Glaciers not just ice but lifeline. Lewis Gordon Pugh to swim in half-frozen Mt Everest lake at breathtaking altitude of 5300m

Fearless journey to awaken conscience, to unite efforts, to rescue our planet. Lewis, with warmest heart we wish you success!

"This is not just about protecting a pristine environment," Pugh says, "it's about saving ourselves." Lewis’s Pick n Pay/SAP Everest Challenge on May 22 is all about spreading awareness of climate change and its effects. He will become the first person to attempt to swim 1km across an almost-frozen lake two-thirds of the way up Mount Everest, next to the Khumbu Glacier – at the breathtaking altitude of 5,300 metres.

Pugh once said “it’s a tragedy that it’s possible to swim at the North Pole.” He put himself through intense physical strain to raise awareness about climate change; he’s an ardent environmentalist who wants the world to know about the decrease in ice in the Arctic.

On May 22, Lewis Gordon Pugh will take a dip in the waters of a lake on the Khumbu Glacier, 17,000ft above sea level in the Himalayas. The mountain range's glaciers provide water to more than 1.3bn people and are receding faster than in any part of the world. Temperatures in the Himalayas have risen by around 1 degree Celsius and some are predicting the glaciers could be gone within 25 years. Pugh said: "These glaciers are not just ice. They are a lifeline - they provide water to a fifth of the world's population."

(quote)

environmental campaigner, swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh
Swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh, the environmental campaigner - who is the only man to have completed a long-distance swim in every ocean, and who last year swam at the geographic North Pole - wants to raise awareness of global warming.

Lewis Gordon Pugh will take a dip in the waters of a lake on the Khumbu Glacier, 17,000ft above sea level in the Himalayas. He will attempt the 1km swim in just his Speedos, swimming cap and goggles and is expecting, or possibly hoping, to only spend 20 minutes in the water. The mountain range's glaciers provide water to more than 1.3bn people and are receding faster than in any part of the world. Temperatures in the Himalayas have risen by around 1 degree Celsius and some are predicting the glaciers could be gone within 25 years. The endurance swimmer said: "These glaciers are not just ice. They are a lifeline - they provide water to a fifth of the world's population." "It's essential that politicians put aside their differences and agree a bold strategy to reduce climate change to below current levels..."

The next time you think the water is too cold, think of Lewis Gordon Pugh.

Pugh truly ups the ante when he combines his passion as an environmentalist with his love for swimming. He doesn’t just give speeches or conduct research or write letters – he experiences climatic changes first-hand when trying to generate awareness to the changes in our oceans. In 2007, he drew global attention to the melting of the Arctic sea ice through his Polar Defence Project when he swam nearly 19 minutes across an open patch of sea at the North Pole – in water that ranged between 29ºF and 32ºF.

Lest anyone think he's simply an incredible cold-water swimmer whose exploits rival those of by Lynne Cox, Pugh also has done long-distance swims (his Maldives swim of 87 miles raised aware