MONMOUTH man Tristan Blanchard has successfully reached the summit of Mont Blanc after an arduous three day climb.On Friday 10th July, Tristan Blanchard, along with friend Gareth Jones, scaled the 15,700ft (4,785m) mountain, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK.

Tristan has raised more than £600 for the charity so far after tackling the highest mountain in the Alps.

The mountain is situated in the range called the Graian Alps located between Aosta Valley, Italy and Haute-Savoie, France.

The charity is close to his heart as Tristan's daughter's godfather, David McConnell, died last October because of the disease.

Tristan started intense training in January to prepare him for the challenge, with regular runs, cycling, weight training and 20 mile walks in the Brecon Beacons set him in good stead for the climb.

Previous trips to the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Scottish Highlands in the winter also helped him with the technical aspect of training.

Alongside Gareth, the pair spent a few weekends in Snowdonia training too.

Tristan said: "Climbing Mont Blanc has always been one of my ambitions. I started climbing when I was in university in Manchester 12 years ago.

"After climbing the Alphubel (4,206m) in Switzerland as an acclimatiser, I successfully reached the summit of Mont Blanc at 7am.

"Rock and ice fell whilst climbing the Gouter ridge, and strong winds higher on the mountain tested us well, but we pushed to reach the summit.

"The feeling when we reached the summit was superb."

So far Tristan has raised more than £600 for Prostate Cancer UK, to donate to his challenge you can visit: http://www.justgiving.com/Tristan">www.justgiving.com/Tristan

-Blanchard1