I first met Squash when working for a local paper in the South of France. She was travelling across Europe to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research and I was this 18-year-old intern who happened to be the only one in the office able to speak and understand English. I was also slightly over-enthusiastic at the idea of meeting someone whose life seemed like one hell of an adventure. Pictures of her I found online showed me a smiling woman alternately reaching mountaintops, riding a motorbike, skiing and paragliding. Her previous adventures had included reaching the summits of the Everest, Kilimanjaro, Mount Rainier and Aconcagua. She was also known to be the first British woman to paraglide from the top of Mont Blanc. So when my editor-in-chief sent me over for an interview, I was thrilled.
Three years later, I wondered what had become of Squash. Of course, her personal website says a lot. From road tripping around South America to ski touring in northern Europe, it didn’t seem like she had too much down time since the last time I saw her. But nothing beats a face-to-face meeting. So after exchanging a couple of emails, I hopped on a train and reached Brighton, where she was visiting one of her long-time friends.
She had landed from Hong Kong the previous day, was leaving for Basingstoke the very same afternoon and going back to Tignes, France, where she now lives the following morning. Her schedule was thus somehow tight. But it does not appear to me that tiredness has ever been her strong suit. I was welcomed with a large smile,
a hug, and a couple of minutes later I had a warm cup of tea in my hands and the exciting feeling of meeting up with an old friend.
And what did she have in mind?
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At the age of 13, she did the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a youth programme throughout which teenagers complete a series of exercises that includes volunteering challenges, physical workouts, and the completion of an adventurous trip.
“That was the first time I’d been camping and hiking, and I just loved it,” she recalled with a smile.
This somehow planted a seed in her head, which a few years later shook up every plan she had previously made.
Memories
«Three years! It feels like yesterday! Come in, come in. »
« I was this kind of kid who isn’t the best at anything but gets involved in everything. »
“Let’s drive down to the seaside once you’re done with that tea,” Squash told me.
“It’s a lovely day, it’s gonna be really nice out.”
Having a chat with someone whose recent years have been filled with reaching the planet’s highest summits, breaking world records and raising outstanding amounts of money for diverse charities can be, let’s face it, somehow impressing. But in the case of Squash Falconer, there’s no point when these facts emerge as a barrier. Maybe because she started out the same way as most of us did. And maybe also because for a long time, nothing was actually preparing her for the kind of life she is now living.
"I can't really exactly pinpoint a start date to all of this. I grew up on a farm and I loved the outdoors. I did a lot of sports at school, I enjoyed being in team games and things like that."
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