London 2012 Olympic Flame Reaches Summit of Snowdon

Olympic Flame Reaches Summit of Snowdon

The Olympic Flame is carried on the highest point of the London 2012 Torch Relay by Sir Chris Bonington.

(PRWEB) May 31, 2012

The Olympic Flame is carried on the highest point of the London 2012 Torch Relay by Sir Chris Bonington. 

• Olympic Flame visits the second highest peak in the UK and the highest point on the London 2012 Torch Relay
• Flame carried at the summit by famous mountaineer, Sir Chris Bonington
• Images are available to download here

The Olympic Flame has visited the summit of Snowdon, the second highest peak in the UK, on day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – presented by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.

The Flame travelled up the 1,085 metres in a miner’s lantern which was carried on the Snowdon Mountain Railway, which takes some of the 350,000 people who visit Snowdon each year, to the summit.

At the summit the Olympic Flame was carried to the highest point on the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay by world renowned mountaineer, Sir Chris Bonington, who was returning to place where he started climbing. He made the first British ascent of the North Wall of the Eiger in 1962 and led the expedition that made the first ascent of the South Face of the Annapurna in 1970, the biggest and most difficult in the Himalaya at the time. He went on to lead the successful expedition making the first ascent of the South West Face of Everest in 1975 and then reached the summit of Everest himself in 1985 with a Norwegian expedition.

Chris, said: “This was a very special moment for me and it totally exceeded all my expectations. I think it's not only the honour of carrying the Olympic Flame to the top of Snowdon, but also the fact it’s part of a long journey for me which goes back to 1952 when I first started climbing here on Snowdon and spent New Year’s Eve in an empty cafe in the bitter cold. So this really is a lovely exercise of passage for me and it was lovely to share it with my fellow climbers and people who love the hills and to feel their warmth and approval.”

Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa in Welsh, meaning tomb or monument, is located in the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. It covers 823 square miles and is home to over 26,000 people. At the summit the temperature can reach 30 centigrade in the summer and -20 centigrade in the winter. The winds can get up to 150 mph.

Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, said. "The Olympic Torch Relay has provided Wales with a wonderful opportunity to show the world just what we have to offer as it has travelled past some of our best known landmarks from historic castles in Caerphilly and Beaumaris to modern icons like the Millennium Stadium, through our towns and cities and along our stunning coastline. What better way to show the natural beauty of our country than to have the Torch visit our highest peak with one of the world best-known adventurers."

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office.

Notes to editors:

Each day two short packages of broadcast footage will be made available. The packages will be available via the Footage library – accessible from the Media Centre on london2012.com and direct from this linkhttp://footagelibrary.london2012.com. Media will need to register for access in advance. Registration is free.

The broadcast of the Olympic Torch Relay is provided for Editorial Use Only. There can be no commercial association, no third party association and no commercial/ad superimposition on the video footage, unless the prior written consent of the IOC is acquired.

About the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners:

As the longest standing Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay, Coca-Cola will be using its heritage and experience to spread excitement across the UK ahead of London 2012. Coca-Cola's national nomination campaign - Future Flames – has focused on finding inspirational young people from across the country to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame. This summer Coca-Cola will celebrate these Future Flames: young people who use their passions in areas like sport and physical activity, music and dance, and community and the environment; to spread happiness in their local communities. Find out more at:http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/olympic-games

As the only National Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Lloyds TSB will be taking the inspiration and excitement of the Olympic Flame right to the heart of communities across the UK. As part of Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland will be the National Presenting Partner in Scotland. We are creating as many opportunities as possible for communities the length and breadth of the UK to get involved as the Flame travels past their front doors. Lloyds TSB’s troupe of performers the Flame Followers will be travelling ahead of the Flame to excite crowds with a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport celebrating the endeavour, athleticism, agility and skill of Olympic sporting heroes, Team GB.

Lloyds Banking Group is Britain’s biggest corporate investor in UK communities and in 2011 invested £85 million and as part of the Group’s Community Investment Programme, we’ve launched the Lloyds Banking Group Community Fund to give back to the communities in which we operate and pass through on our journey with the Olympic Flame. We’re inviting everyone to visit the Lloyds TSB stand at each Evening Celebration to vote for a community project in their area that inspires and supports young people. By voting at the Evening Celebration members of the public will automatically enter a draw to win four tickets to London 2012. The two projects that receive the most votes at each locality will each win a £5,000 grant from Lloyds Banking Group. At the Lloyds TSB site members of the public will also have the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Olympic Torch, meet Lloyds TSB Local Heroes – the future stars of Team GB and ParalympicsGB – and get up close to our Flame Followers. To find out how you can join in the celebrations with Lloyds TSB (in your community please visithttp://www.lloydstsb.com/london2012

As a Presenting Partner of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, Samsung aims to encourage everyone to be part of the greatest show on Earth to make London 2012 ‘Everyone’s Olympic Games.’ We aspire to offer new and memorable experiences for everyone around the world through our own innovative and smart wireless technology. Samsung is providing 1,360 Torchbearers, who have “gone the extra mile” by contributing to the local communities, through its worldwide public nomination campaign. In total over 25,000 nominations were received. Samsung will support towns and cities to celebrate the exciting moment of the Torch Relay and help showcase Great Britain’s cultural landmarks to provide a more enjoyable experience to everyone. The evening celebrations that will be staged by Samsung in 66 towns and cities throughout the Olympic Flame’s journey across the UK, will allow Samsung to entertain the community they are visiting. The Samsung caravan, complete with LED screen on the side showcasing runners and goodwill messages, will follow the Torchbearers around the UK cheering up everyone to celebrate the Torch Relay with music and interaction with local communities. It is Samsung’s ambition that London 2012 will be an event that reaches and involves more people than on any other Olympic Games occasion. To learn more about Samsung’s London 2012 Olympic programme, please visithttp://www.samsung.com/london2012

The Supporters of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay are:
Worldwide Olympic Partners Procter and Gamble and Visa, Tier One Partners adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT and EDF, Tier Three Providers Aggreko, Holiday Inn and NATURE VALLEY.

The BBC will be providing extensive coverage of the Torch Relay on television, radio and online. This will include special Breakfast shows on every BBC local radio station, and extended live coverage of an evening celebration event in every Nation and English Region. Full details of the coverage will be at bbc.co.uk/2012.

London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.

LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS.

There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield