THE son of one of the south's biggest challenge-seekers is taking on his dad at his own game.

Rhys Jones, the 16-year-old son of BBC Radio Solent presenter Alan Jones, is bidding to become the youngest Briton to scale Alaska's Mount McKinley.

His gruelling challenge could leave him facing grizzly bears, wolves, and moose.

But while his dad concentrates on ticking off his daily radio challenges, Rhys is gearing up to eventually climb the world's highest mountain.

"This is all preparation for Everest in 2007, when I will be 20. That will be to celebrate the centenary of Scouting," he said.

Barton Peveril student Rhys and five others will be leaving for North America on May 26, just nine days after his 17th birthday.

The team should take a month to scale the 20,320ft mountain, in the Denali National Park and Preserve, and come down the other side. But Rhys anticipates a tough few weeks.

"Temperatures range from 30 degrees centigrade to minus 40, all in the same day," he said. "I am concentrating on not getting frostbite, not getting altitude sickness and looking out for grizzly bears.

"I've been training four or five days a week, walking with a 60lb rucksack, running, dragging car wheels around a field."

He said the mountain was becoming increasingly popular for climbers, but more and more were failing because of the tough weather conditions.

He added: "I want to do it because of the sense of achievement, but also the views, the beauty of the landscape, and the team spirit. You form such a close friendship when you're living in a tent with someone for a month, or trapped in a snowhole."

Comparing Rhys's challenge to his own daily efforts to find and interview a person about a news issue in just half an hour, dad Alan joked: "It's not far removed, is it? But mine is far more difficult - I have to face it every day. If it wasn't for a bad back and a bunion on my foot I would be mountain climbing too!"