Guinness World Record Highest Altitude Formal Dinner

	the challenge		The Guinness Book of World Records have been very specific as to what constitutes a formal dinner at altitude. We must:- - have six people to dinner (we are ten so we should be able to lose some people down crevasses and still get the record). - carry all the challenge related equipment - be seated on a formal chair at a formal table. The table to be laid with a white tablecloth, appropriate crockery and cutlery - have a three course meal (see the menu section below) - wear formal appropriate clothes - remove all uneaten food, the furniture and other equipment from the peak once we have finished. This must of course be done at an altitude higher than that of the current holders.
	the current holders		The record is currently held by the nine members of the Ansett Social Climbers from Sydney, NSW, Australia who climbed and dined on Mount Huascarán, Peru, 6,758 m (22,204 ft) high, on the 28th June 1989. They took with them a custom made Louis XIV dining table and chair set, morning suits, wine and a candelabra. Their meal consisted of smoked chicken in mango, trout with three vegetables, cherry jubilee and chocolates.
	what we are doing		We are bringing it back to Britain ! It's an important eccentric record that needs to come home....and it goes without saying we plan to do it better... So the food has to last a whole month, be carried in a rucksack, be presentable and formal. But I ask you - does their menu make your mouth salivate? For the best in high altitude dining try this... We will of course be serving wine with the meal. Those that are sharp eyed will have noticed that the current holders wore morning suits. A gross crime of etiquette ! A morning suit should be worn at events such as weddings - not dinners. We will be wearing the only thing that should be worn at a truly formal dinner - white tie. And yes we have been allowed by Debretts to keep our hats, gloves and white silk scarf on during dinner. It will be minus 20 Celsius after all.
	other issues we are likely to face		The challenge is not only risky in terms of making a faux-pas but the altitude and weather play a part as well. We risk avalanches, crevasses, pulmonary and cerebral edema as well as a host of other more minor risks. But when there is a good meal at the end of it motivation won't be a problem.