GRADUATE Jamie Rouan is bidding to become one of the youngest climbers ever to reach the peak of Mount Everest.

As part of the Everestmax expedition team, Sheepscombe resident Jamie, 22, will ascend Everest's north side - the most gruelling route to the summit.

But before he sets foot on the earth's highest peak, the budding mountaineer will have to cycle the Silk Road - the ancient trading route linking East and West.

Starting at the Dead Sea in Jordan, he will pass through Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal and China.

From here Jamie will go to the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, before cycling to the Tibetan plate where he will start his assault on Everest.

The Everestmax expedition aims to raise around £50,000 for charity by completing what is one of the last great overland challenges on the planet.

"To be a member of such an expedition has been a dream of mine ever since I was a child," said Jamie, a former Marling School pupil who has just left Cardiff University with a zoology degree.

"To travel through so many countries and raise money for charity will be breathtaking.

"I have travelled to Africa, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe and I always try to incorporate climbing into my trips.

"I'm sure the extent of the expedition will not hit me until I'm on my bike at the Dead Sea."

The adventurers will travel 100km a day for six days a week over 15 weeks, with the Everest climb scheduled to take up to two months, depending on weather conditions.

They are leaving in December, and hope to reach Everest in early April.

The three charities that will benefit from the expedition are SOS Children's Villages, which supports orphaned children, Intermediate Technologies (ITDG), which encourages sustainable energy use, and emergency aid organisation Merlin.

Renowned adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE has agreed to patron the expedition.

Jamie is currently seeking sponsorship and can be contacted on 01452 813033