On Dec. 20, snowboarder, philanthropist and businessman John de Neufville broke the Guinness World Record for the most vertical feet skied or snowboarded in a single year.

Not only will John surpass the record of 4.1 million vertical feet skied in a year, but his journey into the record books will have taken him to all seven continents, and raised money for two organizations that protect nature and reduce global climate change: Protect Our Winters and Conservation International.

“I wanted to see places I had never been to, raise funds for charities I care about and set the world record for most vertical feet ever snowboarded or skied in a year,” said de Neufville. “Through this I came away with a reinforced perspective on the importance of supporting conservation groups and amazed how universally appreciated skiing and snowboarding are across the globe.”

De Neufville started the charitable organization VerticalChange.org to facilitate this effort, and his organization has raised more than $125,000 for Protect Our Winters and Conservation International in 2014.

De Neufville’s goal in this world record attempt is to instigate a global conversation about adventure, while promoting climate awareness and preservation of remote natural landscapes. For more information visit VerticalChange.org

The scope of de Neufville’s feat is astounding. The current record of 4.1 million vertical feet has stood of 20 years and is equivalent to riding from Mount Everest to sea level almost 137 times, or back and forth to the moon 17 times.