In Hour one I was joined in studio and on the phone by the 3 men who traveled, using kites, 4262 KM across Greenland!
It was all about the environment!http://www.greenlandquest.com
Mission & Goals
Our mission is twofold:
- To complete an unsupported vertical crossing of the entire Greenland ice cap, from the Atlantic Ocean in the south to the Arctic Ocean in the north.
- To create a meaningful sustainability and climate change awareness project.
Expedition Team
ADRIAN HAYES
Adrian Hayes, British, is the UAE-based polar adventurer, mountaineer, corporate coach and speaker who holds the record for reaching the Earth's "3 Poles" (walking all the way to the North Pole, the South Pole and summiting Mt Everest) in the shortest period of time in history.
His achievement in reaching the Earth's three extremes in a total time of 19 months and 3 days has been recognised in the 2009 Guinness World Records. Adrian is one of only 15 people ever to achieve the feat,
A former Gurkha officer and Special Forces soldier in the British Army, Adrian has had a lifetime of adventures and extreme sports - leading or being a team member on climbing and other expeditions all over the World, adventure racing; triathlon, rock climbing; downhill skiing, diving, parachuting, and kayaking to name a few.
He is an experienced jungle and desert operator, having served in the jungles of Borneo and the deserts of Southern Oman during his Army career. He has also carried out underwater operations in the remote islands of the South Pacific and qualified as a Paramedic during his service.
He is dedicated to health, nutrition and fitness, and won the "UAE's Fittest Man" competition, the Fitness First X-Training Challenge, in both 1997 and 2008, beating the UK national champion on the latter event in October 2008.
A former Regional Sales Director for Airbus Middle East, Adrian is now one of the leading corporate leadership & team coaches and keynote speakers based in the Middle East. His programmes, for which he delivers worldwide, range from 3 day leadership / teamwork coaching workshops to motivational seminars to after dinner speeches. And, increasingly, seminars on the environment.
Adrian has lived and worked in 8 countries, visited over 100, and speaks three languages (Arabic, Nepalese and Malay) in addition to English.
DEVON McDIARMID
Devon McDiarmid, Canadian, is an adventurer living in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. He is an experienced polar operator, having worked in the Antarctic for 5 seasons doing various jobs from base camp duties to lead guiding ski expeditions to the South Pole.
From Nov to Dec 2007, he led the successful unsupported and unassisted South Pole Quest expedition, in which Adrian was one of the team, from the Antarctic coastline to the South Pole, a distance of 1200 kms in 47 days.
Along with long ski trips Devon is an avid ski mountaineer, paddler, mountain biker, adventure racer, rock climber and bush guy.
Coming to the Yukon to look for gold at the young age of 17, he fell in love with the woods, mountains and remoteness of the Yukon. He has worked in jobs as diverse as deep water oyster farming, guiding, prospecting, managing a retail ski and bike shop, boat building and teaching in his time in the Yukon.
Presently managing a ski and cycle shop in Whitehorse, Devon has directed his free time to the building of a mountain bike skills park, building and running Whitehorse’s mountain bike club, and organizing races and clinics for youth and adults. Kiting is a new found love and has proven to be a perfect match for long expeditions.
DEREK CROWE
Derek Crowe, Canadian, is a Yukon-based photographer who has chronicled life in Canada’s north since 2000, creating unique, distinctive images of its places and people.
Derek works with a wide range of media, government and corporate clients and his images have been featured in publications such as Outside, Canadian Geographic, Globe and Mail, Boston Herald, London Times, and Mountain Bike UK. He has also assisted on National Geographic feature stories.
In 2007, Derek won the prestigious Northern Lights Award in Travel Photography for his coverage of the Yukon Quest International Dog Sled Race - a 1600 km endurance event through the rugged wilderness of the Yukon and Alaska in which, for three years, Derek travelled the entire length of the trail by snow machine, bush plane and ski.
A former professional cyclist, Derek brings a lifetime of athletic dedication to the craft of photography, always going to extremes to “get the shot”. Derek’s passion for adventure extends to various other pursuits – most notably kiting, rock climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing. He has travelled to the farthest corners of North America – from Chiapas to the high Arctic – in pursuit of adventure and images by bike, boat, kite and ski. He also traveled to Greenland in 2002 to chronicle the first ever Arctic Winter Games held in the country.
Derek is an active cycling and ski coach, and his love of mountain biking has moved him into new career direction - developing a world-class adventure park in the mountains surrounding the small community of Carcross, Yukon, in partnership with the local First Nation and aboriginal youth.
Our goals are:
- To reach the Arctic Ocean at JP Kocks Fjord, and subsequently Qaanaq in NW Greenland within our 65 day fuel/food deadline.
- To do this unsupported ie with no re-supplies.
- To raise awareness of the effects of global warming on the Greenland ice cap and its implications for the World.
- To carry out specific scientific monitoring tasks on behalf of our support team of science advisors and their studies.
- To raise awareness of sustainability and the link between the environment, the economy, and society.
- To forge a strong, supportive and selfless team ethic.
- To enjoy the expedition and have fun along the way.
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