Teenage Adventurers Gear up for 2012 Genesis Energy Hillary Challenge

New Zealand’s toughest challenge for teenagers is about to start. 

On 13 May the most adventurous senior secondary students in the country will assemble at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre at Tongariro to begin the 2012 Genesis Energy Secondary Schools Hillary Challenge.

The intense five-day event will test their outdoor skills and endurance, as well as their mental acumen and teamwork, in a series of wilderness and sporting challenges in the mountains, rivers, lakes and bush at the heart of the North Island.

“It’ll be tough, it’ll be challenging, it’ll be competitive – but it’ll also be a huge amount of fun,” says event manager Darren Ashmore of OPC.

“Win or lose, the rewards for these teenagers are massive: confidence, camaraderie, pride... It’s an epic week they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”

Ashmore says OPC wouldn’t be able to run the competition without the support of its principal sponsor, Genesis Energy.

The company’s Chief Executive, Albert Brantley, says: “Genesis Energy is proud to support a competition that encourages young New Zealanders to push their personal boundaries, while boosting their love and respect for the country’s great outdoors.”

Details of the course are a tightly guarded secret until the event begins, but the challenge will include a two-day rogaine-style wilderness expedition and a multisport race. In previous years this has included kayaking, running, abseiling and mountain biking.

The winners of last year’s challenge, a joint team from New Plymouth Girls’ High School and New Plymouth Boys’ High School will return this year to defend their title against an onslaught of mainly North Island schools – and a formidable Australian challenger.

The winners of the 2011 Hillary Challenge in Australia, from Haileybury private school in Melbourne, will be flying over to see if they can claim the title for Australia for the first time. It’s the second year an Australian team has competed.

The combined New Plymouth team has won the title an impressive seven times in 11 years, so they’re guaranteed to put up a good fight to do it again.

Only one South Island team has qualified this year – Middleton Grange School, from Christchurch, who won the competition in 2010.

In total, 12 teams will compete, each comprised of four boys and four girls from Years 12 and 13. Six of those teams earned entry by being the top finishers in last year’s event. The other six New Zealand teams were decided after proving their credentials in qualifying events earlier this year.

The winning school receives a first prize of $6,000 worth of outdoor equipment sponsored by Bivouac Outdoor.

ENDS

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