It’s been a tough six months to say the very least. Our Dad passed away in late November, just six months after topping out on El Capitan; an enormous achievement for anyone but a feat of superhuman strength and determination for someone in such an advanced stage of a terminal cancer.

His life was more of an inspiration to me than I could ever express in words, and his inspiration will live on in the countless individuals that he impacted during his lifetime.

Alongside my mum, he gave us boys a real appreciation for how amazing life and the world around us can be, and instilled a strong passion for adventure which brings each of us massive fulfilment. Although it’s felt like life has been somewhat derailed over the past few months, it’s time now to get back on track as I enter into another year of expeditions and adventure.

The year has gotten off to a rather cushy start as Rory and I were asked to speak on a cruise ship in the Caribbean; we reluctantly obliged and spent a week sailing around the Eastern and Southern islands.

I’ve just had a great weekend filming the last few bits and pieces for our Cirque of the Unclimbables film with my fantastic team mates Wilki, Sam Hamer and Murray Smith. The film is due to be completed by mid-March.

The BIG trip of the year will be taking place in April when Niall and I will be combining a number of different disciplines in the remote, rugged, and relatively unexplored mountains of Eastern Greenland. Mammut, the official kit sponsor for the expedition, have pulled out all the stops once again and provided me with an insane selection of cutting edge equipment from -35 degree sleeping bags to ultra-lightweight ropes, top of the range avalanche rescue technology, Mammut Eiger Extreme mountaineering boots, and much more.

Watch this space for more updates about our upcoming Greenland Adventure…

Lastly, I want to use this upcoming expedition as a vehicle to raise some funds and awareness for a fantastic charity that I’m now involved with. ‘Climbing Out’ does invaluable work with young people who have suffered from life changing illnesses, mainly cancers, running residential programmes aimed at enriching these young people’s lives through adventure in the outdoors.

Please do visit my JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/Finn-McCann and make a donation in memory of my incredible Dad.