True Grit Award – Gritty Man – Named “The World Greatest Living Explorer”.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes named “The Worlds Greatest Living Explorer” by Guinness Book of Records…
A polar explorer for over four decades, the only living person to have circumnavigated the globe on its polar axis, the first person ever to summit Everest and cross both polar ice caps
Since the 1960’s, Fiennes has been an adventurer. He led expeditions up the White Nile on a hovercraft in 1969 and on Norway’s Jostedalsbreen Glacier in 1970.
One notable trek was the Transglobe Expedition he undertook between 1979 and 1982 when he and two fellow members, Oliver Shepard and Charles R. Burton, journeyed around the world on its polar axis, using surface transport only.
Nobody else has ever done so by any route before or since.
Image Courtsey Marie Curie
In 1993, he joined nutrition specialist Dr Mike Stroud to become the first to cross the Antarctic continent unsupported; they took 93 days.
A further attempt in 1996 to walk to the South Pole solo, in aid of the Breast Cancer Campaign, was unsuccessful due to a kidney stone attack and he had to be rescued from the operation by his crew.
Despite suffering from a heart attack and undergoing a double heart bypass operation just four months before, Fiennes joined Stroud again in 2003 to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in the Land Rover 7x7x7 Challenge for the British Heart Foundation.
Image Courtsey Marie Curie
Image Courtsey BBC
In 2008, Fiennes made his second attempt to climb Mount Everest, getting to within 400 metres of the summit before bad timing and bad weather stopped the expedition.
On 20 May 2009, Fiennes reached the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the oldest British person to achieve this.
Fiennes also became the first person ever to have climbed Everest and crossed both polar ice-caps.
The Global Reach Challenge
Sir Ranulph Fiennes has announced his next record-breaking challenge, in which he will be risking life and limb to raise vital funds for the charity, Marie Curie.
The intrepid explorer is attempting to complete the Global Reach Challenge and become the first person to have crossed both polar ice caps and have climbed the highest mountain on each continent.
To follow his progress over the coming months and support Sir Ranulph’s challenge in aid of Marie Curie, please visit www.justgiving.com/Ranulph.
The Gritty Man Club gives a shout out… to a man that shows true grit, perseverance, lives a life of adventure and success… the “True Grit Award” is in honor of men who have grit.
If you’re wondering what does “gritty mean,” take a look at Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
