The members of the Great Britain and Ireland Chapter demonstrate through their passion of exploration their devotion to the disciplines of adventure.
Our patrons demonstrate the diversity of disciplines, environmental awareness and ultimately strength of mind. They come from different disciplines of exploration bound by the inner need to explore.
Exploration has been a driving force and a most satisfying pursuit for much of my life and my team remain hugely proud of receiving the Gold Medal of the Explorers Club of New York in the 1980’s and of carrying the Club’s flag to the Ends of the Earth over some 30 years of expeditions.
I’ve had a passion for exploration throughout my climbing life, climbing new routes and going to places where no one has ever been before.
Every expedition starts with an idea. Exploration brings it to life. Education takes it further. I love the oceans; they have been a major part of my life for over 40 years, above and below them. Our seas are in trouble. If we lose life in the seas, we are in trouble. Explore. Expedite. Educate.
I am honoured and delighted to accept the position of Patron for the Great Britain and Ireland Chapter with the mission to unite explorers and scientists in a new era of discovery. I feel my Grandfather, Ernest Shackleton would have been pleased
I feel very strongly that modern exploration must accurately represent the multi-cultural, multi- gender, multi-perspective societies in which we live and reflect the inclusive values that are important to us - this is not just a matter of recognising explorers past and present of both genders but of encouraging future explorers from often under-represented communities and understanding that 'how' we explore is just as important as what we explore.
Exploration is a mindset. It’s no longer about planting flags in maps or conquering mountains, but experiencing the world for yourself. Every individual has a right to explore, and I am merely here to help them find inspiration.
Exploration is about going places no one else has gone - and for me, a lifetime in subsea exploration has taken me deep into waters all around the world - from the UK, to the Pacific and the South China Sea, as I searched for and surveyed long lost shipwrecks. Working out what happened to the ships, meeting survivors, sharing their memories of events distant in time to us, but just like yesterday for them, has been hugely rewarding. My subsea work has brought closure for many families of those that sadly perished with their ship, finally giving them a spot on a chart where they know their loved ones rest.
Born 1956 in Swindon, David Hempleman-Adams is the first man in history to reach the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Poles as well as climb the highest peaks in all seven continents. A feat he christened the Adventurers' Grand Slam. He has made seven Arctic expeditions. He also became the first person in history to make a solo open-basket, hot-air balloon flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 2003.
Kenton Cool is one of the world’s leading high-altitude climbers, an avid adventurer and also a highly engaging and inspiring motivational speaker. He has successfully climbed Mount Everest 14 times along with many other mountain peaks around the globe. He is the only Briton to ski down two 8,000m peaks and is an IFMGA guide. His goal is to inspire the next generation.
Whoever we are, wherever we come from, we must encourage one another to take risks, to challenge our safety zone, and our paradigms (intellectual, physical, social and mental) to actually interact with the world rather than view it from a distance, or through social media...
Have you ever seen a squirrel balancing precariously on a very long, wire-thin branch, deciding how to reach the tempting acorn hanging at the very end, ignoring the one more easily to hand. An explorer or mountaineer can be like that squirrel; he or she often needs to decide whether to take the easier route when trekking through a jungle, traversing a polar ice cap, climbing up a jagged rock face, or whether to attempt the exacting and most challenging one. On any expedition you often need to make that choice.