FRGS
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
(born 17 December 1975) is a British explorer, author and motivational speaker. He made record-breaking journeys to the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
in 2002 and to the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
in 2005. He is one of fewer than ten people throughout history to have completed the Polar Trilogy; full length expeditions to the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
and
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
and a coast to coast crossing of
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
. Avery and his teammates hold two Guinness World Records; the fastest surface journey to the North Pole and the fastest coast-to-coast crossing of Greenland. He is also the youngest Briton to have reached both the North and South Poles on foot.
Early life
Tom Avery was born to Julian and Quenelda Avery in London, England and educated at
Vinehall School
Vinehall School is a co-educational day, boarding school and nursery located near the town of Robertsbridge, East Sussex. It takes children from ages 2 to 13.http://www.vinehallschool.com Vinehall School Homepage The school received an Indepe ...
in East Sussex. and
Harrow School
(The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God)
, established = (Royal Charter)
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school
, religion = Church of E ...
in North London. Due to his father's occupation, he frequently travelled with his family between
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and France. When Tom was seven years old, his mother gave him a book about the adventures of Captain
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, , (6 June 1868 – c. 29 March 1912) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated ''Terra Nov ...
. As he later wrote in his book, ''To The End of the Earth'' (2009), he was captivated by Scott's heroic story and knew he wanted to go to
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
, and ultimately the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
.
First expeditions and early career
Tom Avery's outdoor career began when he was 16 with a series of rock and ice climbs in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. After leaving school, he spent a month trekking in the Zanskar Mountains of the Indian Himalaya.
At university, he organised and led mountaineering expeditions to the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
,
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...
and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
. After graduating in 1998 with a BSc in Geography and Geology from the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
, he began a temporary 15-month career as an accountant with
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen was an American accounting firm based in Chicago that provided auditing, tax advising, consulting and other professional services to large corporations. By 2001, it had become one of the world's largest multinational corporat ...
.
In 2000 he led a British mountaineering expedition to the remote Trans-Alay Mountains in
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
. They scaled a total of nine previously unclimbed and unnamed summits including the 5,439m Pik Quenelda (named after Avery's mother) and the 5,440m Golova Orla (Eagle's Head in English). They named one of their summits Pik Fiennes (5,001m), after the expedition patron,
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet (born 7 March 1944), commonly known as Sir Ranulph Fiennes () and sometimes as Ran Fiennes, is a British explorer, writer and poet, who holds several endurance records.
Fiennes served in the ...
.
Avery and his team aborted an attempt to make the first ascent of Kurumdy (6,614m) approximately 500m below the summit due to unstable snow conditions. At the time, Kurumdy was one of the
Highest unclimbed mountain
An unclimbed mountain is a mountain peak that has yet to be climbed to the top. Determining which unclimbed peak is highest is often a matter of controversy. In some parts of the world, surveying and mapping are still unreliable. There are no co ...
s on Earth. A Russian team made the first ascent the following year.
He has climbed
Mount Meru
Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु), also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru, is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritu ...
and
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...
in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a ...
in
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
Illimani
Illimani (Aymara) is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real (part of the Cordillera Oriental, a subrange of the Andes) of western Bolivia. It lies near the cities of El Alto and La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano. It is the secon ...
in
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
,
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...
,
Ngauruhoe
Mount Ngāuruhoe (also spelled Ngauruhoe; Māori: ''Ngāuruhoe'') is a volcanic cone in New Zealand. It is the youngest vent in the Tongariro stratovolcano complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island and first erupted about 2,500 ...
Mount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko ( ; Ngarigo: , ), previously spelled Mount Kosciusko, is mainland Australia's tallest mountain, at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level. It is located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National ...
in Australia,
Mont Blanc du Tacul
Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc.
The official first ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul was by a guideless party comprising Charles Hud ...
and
Mont Dolent
Mont Dolent () is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif and lies on the border between Italy, Switzerland and France.
As a mountain, Mont Dolent is regarded as the tripoint between Italy, Switzerland and France, although the tripoint itself lies a ...
in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, and
Jebel Toubkal
Toubkal or Tubkal (Berber: ⵜⵓⴳⴳ ⴽⴰⵍ/ⵜⵓⴱⵇⴰⵍ ''Tugg kal/Tubqal''; ar, توبقال ''Tūbqāl'') is a mountain peak in southwestern Morocco, located in the Toubkal National Park. At
, it is the highest peak in the Atlas ...
and
Ouanoukrim
Ouanoukrim ( ar, وانوكريم, also Ouenkrim, ) is a mountain in Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to th ...
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...
. He has said that he has no interest in climbing
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
due to commercialism and overcrowding on the mountain.
He made attempts on
Artesonraju
Artesonraju is a pyramidal mountain peak located near the city of Caraz in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in the Peruvian Andes. It is located at the Peruvian province of Huaylas and its slopes are within two cities: Santa Cruz and Caraz ...
Aconcagua
Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the List of highest mountains on Earth, highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in the ...
in Argentina in 1998 and Cho Oyu in September 2006, when alongside teammate
Kenton Cool
Kenton Edward Cool (born 30 July 1973) is an English mountaineer and mountain guide. He is one of Britain's leading alpine and high altitude climbers and has reached the summit of Mount Everest sixteen times, including leading Sir Ranulph Fie ...
he was aiming to be the first Briton to ski down an 8,000-metre peak. Avery was forced to turn back at6,500 metres after suffering a retinal hemorrhage, while Cool went on to summit and ski back down.
In 2000 Avery completed the
Haute Route
The Haute Route (or the High Route or Mountaineers' Route) is the name given to a route (with several variations) undertaken on foot or by ski touring between the Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France, and the Matterhorn, in Zermatt, Switzerland.
Fir ...
alpine traverse on skis, and in 2002, while training for the South Pole, he and his teammates made the first ski descent of the western (Melchior) breach of the
Franz Josef Glacier
The Franz Josef Glacier (; officially Franz Josef Glacier / ) is a temperate maritime glacier in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier to the south, and a third glacie ...
in New Zealand's,
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
,
In 2006, he led the first British team to complete the
Patrouille des Glaciers
The Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG) is a ski mountaineering race organised every two years by the Swiss Armed Forces, in which military and civilian teams compete. It takes place once every two years at the end of April, in the south part of the ca ...
, the largest
ski mountaineering
Ski mountaineering (abbreviated to skimo) is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipmen ...
race in the World, involving 4,000 metres of both ascent and descent over 53 km of glaciated terrain between
Zermatt
Zermatt () is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is classified as a town by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
...
and
Verbier
Verbier is a village located in south-western Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is a holiday resort and ski area in the Swiss Alps and is recognised as one of the premier off-piste resorts in the world. Some areas are covered with snow all ...
.
South Pole expedition
In 2002, Avery at age 27 became the youngest Briton ever to ski to the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
. The Commonwealth South Pole Centenary Expedition was the ninth major expedition that he had organised and was the culmination of two years' planning.
Following a training expedition to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
’s
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
, Avery, Paul Landry, Andrew Gerber and Patrick Woodhead flew to
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
in early November 2002, beginning their 700-mile (1,135 km) expedition from Hercules Inlet.
On 28 December 2002, 45 days and 6 hours later, Avery's team completed the journey to the South Pole. They broke the British South Pole speed record by using kites to power them across the ice, much like the modern sport of
kitesurfing
Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...
. They covered the last 47 miles (76 km) to the Pole in a marathon final 31 hours of continuous
manhauling
Manhauling or man-hauling is the pulling forward of sledges, trucks or other load-carrying vehicles by human power unaided by animals (e.g. huskies) or machines. The term is used primarily in connection with travel over snow and ice, and was common ...
.
In recognition of the Expedition's accomplishments, Avery was presented with the
Royal Institute of Navigation
The Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) is a learned society and a professional body for navigation. The RIN was founded in 1947 as a forum for mariners, pilots, engineers and academics to compare their experiences and exchange information. Toda ...
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
.
Based largely on his Antarctic journal, Avery published ''Pole Dance'' as his first book. Written in diary form, it details the 2002 South Pole expedition. The book's title is a nod to a chance meeting with the nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow on an aeroplane, who promised to introduce Avery to his publisher on the condition that Avery launch the book at his table-dancing club in Covent Garden.
North Pole expedition
In 2005 Avery, along with teammates Matty McNair, Andrew Gerber, George Wells and Hugh Dale-Harris recreated
Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...
and
Matthew Henson
Matthew Alexander Henson (August 8, 1866March 9, 1955) was an African American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly 23 years. They spent a total of 18 years on expeditions together.
's 1909 controversial expedition to the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
. His goal of the expedition was to assess whether Peary had achieved what he claimed.
Avery's party reached the Pole in a faster time that any expedition had managed since 1909. They used the same equipment available to Peary and Henson for their 1909 expedition, and their sled weights were broadly the same.
Travelling with
Canadian Eskimo Dog
The Canadian Eskimo Dog or Canadian Inuit Dog is a breed of working dog from the Arctic. Other names include ''qimmiq''Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island ( iu, script=Latn, Umingmak Nuna, lit=land of muskoxen; french: île d'Ellesmere) is Canada's northernmost and List of Canadian islands by area, third largest island, and the List of islands by area, tenth largest in the world. ...
. Shortly before their departure from Cape Columbia, Avery and his team discovered original relics and tools from the 1909 mission.
They covered the 413 nautical miles (765 km) to the Geographic North Pole in 36 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes, some four hours faster than Peary and Henson had recorded.
The team endured temperatures in the minus forties, lost several miles a day to the drifting ice pack, and they were burning 10,000 calories on the coldest days.
The Avery team's speediest distance over 5 marches was 90 nautical miles, significantly short of the 135 claimed by Peary in his 5-march dash to the Pole in 1909. However, Peary was travelling for up to 20 hours a day, his significantly larger team enabled him to save the fittest dogs for the final polar dash and the ice pack of 1909 was dominated by thicker and more stable multi-year ice, which provided a generally smoother and therefore quicker surface to travel across.
After undertaking what he calls "the toughest expedition of his life," Avery said he is "more convinced now than ever" that Peary, Henson and their Inuit guides were the first men to reach the North Pole. Not only the fact that we beat their time, but we got a real insight into how they navigated and how they traveled, and with the equipment that they had, I had no doubt at all that they reached the pole."
Former president of the National Geographic Society Gilbert Grosvenor said “"Peary's critics always claimed it was impossible to dash to the pole in the time that Peary did it. Well, Tom Avery proved that you could do that. He beat his time, and that takes away a little bit of the argument that Peary didn't make it.”
Commenting on Avery's achievement, the expedition patron,
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
said; “This country’s tradition of producing refreshingly eccentric adventurers is very much alive.”
Avery recounted his experience in his 2009 book, ''To The End of the Earth: The Race to Solve Polar Exploration's Greatest Mystery'', which was published on both sides of the Atlantic.
Based on this expedition, Avery argues in his book that Peary did reach the North Pole in 1909.
Wally Herbert
Sir Walter William Herbert (24 October 1934 – 12 June 2007) was a British polar explorer, writer and artist. In 1969 he became the first man fully recognized for walking to the North Pole, on the 60th anniversary of Robert Peary's disputed exp ...
, a polar explorer, was earlier commissioned by the
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...
to assess Peary's records, and gave him access to his original diary and astronomical observations. Based on Herbert's published conclusions in 1989, it is widely held that Peary did not reach the Pole, although he was likely within five miles.
However, in his book, Avery argued that Herbert could not be deemed an impartial adjudicator, because by renouncing Peary's claim, that would then crown Herbert himself (who drove dog teams to the Pole in 1969) as the first person to reach the North Pole on foot.
To mark the centenary of Peary's expedition, Avery organized a ceremony at Peary and Henson's grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery at 11am in April 2009, exactly 100 years after they claimed to have reached the North Pole. More than 20 members of Peary's and Henson's extended families, Avery's North Pole team and other dignitaries attended the ceremony, which also included a Colour Guard and Military Band.
Greenland expedition
In 2015, Avery announced that he was setting out to complete the final leg of the Polar Trilogy by making a coast-to-coast crossing of Greenland, and to do so in a record time. Whilst there had been faster crossings of Greenland's interior ice sheet, the fastest time for a full coast-to-coast traverse of Greenland stood at 17 days and 20 hours, set in 2008.
With each of the team just months away from their fortieth birthdays, Avery called the expedition their “midlife crisis”. After
snowkiting
Snowkiting or kite skiing is an outdoor winter sport where people use kite power to glide on snow or ice. The skier uses a kite to give them power over large jumps. The sport is similar to water-based kiteboarding, but with the footwear used in ...
training on the frozen lakes of Norway's
Hardangervidda
Hardangervidda ( en, Hardanger Plateau) is a mountain plateau (Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Vestfold og Telemark, and Viken counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold ye ...
Plateau, Avery, along with fellow Britons Andrew Gerber, George Wells and Patrick Woodhead set off from the small fishing village of
Isertoq
Isertoq (West Greenlandic: ''Isortoq'') is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality, in southeastern Greenland. Its population was 64 in 2020.
Population
The population of Isertoq has decreased by nearly half relative to the 1990 levels, and ...
on Greenland's east coast. For the first two days of the expedition, the team manhauled their
pulk
A pulk (from fi, pulkka; sv, pulka; no, pulk; se, bulki) is a Nordic short, low-slung small sled used in sport or for transport, pulled by a dog or a skier, or in Sápmi pulled by reindeer.''The Telegraph'' /ref> The team (including Wells) descended the Russell Glacier and continued on to the ocean at the head of
Kangerlussuaq Fjord
Kangerlussuaq Fjord (old spelling: ''Kangerdlugssuaq'', da, Søndre Strømfjord) is a long fjord in the Qeqqata municipality in central-western Greenland. The fjord is long and between and wide, flowing from the estuary of Qinnguata Kuussua r ...
, completing the crossing on May 17, 2005 in new record time of 9 days, 19 hours
and
or AND may refer to:
Logic, grammar, and computing
* Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses
* Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition
* Bitwise AND, a boole ...
40 minutes, 8 days quicker than the previous crossing.
Professional groups
He is a fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
in London and a member of
the Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...
in New York. He is a regular on the international motivational and corporate speaking circuit, lecturing in a variety of venues from the
Davos World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, w ...
to an uninhabited sandbar in the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
. He has also spoken about his expeditions at the Royal Geographical Society and Alpine Club in London, as well as the Explorers Club in New York and the National Geographic Society in Washington DC.
He is one of 14 founder members (others include Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, Sir
David Hempleman-Adams
Sir David Kim Hempleman-Adams, (born 10 October 1956 in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English industrialist and adventurer.
He is the first person to complete the Adventurers Grand Slam, by reaching the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Po ...
Ben Fogle
Benjamin Myer Fogle, (born 3 November 1973) is an English broadcaster, writer and adventurer, best known for his presenting roles with British television channels Channel 5, BBC and ITV.
Early life
Fogle is the son of English actress Julia F ...
) of the G.H.Mumm Cordon Rouge Club of adventurers and ocean sailors.
Personal life
Avery lives in the
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
with his wife Mary and their three daughters. Along with Welsh rugby player Jonathan Davies, Avery was part of the winning team in the 2004
TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer S.A. ( ) is a Swiss luxury watchmaker that designs, manufactures and markets watches and fashion accessories, as well as eyewear and mobile phones manufactured under license by other companies and carrying the TAG Heuer brand name.
Th ...
Link Challenge celebrity golf event at
Sunningdale Golf Club
Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, located approximately west-southwest of London.
Sunningdale Golf Club was founded in 1900 and has two eighteen hole golf courses: the Old Course, designed by Willie Park ...
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
, finishing sixth out of 1,300 boats. They raced together again in the 2008
Cowes Week
Cowes Week ( ) is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily sailing races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,000 competitors ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailin ...
yachting regatta aboard an
Extreme 40
The Extreme 40 is a class of sailing catamaran created by TornadoSport and designed by Yves Loday. The boats are 40 feet long and are constructed out of carbon fibre. They have a top speed of about and can sail at about in 20–25 knots of wind ...
catamaran.
Charitable work
Alongside fellow explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and rugby union player and coach Dean Richards, Avery led 200 members of the public on the 2006 Talisker Trek on the Isle of Skye. Avery led the 2007 Talisker Trek with endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh and rugby union player and broadcaster Martin Bayfield. The treks raised enough funds for The Woodland Trust to plant more than 500,000 trees.
Other work
In 2008 Avery designed a mountain journal in conjunction with Smythson of Bond Street.
Bibliography
*''Pole Dance'' (Orion, 2004)
*''To The End of the Earth'' (St Martin's Press, 2009)