A young British mountaineer has smashed the world record for scaling the highest peaks in 48 US states.
Daredevil Jake Meyer (above) aged 23, from Rodmarton, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, completed the challenge in 23 days, 19 hours and 31 minutes - comfortably beating the previous record by almost six days.
Speaking a day after completing the exhausting adventure by conquering Mount Katahdin in Maine, Jake said: "I'm on top of the world, I'm excited and really pleased."
"We're delighted to have set a new world record - and to have broken the existing one by so many days. "
The Army scholar climbed a total of 275,909ft - 10 times the height of Mount Everest - during his record-breaking feat.
Jake was joined on the daunting challenge by six friends from Bristol University, where he is studying environmental science.
They clocked up 12,430 miles on the roads as they criss-crossed the continent in a motor home - often driving through the night in a desperate bid to beat the clock and get to the next peak.
The challenge, which Jake dreamed up three years ago, began on July 8 at Mount Rainer, Washington, and the Army scholar went on to conquer the highest peaks in the other 47 lower US states.
The peaks of the other two US states - Alaska and Hawaii - are not included in the challenge.
He broke the previous record of 29 days, 20hrs, 57 mins set by American Ben Jones in August 2005.
