Will Tucker is English, a qualified ski instructor who worked for many winters, first in Austria and then in Nendaz, in the heart of the 4 Vallées, the largest ski area in Switzerland. He is also a trained FIS adjudicator and travels around the world in this capacity to assess athletes at international ski races.

A portrait of Will Tucker Photos: Denali Portage

S o far so good, but is that enough to write a portrait of him? After all, he is not the only Englishman to have found his way to the Swiss slopes at some point and discovered or lived out his love for skiing there. Nor is he the only Englishman who has had to leave Switzerland thanks to Brexit and say goodbye to life as a ski instructor for the time being.

But this unwanted and forced departure led him to quickly seek out a new challenge, despite other professional activities. Curiosity and a thirst for adventure, but also, as he admits, „a certain boredom,“ led him at some point to the Internet and a simple Google search on the subject of expeditions. Specifically, the question was how one or, more precisely, several expeditions to more or less remote regions of the world could be realized with the aim of climbing the highest peak of each continent and then skiing down.

You all, dear readers, probably know that such a quest can quickly take on unimagined proportions, especially when it happens out of boredom. It was the same in this case and, given the nature of the matter, it didn’t take long for the initial question to lead to a rat’s tail of further questions on much larger topics. The realization quickly dawned that the logistical difficulties may not have been the real problem and could be overcome if tackled correctly, whereas the real challenge is a completely different one, namely the accelerating retreat of our glaciers and snowfields – a dilemma of a completely different magnitude.

A thirst for adventure meets activism

This realization ultimately gave rise to the idea of expanding the originally planned expedition project, and so „The Last Ride“ was born. The initiators – besides Will Tucker, these are Ed Salisbury, a trained carpenter who now earns his living mainly by constructing film sets, and Jon Moy, an award-winning filmmaker and cameraman – have set themselves a lofty goal. Not only do they want to climb and ski the seven highest mountains on our planet, but they also aim to draw attention to the effects of climate change on the world in general and on the inhabitants of the areas they visit in particular.

With various initiatives and a film as the end result of their trip, they want to contribute to a greater general understanding of the consequences that global warming has for us all and share innovative strategies to combat and deal with it. To achieve this, they collaborate and conduct interviews with the people they meet during their travels, focusing on a different aspect at each destination, so that by the end of their film they can present ideas, inspiration, but also hard facts and figures in seven chapters.

They speak with members of communities affected by climate change as well as with renowned scientists who deal with the topic. In Alaska, for example, they met Jeffrey Welker, an expert in Arctic ecology and biogeochemistry from the University of Anchorage, while on Elbrus, they had the opportunity to talk to glaciologist Olga Solomina, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 as a member of the UN Climate Council together with Al Gore.

In Tanzania, where the trio completed the second alpine stage of the project on Kilimanjaro, a collaboration between „The Last Ride“ and the „Kilimanjaro Project“ was launched. This initiative aims to reforest and restore biodiversity in the Upper Pangani River Basin, a region particularly affected by large-scale deforestation, while the communities around Denali in Alaska – the third stage – have to contend with completely different problems, such as the steady decline of permafrost.

The situation will be different again at Aconcagua in Argentina or in New Guinea, where Puncak Jaya is the highest peak in Oceania. Will and his colleagues want to get an idea of the challenges facing the communities and peoples living there and raise awareness and support for suitable initiatives.

Slowly but steadily

However, in order to be able to meet the people concerned and gain a direct insight into their living conditions – but also because it suits their aspirations as sportsmen and adventurers – the three young men have opted for slowness, so to speak. Where porters and guides are obligatory, for example, to ensure that the local population benefits economically from mountain tourism, they are used as a matter of course. Apart from that, however, large teams and transport flights are not used. The aim is to keep the ecological footprint as small as possible, although obviously no expedition, no matter how small, can do without increased emissions.

Will makes no secret of the fact that he himself struggles with the compatibility of the project and the larger objectives. „Let’s not avoid the elephant in the room,“ he says. „We’re a group of white guys from a wealthy society who can afford to put our energy into any project we want – even projects that don’t produce tons of emissions. So why did we decide to do this of all things? We all come from skiing and mountain sports, and this is where we have the most experience. But if I had to answer the question of whether we have chosen the right approach with our project, I would find it really difficult to give a clear yes at this stage. Nevertheless, I can also justifiably say that I and my colleagues have only the best intentions. Even though we initially just had the idea of climbing seven mountains on seven continents, the climate aspect has now become very important to us, and it is really important to us that we can at least achieve a change in thinking.“

Achievements to date and further plans

Instead of scrapping all plans in light of the facts, Will and Ed sought advice from Earthly.org, one of the largest and best-known platforms active in climate and environmental protection. Together, they came to the conclusion that it would make sense to offset the emissions caused by the project with its seven expeditions sevenfold and in seven different ways. These different approaches were to be examined for their advantages and disadvantages along the journey and recorded on film. Ultimately, this should give the audience the opportunity to form their own opinion and, if necessary, decide to support a suitable project.

„My hope would be that once our film is finished, it will inspire other people to get out into nature and feel it, whether it’s birdwatching, fishing, or mountaineering. Spending time outside and engaging in outdoor activities will inevitably bring up the same questions that were on our minds when we started our project and still are. And the more people engage with these questions, the sooner we will hopefully find answers and, above all, be prepared to change our behavior for the benefit of the climate,“ says Will.

To date, the trio has climbed the highest mountain in Europe, Mount Elbrus, as well as Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro, and the highest peak in North America, Denali in Alaska. All three could still be reached on skis, even though the snow on the roof of Africa is becoming increasingly scarce. In addition to the king of all mountains, Mount Everest, Mount Vinson in Antarctica, and Puncak Jaya in New Guinea, the highest mountain in Oceania, are still outstanding.

If everything goes according to plan, the remaining summits are to be climbed by the end of 2024, and further collaborations with regional initiatives are to be launched. And since climate change is not a geographically limited phenomenon but affects us all, Will, Ed, and Jon are also on the ground in the UK with their cameras between the individual expeditions, working on various projects. They cooperate with various local organizations, above all „Project Seagrass“ and „Moors for the Future,“ which are dedicated to the protection of seagrass carpets and moors.

The next destination is the highest mountain in South America. The 6,961-meter-high Aconcagua in the Andes, located on Argentinian soil but not far from the border with Chile, is to be climbed in November – and if the mission is successful, there will hopefully be an excerpt from the expedition diary in one of the next Seazen issues.

The crowning glory was supposed to be Everest, but as there are problems with entering New Guinea, this honor may ultimately be bestowed on Puncak Jaya. This was already on the plan for September 2022, but the necessary visas are still being awaited, meaning that the expedition had to be canceled at short notice. An unexpected change of plans with far-reaching consequences, as Will decided to use the time that had suddenly become available for a tour of Mont Blanc, which was anything but successful. He set off with a friend and mentor and came back alone.

The consequences of the past

We are the sum of our experiences, it is often said, and this is quite clear in Will’s case. He has been shaped by his first, thoroughly positive experiences in the family as well as by the terrible accident last year, which changed his view of many things – especially when it comes to mountain sports – and turned it on its head. But one thing at a time: How did a young lad from the English provinces become an enthusiastic skier and mountaineer in the first place?

Southwest England is not exactly known for snowy winters or high mountains, even if it has to be said that Will grew up not far from Wales, where there are at least a few hills, and the highest point, Mount Snowdon, reaches a proud 1,085 meters. However, the British themselves are known for their love of getting out and exploring the world – Thomas Cook, after whom a British travel company is still named today, brought the first travel group from Great Britain to Switzerland as early as 1863, and even earlier, in 1857, the so-called „Alpine Club“ was founded in London.

So is mountaineering in the British blood? That’s debatable, but it could well be the case with Will Tucker. He must have inherited his passion for the mountains from his parents, who were both keen skiers and still are. This enthusiasm went so far that the family moved to Zillertal in Austria every year for the winter months. The parents worked as ski instructors while the children made their first turns under professional supervision. And as if that wasn’t enough, the season was simply extended, and the father added an artificial slope to the garden at home.

It wasn’t a bad sight when I arrived at the Tuckers’ in the early 1990s, fresh from school, to teach the children German – or at least to try: Rubber mats sprayed with water lay close together on a slightly inclined slope, and if my memory serves me right, there was even a homemade lift to help them up. How very strange! What seemed strange to me was quite normal for the family, and you have to give them credit: The rubber slope paid off.

Father Colin was still traveling around the world until last year to take part in as many ski races as possible, and sister Hannah, who completed part of her studies in Innsbruck, now lives in New Zealand, where she was offered a job by the FIS in Queenstown years ago. She was also the one who brought Will to Nendaz for the first time, as she had worked in a ski school there before him. He himself spent numerous seasons there, so he knows the area and the region inside out. You can find his tips on the best runs and places to eat at the end of this report.

Even though he is no longer allowed to work in Switzerland due to Brexit, Will still enjoys coming back to ski, paraglide, and climb. In September 2022, he and a friend attempted to climb Mont Blanc, but their attempt failed in dramatic fashion. On September 11, 2022, Will’s friend and mentor Andrew Wilkinson fell to his death when one of the single-point rock anchors the two had been using to secure their sleeping place gave way.

They were on the Peutérey Ridge when they decided to set up camp for the night at around 1,200 meters. „I’m alive today because tiredness and laziness led me to choose a bad stance over belaying with a carabiner on an anchor, while Andrew, who had belayed as he should have, fell 1,100 meters onto the scree below.“ That was at nightfall, and it took a good ten hours before Will was rescued by the Italian authorities at dawn and flown to Courmayeur by helicopter.

Today, Will says, he finds it difficult to talk about his mountaineering ambitions or even „The Last Ride“ without diminishing the joys and benefits of mountaineering in light of this terrible experience. „The mountain is not an adventure playground, even though more and more people seem to think it is. An expedition or tour requires preparation and basic knowledge – money alone is not enough, and you can’t buy a summit victory. You should always be aware of the fact that unforeseen eventualities can occur and that there is always a certain residual risk. Many of the best alpinists have lost their lives despite being well prepared and equipped and traveling with a team of professionals.“

Further information: www.thelastrideproject.comwww.jonmoyfilm.com/the-last-ride