Insight Talk with Bonita Norris
![](/_site/data/images/news/168/WP_20150212_001.jpg)
On Thursday 12 February we welcomed young explorer and mountaineer Bonita Norris to Gordon’s School.
On Thursday 12 February we welcomed young explorer and mountaineer Bonita Norris to Gordon’s School. Bonita holds the record for being the youngest British woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest back in 2010.
Her passion for mountaineering has seen Bonita take on three more Himalayan expeditions (totalling 5 overall), a short ski to the North Pole and two trips leading teams up Kilimanjaro. She was even invited to meet HRH The Queen at Buckingham Palace for her efforts in mountaineering.
Bonita spoke with great enthusiasm to students, parents and staff about her journey from taking up basic climbing courses, going on small climbing expeditions around the UK and Europe and finally her training and preparation for Mount Everest.
She spoke of overcoming great hardships and challenges along the way, dealing with crippling fear at great heights, withstanding freezing cold temperatures, the importance of teamwork and hard work, but overall, her story is about perseverance, taking opportunities and trusting that one small step at a time is enough to take on even the biggest of goals.
We thank Bonita for such an inspiring talk and wish her the best of luck in her next big expedition!