Two weeks ago, Benjamin Verliere (32) started a tour of Europe's highest peaks.
By the end of the summer of 2019, Benjamin will have climbed 50 summits.
Not only does this adventure constitute an extreme athletic challenge, but it also has a noble purpose: Benjamin Verliere will be collecting the trash he finds on the trails.
50 peaks in 52 countries
Benjamin Verliere (32) grew up in eight different countries, including France, Belgium and the United States, but he has frequently visited Chamonix with his parents.
His parents are now settled in the Chamonix valley and Benjamin has already climbed Mont-Blanc when he was 18 years old.
Having been negatively surprised by the waste and trash on Mont-Blanc, Benjamin Verliere has now embarked on an ambitious climbing adventure with the purpose of raising awareness about pollution and waste management.
Two weeks ago, Benjamin started his tour of Europe's highest peaks from the United Kingdom "in order to benefit from the administrative simplicity of Customs still present pre-Brexit" (Benjamin Verliere).
Benjamin is currently climbing the peaks of Portugal and Spain (3,842m). Then, he will be heading east, towards Liechtenstein (2,599 m) and Azerbaijan (4,485 m).
In total, Benjamin will be climbing 50 summits found in 52 countries and will finish his tour with the iconic Mont-Blanc.
Raising awareness of the proliferation of waste
Climbing 50 of Europe's highest peak, including the mighty Mont-Blanc, is definitely a challenge that pushes one's physical and mental limits.
However, this is not Benjamin's main purpose.
During the trip, Benjamin Verliere will collect the garbage he finds on the mountain slopes, trying to raise awareness about the proliferation of waste and its negative impacts on the environment.
Furthermore, he will try to raise funds and donate them to associations that help clean the mountains, such as the French association Mountain-Riders.
"It's ridiculous to climb up a hilltop with a bottle and not be able to bring it down again", says Benjamin.
Benjamin self-finances his trip and will give twice the amount of the carbon footprint left by his van to an emissions compensation association.
