British adventurer Alex Staniforth is neither a top athlete nor one of the lucky ones. When I log on to social media and see that Staniforth is planning an adventure, I usually expect it to end in an unforeseen injury or illness. Altitude sickness on Mera Peak and Cho Oyu, exhaustion on Baruntse and near death on Everest.

But whatever misfortune and missteps Staniforth experienced, he had to face and overcome with the same strength. He is what he himself describes as an adventurer of adversity. At the age of 14, plagued by bullying, epilepsy and stuttering, Staniforth, after some formative experiences while hiking in the mountains, set himself the goal of climbing Everest.

Just four years later, at 18, Staniforth had raised the money to climb Everest, but only made it as far as Base Camp before a massive avalanche killed 16 Sherpas and the climb was abandoned. He returned the following year, in 2015, and was climbing through the Khumbu Icefall when a major earthquake struck Nepal, killing three of his teammates.

Beyond Everest

In the years that followed, the ever-optimistic Staniforth turned away from the big mountains and focused his energies on long-distance endurance events while battling the demons of mental illness and eating disorders.

But perhaps the most important part of Staniforth’s post-Everest years was the founding of Thoughts about mountainsa charity providing professional advice and support for nature walking across the UK.

Head above water picks up the story and shows Staniforth trying to overcome the effects of Long Covid and complete a 65km swim-run ultramarathon in the Lake District.

Since the film was shown, Staniforth suffered an epileptic fit during a 300km run across the UK. I bet this brave adventurer will just keep going for the next challenge.