I’ll never be as cool as Kenton

Have you ever had a friend who was always just that bit better than you at everything? They were the best at sport, super good looking, academic success came easily but despite all that you really liked them. That’s the true test of a friendship – dismissing their superiority with a flourish of jocular self-deprecation. I have one such friend who is very cool. He’s so cool because he’s climbed Mount Everest 16 times, he’s achieved the “Seven Summits” the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents and he’s the only Brit to ski down two 8,000m peaks. Oh, I forgot to mention his last name is Cool.

Kenton Cool lives in the Cotswolds and I got to know him many years ago when he’d call me “on air” from Everest base camp and we’d had a chat about his latest mission. I once interviewed him from near the summit and the phone line was much clearer than when we called him at his then home in Quenington. I’ve always scratched around for something I can say I’m better at but he even trumps me at the art of public speaking as he’s also an internationally renowned motivational speaker.

On a recent wintry walking trip to the Yorkshire Dales I thought I’d give the Kenton “look” a go. Having trained with my pal Chris on the slopes of the Stroud valleys for our northern adventure we were delighted when we saw the weather forecast. We had freezing temperatures accompanied by blue skies and dazzling sunshine. This gave me the excuse to buy a cheap pair of sunglasses, whip out my walking poles, spruce up the Kenton facial hair and pose on a stile. I think you’ll agree when you place our images together we could be brothers! Maybe not. The only thing I think I’ve got over Kenton is that he’s a committed Saracens fan, a clinical, cold, unpopular club who will never be loved liked Gloucester.