Believe it or not, one of the only 41 people in history to travel to both the North and South poles on foot was once a typical accountant. Tom Avery, the British explorer and author, just could not stand the idea of sitting behind a desk all day. He craved adventure. Naturally, when faced with the decision of having an ordinary life in the city or an extraordinary life in the mountains, Tom Avery chose the mountains.
Tales of Ice
Tom’s passion for adventure and travel was ignited early on, at the age of seven. After reading about the exploits of Captain Scott, an officer in the Royal Navy, Tom developed an unquenchable thirst for exploration, hoping someday to go to Antarctica and the South Pole. He had plenty of practice to prepare. At 16, his outdoor career began after a series of rock and ice climbs in Wales and Scotland, followed by expeditions to the Andes, New Zealand, and the Alps, Morocco among other places.
The highlight of his career, however, came in 2000, when Tom led a pioneering expedition to a 20-mile mountain range along the Chinese border, an area that was previously unexplored. There, his team climbed 9 unnamed summits, reaching up to 6,000 metres high. This was the first of many other feats Tom would later embark on
After returning from Central Asia, Tom did not stop to rest. On December 28, 2002, he became the youngest Briton to complete the adventure to the South Pole. Three years later, in April of 2005, he set out again to recreate Robert Peary’s 1909 Arctic expedition, traveling to the North Pole with a team of Inuit dogs and wooden sleds. His mission: to prove to skeptics that Peary’s original 37-day trek to the North Pole was possible by matching his time.
Tom made it with 5 hours to spare.
Tom’s incredible adventures have made him a celebrity in the world of exploration. At the age of 38, he has travelled to both ends of the earth, faced treacherous weather conditions and accomplished more in a couple of years than what most people hope to achieve in a lifetime.
…All thanks to Captain Scott.
