‘Remarkable’ mountain climber tackles Himalayan peak to support youth mental health in Calgary

A Calgary man is training hard to tackle a huge challenge while on the other side of the world.

It’s all about supporting struggling kids while honouring a lost loved one.

Jeff Wildeman is heading to Nepal in early September to climb one of the major mountains in the Himalayas.

“It’s called Mount Manaslu and it’s the eighth-tallest mountain in the world — about 27,000 feet,” he said. “It’s extremely steep and extremely snowy.”

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Wildeman is a veteran climber who’s reached the summits of many mountains in the Canadian Rockies and beyond.

“I was just recently in Argentina and I climbed Aconcagua, which is the tallest mountain in the world outside of Asia,” he said.

Wherever in the world he goes, Jeff often has a special person in mind: his mother, Cori, who worked as a speech therapist at the Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH) for more than 20 years.

“Helping little kids learn how to speak properly after cochlear implants and stuff like that,” he said.

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Cori was known for easing potential stresses for so many Calgary families at the ACH.

“She was extremely kind,” he said. “Very, very patient.”

In 2013, Cori died by suicide.

“With mental health, you don’t even know someone’s struggling terribly with it.”

He is using his Himalayan climb to raise money to support mental health programs at the ACH.

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“I think (my mom) would be very proud,” Jeff said.

His fundraising effort comes at a time when the ACH knows its young patients will really benefit from the support.

“We’re very grateful to Jeff — a remarkable young man taking on such a huge challenge,” the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Sheelagh Mercier. “And doing it in order to make the lives better for kids who are struggling with mental illness.”

More information on Wildeman’s fundraising climb is available online.

He said he feels it’s fitting that he’s carrying on his mom’s legacy of helping young Calgarians while he’s on Mount Manaslu.

“In Nepalese it’s called ‘The Mountain of Spirit.’ My family members tell me all the time that she’s with me and is going to help me stay safe on this climb,” Wildeman said. “I get told all the time that her spirit will be with me on ‘The Mountain of Spirit.’”