mate's next expedition is likely to be to the south pole.
Wonder who will achieve their mission first?
Article courtesy of the Herald Sun
No Tiger has scaled the heights of fanatical Richmond supporter Mark George who last month conquered Mt Everest with four other men.
As he stood on top of the mountain, he used his spittle to help thaw out the steel zipper on his coat which had been frozen solid by the unforgiving cold which has claimed the lives of many climbers.
It took him nearly 20 minutes to unzip his coat to finally reveal his Richmond jumper which helped to keep him warm, symbolically more than physically, as he made his way to the summit.
Although there was a feeling of jubilation and excitement, it was also moment of sadness for George who lost a friend in 2005 when they failed in an attempt to conquer the mountain after getting to the last summit.
``It was a bitter sweet return,'' he said.
``We had to finish the last 100m off for a few reasons.''
Now with the mission completed, George, 42, says he'll stay grounded for a while.
``We didn't want any press and just shot up there on a bit of a self-guided trip and we had someone do the logistics so we climbed by ourselves the whole time,'' he said.
``We had a beautiful crisp morning when we got up there. I was sitting on on the south summit waiting for for a long time for the sun to come up because we had got there early, there was no point getting to to the top in darkness. We waited for some sun before we did that stretch up the summit.
``It was a good feeling, but very hard to describe.
``But it was worth every bit of hard work, pain and anguish along the way.''
A financial planner, George was accompanied on the climb by another three Melbourne men, surgeon Simon Holland, his brother Travis Holland, Daniel Bull, who now works in London, and Englishman Andre Zalappinger. Simon displayed a North Melbourne jumper when he got to the top.
As for the Tiger jumper, George said it was great to see it on top of the world.
``Now we need the double _ the Tigers on top of the ladder,'' he said.
``I'm a lifelong Tiger supporter,'' he said.
While the Tigers are still chasing a flag, George and his mate's next expedition is likely to be to the south pole.
Wonder who will achieve their mission first?
Article courtesy of the Herald Sun
