'It's something I've always wanted to do'

Toby Edwards (left) and Logan Le Flem (right) set off on the challenge in October

"It's something I've always wanted to do, an adventure," a firefighter from Jersey said after attempting to climb Mont Blanc in a single day.

Toby Edwards, 34, and Logan Le Flem, 21, attempted to scale Western Europe's highest peak at about 15,771ft (4,807m) on 29 October.

The firefighters set off on the challenge at 03:00 GMT but called off the climb at about 13:30 at about 11,482ft (3,500m) as there were only a few hours of daylight left.

“We want to do it again and reach the summit and we're going to hopefully do it for the firefighters charity," Mr Le Flem said.

'You're fatigued'

Mr Le Flem said the pair, who wanted to climb as far as possible, set off on the challenge in the "pitch black and freezing cold".

He said the climb "started to become a challenge" when they reached an ice field and had to use crampons and ice axes.

Mr Edwards, the more experienced climber of the two, said: “Each movement you really have to think about, because in some places if you slip, you’d have a long time to think about it before you hit the bottom.

"We took all the right equipment, practised it. I knew the route inside and out."

Mr Le Flem said they had a "bit of a realisation" after coming across a sign which stated it was "no longer a walk".

"It had a big list of equipment you’d need to go further," he added.

Mr Edwards said there was only a few hours of daylight left when he decided to end the climb.

"I was mindful though you can climb it but that’s the easy part, you’ve got to get down."

Mr Le Flem said: "You're fatigued, you're trying to carry all that equipment down and carry your rubbish with you. And you've had a long day in the cold.”

The pair said they will attempt the challenge again and said they will look to do it over a number of days.