By Donna Richardson
Reuben Gray, a former Britain’s Got Talent finalist, and his pal Matt Brinkley will walk over 800 miles from London to Val Thorens in the Alps.
But that’s not all – they will undertake this challenge, the equivalent of half a marathon a day, in their ski boots and ski clothing to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and Snow Camp.
The 45-day walk begins in Kent, via Dover to catch a ferry to Dunkirk, then on to Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Switzerland, ending in Val Thorens, France.
Singer/songwriter Reuben wowed audiences in 2017, aged 15, when he sang and played a song about his ex. His emotional journey included his dad travelling thousands of miles back from military service to surprise his son in the audience. Reuben reached the semi-final, and after Simon Cowell recognised his talent, he embarked on a career in the music industry, releasing six singles.
The 24-year-old said: “I left school, went to LA and wrote a song on an album that was number one in 43 countries. I worked with some brilliant artists. I had a wild time and visited all the best places, trying everything, but the industry was a very sharky place.
“I was very young and I ended up hating it by the end. I wanted to be a normal person. People’s dreams can change, so I went travelling to find myself- I still love music, but it’s not a career anymore.”
In 2022, he decided to leave the music industry for new adventures and challenges in the startup world. He recently founded a new app, King of the Hill, which enables friends to have adventures designed around skiing.
He founded the business with his mate Matt, whom he met initially while surfing, and they have been pals ever since.
Reuben told Matt about his late godfather, Jerry Chilvers, who passed away after battling cancer.
They used to ski together and once on the slopes Jerry came up with a physical skiing challenge to pass the time on a ski lift. He called the challenge King of the Hill – a game that had no rules and involved skiing down the mountain as fast as possible.
“I told Matt about it when we first met, and then one day Matt said, Should we just create KING OF THE HILL? I went, hell yes”
Drawing on his start-up experience, came up with the app that inspires friends to have adventures together. The app features an AI motivator called Jester, which encourages people to undertake challenges and inspires real-life adventures just like this challenge to the Alps.
He said: “I left the music industry when I was still relatively young. I felt a little lost because I couldn’t find people to come on adventures, but this app is about encouraging people to say yes to adventures.”
During their London to Alps challenge, the pair will walk 17 miles a day – just over half a marathon, Reuben said: “Walking around London in full ski gear with skis and backpacks on our backs. We are also training in Devon, where we met. As startup entrepreneurs, we can’t afford to live in London anymore, so we are back with our parents in Devon.”
Matt, a former Army Reservist, added, “The best connections are made when people go out there and do things together. Whether it’s mountain biking, a book club, surfing or a walk with friends – get active – and not on social media.”
The founders started their company last January after discussing their idea, but decided to ‘go for it’ when Matt became fed up with his job and the pair decided to quit the rat race and set up their own company.
“We worked on the idea every evening, and we got lucky as we went from over 500 companies to ninth place in an AI incubator, and then the rest is history,” said Reuben.
They’ll set off on Friday, 13 June and are hoping to break an unofficial world record for the longest distance walked in ski boots; most struggle to hobble 100 metres. Along the way they’ll be cheered on by Inspiring people like the Warrior Monk,
The King of the Hill app will record their entire adventure, and fans can follow their progress with GPS tracking partner ZeroSixZero on an interactive map. They’ll also create daily video diaries and provide real-time GPS updates.
Reuben added, “I can imagine Uncle Jerry looking down now, proud to see his vision come to virtual reality.”
See off Reuben and Matt from Oxford Circus on Friday, June 13, 2025, at 12 pm midday and follow them and their progress at: kingofthehill.co.uk, on Instagram: @kingofthehillrace and TikTok: @kingofthehill.app and www.kingofthehill.com.uk
Donate at: JustGiving
