When we heard about Mansel Kersey’s plans, we knew we had to get involved. Such an ambitious venture needed some support, and we have sent Mansel a Nokia package to both record the key highlights and keep the team entertained along the way. We caught up with Mansel to find out more…

Hi Mansel – you’re taking a Lumia 820 and JBL Play Up speakers on an adventure! Can you tell us a little about what you’ll be using them for on your Snow Leopard travels?

The Snow Leopard Award is summiting  five 7000m peaks in the former Soviet Union  in 2014, and our preparation for it will involve a lot of travel in the UK and abroad. Having the Lumia 820 and JBL Play Up speakers will keep us connected with the world. The handset will be our main communications hub so it’s a vital piece of kit to us, and the Nokia Lumia 820 fulfils the requirements exceptionally well – having a little extra volume will help the expedition rock.

(For progress on the preparation and attempt, you can visit www.onfireadventure.com)

Have you taken any photos yet? What do you think of the camera?

The camera is a very capable piece of kit sporting a Carl Zeiss with some pretty neat technology.  Some of the great features are the Lenses (Smart Shoot is a favourite), its ability to produce good quality shots in low light/shade, a physical shutter button – which makes a great change from jabbing at the screen. Shooting video is capable of producing quality sound and vision. Plus you have the option of backing up to your Skydrive automatically or to your SD card.

You’re used to using an iPhone – have you noticed any significant differences coming to the Lumia 820?

The design makes it stand out, the SD storage is so useful, its awesome screen, and great camera. Plus the battery life is pretty good, as with all smart phones you have to do a little tweaking, but I have been pleasantly surprised so far !

What are you loving so far? 

I love the Live Tiles, I can see what I need at a glance, and the speed of connection with wireless network is impressive, the quality of the apps available make my mobile life a lot easier. I have to confess I don’t even think about my previous phone.

What’s the most memorable moment from your adventures so far? What are you hoping to accomplish?

The most memorable moments so far have been working with our chosen charity and getting support from many places that will make this expedition possible. There are going to be lots of moments we will share with everyone and should everything go to plan and we complete the five summits it will be a first for a UK-based team and Nokia will be there to record that moment.

***

We’re proud to be a part of this adventure! Be sure to stay tuned for updates on Mansel’s progress here, follow him on Twitter and check out the Snow Leopard site. If you have any good luck messages, we can also pass them on for you – just leave us a comment.