Pioneer Programme - Louis Rudd Interview

Amelia Steele: Hi Louis. Would you mind introducing yourself for our audience?

Louis Rudd: Of course. I’m Louis Rudd, a former soldier with 34 years of service. I spent six years in the Royal Marines and over 25 years in the SAS. Since retiring, I’ve become a full-time adventurer and polar explorer. I’ve completed several big expeditions in Antarctica and am also a budding rock climber and mountaineer. I’m a father of three amazing kids: my oldest daughter, Amy, and twins, Sophie and Luke. I’m also a published author with my book Endurance, a public speaker, and, more recently, I joined Shackleton as the director of expeditions and a polar guide.

AS: Can you tell me what initially drew you to polar exploration?

LR: I started out in polar exploration - I guess it was meant to be because I was born in a blizzard in 1969, February, during a terrible winter in the UK. My mother went into labour in the early hours, and my father had to drive her through massive snow drifts to the nearest hospital. The car got stuck, and I was almost born on the roadside. Luckily, a passing delivery van got us to the hospital, where I was born under torchlight during the blizzard. From there, I think it was destiny! When I was about 11 or 12, I found a Ladybird book titled Captain Scott, which fascinated me with its story of Captain Scott’s journey and struggle in Antarctica. That book sparked my interest, and from then on, I had a burning desire to experience it for myself.

AS: You've had an incredible career and life. When you look back, what are some of the moments that stand out the most?

LR: Joining the Royal Marines at 16 was a big moment. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate it, but looking back, I’m quite proud of it. The nine-month commando training was intense, especially at such a young age. Serving six years with the Marines gave me the experience to attempt the SAS selection course at 22. Out of 120 that started, only ten of us completed the course, so I’m proud of that achievement. I served over 25 years in the SAS, going through the ranks to regimental sergeant major and even had a stint as a commissioned officer.

On the expedition side, my first trip to Antarctica was with Lieutenant Colonel Henry Worsley, where we retraced Amundsen’s route to the South Pole - a gruelling 800-mile, 64-day journey. Another memorable trip was leading a team of young army soldiers across Antarctica, where I was responsible for their safety over an 1100-mile journey. It was a huge success, and I’m really proud of that leadership experience.

AS: That's fantastic. When you think of yourself as a 16-year-old heading into the Marines, is there any advice you would give to your younger self?

LR: I’d tell my 16-year-old self to believe in himself. At the time, I was absolutely terrified, filled with doubt and worry about whether I was capable of the training. People told me I was too young, which fed into my doubts. Looking back, I’d say, “Shut out the negative voices and back yourself completely.”

AS: You’ve mentioned some challenging situations. Is there a polar expedition moment that was particularly difficult?

LR: Yes, in 2016, I was leading a team of five soldiers across Antarctica, with the South Pole as our halfway point. One team member was struggling, and I knew I’d have to tell him he couldn’t continue after we reached the Pole. It was heart-wrenching because it was his dream, and he’d trained for two years. Fortunately, by the time we reached the South Pole, he’d come to the same conclusion, but it was still a difficult leadership moment - knowing I had to prioritise the team’s safety and the expedition’s success.

AS: Martin Hartley, the photographer and another Shackleton Pioneer, told me that some of his toughest moments involved team dynamics. It seems like leading a team in such extreme conditions really test you in many ways.

LR: Absolutely, leading in those environments is about managing the team and ensuring everyone’s safety. It’s as much about psychology as it is physical endurance.

AS: To be a polar explorer, breaking records, especially with solo crossings, there must be unique skills involved. I imagine there are both essential traits for solo expeditions and skills for managing team dynamics in extreme environments. What skills and personal characteristics do you think are necessary for achieving expedition success like you have?

LR: I think being in the military really helped. From a young age, at 16, I joined the Royal Marines, where values and standards were ingrained in me right from the start - endurance, integrity, commando spirit, cheerfulness in adversity. I grew up quickly in that environment. Then, later in the special forces, integrity, endurance, and resilience were essential parts of my career. These values transferred well into the expedition world, especially in stressful or challenging situations. Staying calm when things go wrong and realising that panicking won’t help at all is really important.

AS: Can you expand on that calmness and resilience? How do those qualities apply in your day-to-day challenges on expeditions?

LR: Absolutely. Endurance has been a recurring theme in my life. It’s even the title of my book. When I joined the Royal Marines, we completed a nine-month course with “commando tests,” one of which is called the endurance course - a gruelling run through tunnels, pipes, and an assault course. Six years later, during SAS selection, there’s another endurance march across the Brecon Beacons, a 24-hour solo effort. And then Shackleton’s ship was called Endurance. That word has been a constant in my life, and having solid endurance is crucial for long-range polar expeditions.

On my first trip on the continent, I was with Henry Worsley, and we were dropped off at the Bay of Wales. With 800 miles ahead, our sleds were loaded, and we were struggling through deep snow, moving only five to six miles a day. I thought, "There’s no way we’ll make it." But Henry, calm and reassuring, would say, “Don’t worry, the mileage will come.” He had experience from previous trips and knew things would improve. And he was right; as we moved further inland, the surface firmed up, our sleds lightened, and our mileage picked up. By the end, we were covering 25-30 miles daily.

AS: How does patience and endurance play out on a mental level? What mental state do you put yourself in to maintain those qualities day after day?

LR: Over time, I’ve developed that ability through experience - endurance events, selection courses in the military, polar expeditions. I think some people naturally stay calm under pressure, but for me, it’s a skill I’ve built. At the start of a journey, I make a conscious effort to stay calm and avoid any negativity. I see any anxiety or panic as a chink in my mental armor, which could be the start of a downward spiral. On my solo expeditions, I’d often enter a flow state. With no team around, I’d listen to audiobooks or music but rarely paid much attention. I’d reflect on past events, sometimes spending hours reliving moments.

For instance, while skiing across Antarctica, I kept replaying a memory of my son, Luke, from when he was around 9 or 10. He used to race motocross, and one weekend, he was misbehaving, so I told him we weren’t going racing and made him unload all our equipment, only to reload it after he went to bed. On that solo journey, I convinced myself this had a lasting impact on him. When I returned, I apologised, and he had no memory of it at all! It’s funny how small things can grow in your mind during these long, isolated trips.

AS: Why do you think certain memories, like that one with Luke, resurface during these trips?

LR: It really is a journey into your own mind, and it brings things to the surface that you might not think about otherwise. For me, the experience highlighted the importance of not carrying regrets or unresolved issues before embarking on a long expedition because they can easily become magnified.

AS: Does that same kind of mental journey happen every time you go back? Do you find yourself revisiting the same memories, or does it shift each time?

LR: After dealing with a memory, like that one with Luke, I could let it go. Often, I’d focus on positive memories to keep my spirits up. One that I replayed a lot was when my daughters, Amy and Sophie, were about 12 and 10.

Sophie, the younger one’s phone contract happened to be due. It was about to expire just as I was about to go to Antarctica on the big expedition with Henry. Whereas, Amy's wasn't, she had another year left on her contract. And a new iPhone had just come out in October as I was about to go. So Sophie was about to get a new iPhone and, and I knew that Amy was pretty gutted that she was going to have to wait another year before she got the latest phone, and it was causing a lot of friction between them. And so what I ended up doing, I went out and I actually bought two phones. 

They were at school and they came home and I just had one phone out on the side charging when they both came home from school. And I think Amy came home first and said to Amy, oh, you know, I've just got Sophie, her new iPhone. It's over there on the side charging. Do you want to have a look? She said no she wasn’t interested. She was clearly pretty upset. And, And then Sophie came home and picked up a phone, was all excited, holding it and the rest of it. And then eventually I got Amy to have a look at it, and I said, do you like it? What do you think about the new phone? And she goes, oh, I suppose it's okay. And I said, well, I hope you like it, because actually that one's yours. 

She just completely imploded and burst into tears, with complete happiness and, and that really, like, stuck in my mind. And I kept replaying that over and over again as, I guess as a bit of positive thinking while I was skiing along. Yeah, the little things like that, and just to see the sheer emotion in her face and happiness at getting an iPhone. It meant a lot to her at that time. Watching Amy’s face light up with pure joy still brings me happiness. Little positive memories like that can be incredibly uplifting.

AS: How important is that kind of positive thinking to enduring such intense conditions?

LR: It’s critical. When people come to me for advice, especially teammates or clients I’m guiding, I emphasise the importance of keeping negativity out of their minds. Any self-doubt can start to snowball on a long trip. I view mental resilience as mental armor, and any crack can quickly widen if you allow negativity in. So, I try to spot early warning signs in teammates. In the evenings, we gather in a tent for a “party in the Ritz” as I call it. It’s a chance to see how everyone’s doing, look for any red flags, and address them early on.

AS: So, you've spoken quite a lot about Henry and your expedition with him, obviously he passed away. And since then, you went back. How did that feel returning to Antarctica with all of the skills and knowledge you’d gained? And he was obviously a really close friend. What was it like to go back after that?

LR: Yeah, it was… I mean, Henry was a huge role model for me and a massive source of inspiration. His passion for all things Antarctic, Shackleton, and polar history was infectious. And certainly, I guess I didn’t have as deep an appreciation for polar history and these incredible pioneers who’d gone before us before doing that trip with Henry. But while we were down there, we were retracing Amundsen’s route, and Henry was carrying a copy of Amundsen’s diaries. Every night when we finished skiing, we’d get into the tents, do our food, and the last thing as we got into our sleeping bags, he’d read out from Amundsen’s diary. He’d relate what Amundsen and his team had gone through 100 years before us to what we were experiencing on our trip, following their exact route to the Pole. Henry was really passionate, you know, about it. So I learned a lot about appreciation for those people who’d gone before us. That was a huge source of inspiration. I also learned a lot about leadership from Henry and took a lot from his style of leadership.

AS: Yeah, I can imagine.

LR: So, it was a big leap for me to go back to Antarctica without Henry, to be there and for me to be in that, I guess, position of leadership. It was… yeah, a huge challenge. Sadly, he had passed away the year before we went down there. He had a huge impact on the expedition. Originally, our plan was just to ski from the coastline of Antarctica to the South Pole, and we were going to finish there because it was my second trip in Antarctica, my first time leading an expedition. I was taking five young, early 20s, completely inexperienced Army soldiers who had never been to Antarctica before. Some of them had never put skis on their feet before starting the two-year build-up package we had. So it was a huge responsibility. For me as a leader, I thought skiing 700 miles from the coastline to the Pole was absolutely enough for these young, inexperienced guys.

AS: That makes sense. But then the plan changed?

LR: Yes, exactly. When Henry passed away the year before, the team came to me and said we should try to complete Henry’s journey - a full crossing of the Antarctic landmass, which was a completely different expedition, 1100 miles. Initially, I was hesitant, and I thought it was overly ambitious for that team and for my leadership ability. But they convinced me, and so with a year to go, we completely changed the aims of the expedition. We went down to attempt an 1100-mile complete crossing of the Antarctic landmass.

AS: Wow.

LR: Yeah, it was huge. The one sensible thing we did was agree to take a resupply at the South Pole, so we didn’t do it unsupported. We skied 700 miles without resupply, arriving at the South Pole on Christmas Day - a pretty amazing place to spend Christmas. We took three days there, resupplied, and prepared for a quite technical second half of the expedition. During that time, we reached Henry’s final campsite, where he had stopped the year before. We held a memorial service, had a tot of whiskey - which he loved - and smoked a cigar. That final 120 miles, which Henry hadn’t completed, was the most technical. We had to navigate the Shackleton Glacier, a mass of jumbled ice and crevasses. We were falling into crevasses 20-30 times a day. It was surreal going back there with Henry in my thoughts. Whenever we faced a difficult decision or setback, I’d think, “What would Henry do?” It was a huge source of comfort.

AS: I can only imagine. And upon completing it successfully, how did that feel?

LR: Incredible. I was so proud of the team. These young guys, taking this trip on… I had some experience and the benefit of having been to Antarctica before, but some of these guys had never camped out on snow before starting the training. And for their first trip in Antarctica to complete a full crossing of the continent? I couldn’t have done that on my first trip down there. I was just incredibly proud of them.

AS: And I heard they even ran a marathon afterward?

LR: Yes, believe it or not! The Antarctic Ice Marathon organiser offered us free entry. I laughed in his face, like, “Mate, we’ve just skied 1100 miles. No chance!” But the other lads jumped at the opportunity. So, a few hours after we landed, they begged borrowed and stole running kit and ran the marathon. One of them, Alex Brazier, even came fourth out of 45 runners. I was in awe.

AS: Absolute nutters! And I always tell people you’re the person who has skied the most miles on Antarctica. Is that true?

LR: Well, I think there are probably polar guides who’ve done a lot of long-range journeys guiding, but in terms of expeditions where I’m doing my own thing, I’m heading toward over 4000 miles of skiing in Antarctica.

AS: And you’ve been to the South Pole six times, right?

LR: Yes, six times now. I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve skied routes from the Bay of Whales, the Axel Heiberg Glacier, Hercules Inlet, and the Messner start point, among others. And I’ve guided last-degree expeditions to the South Pole as well.

AS: Amazing. So for you, what is it about the Seven Summits, polar expeditions, mountaineering that motivates you to keep going?

LR: I enjoy taking on challenges where success is by no means certain. When I started climbing, I was pretty scared of heights, so I wanted to see if I could overcome that fear. Repeated exposure helped me. A friend, Bob Thomas, told me to focus on the rock in front of me and not think about what’s below - that really helped. With any of these pursuits, I like that the outcome isn’t guaranteed. That sense of achievement when you succeed is hugely rewarding.

AS: How do you solve problems in extreme situations? What kind of mental coping strategies do you use? Are there times when you’re scared, or do you ever feel like you’re not afraid at all?

LR: It would be a lie to say that I’ve never been scared. There have definitely been situations where things were completely out of my control. Once specific example was during the Second Gulf War. We were flying from one country to another in a helicopter, and I was part of a team that had to cross into Iraq. We were crammed into the back of a Chinook helicopter, sitting inside a vehicle that barely fit. It was pitch dark and pretty claustrophobic.

As we neared the border, we started hearing all sorts of alarms and signals from the cockpit. The pilots were firing off countermeasures, and there was a lot of incoming missile fire. All I could think was that there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t use my skills or expertise to influence this situation. If we went down, that was it. So my coping strategy was to take off my headphones, stop listening to the alarms, and just sit there. After a few minutes, we cleared the border, and everything calmed down. It was one of those moments when my life was completely in someone else’s hands.

AS: That’s incredible. When you’re on the ground and facing danger, what goes through your mind? How do you handle the pressure to make the right decisions and not panic?

LR: There’s always pressure, especially when your actions affect your team. In the military, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on why I was willing to take those risks. It wasn’t always because I believed in the mission or the orders we’d been given. Often, it was because of my teammates.

In fact, I read a study about World War I soldiers, and it said that soldiers weren’t risking their lives because of orders or loyalty to their country. They did it for their comrades. They didn’t want to let down the guy next to them. That’s how it was for me, too. When things got tough, it was my commitment to my team that kept me going, even in situations where I didn’t necessarily agree with the mission itself.

AS: That’s a powerful motivator. You mentioned your son, Luke and daughters Amy and Sophie. Does thinking about family ever come into play during these intense situations?

LR: Definitely. I always get emotional when I think about my kids. They’re my world, and they’re what I come home to after every expedition.

AS: Shackleton, as a brand, is all about enabling people to live courageously. What does courage mean to you?

LR: I think courage comes in many forms. The most obvious is physical courage, but to me, mental strength or courage is what stands out. I’m inspired by people who take on challenges with a high risk of failure but aren’t afraid to try. Seeing people pick themselves up and keep going after setbacks - that, to me, is the epitome of true courage.

AS: Absolutely. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

LR: Since finishing my military career, I’ve taken on the role of Director of Expeditions for Shackleton, designing and guiding expeditions all over the world. I’m still doing personal expeditions, but now I find immense satisfaction in helping others achieve their goals, like skiing to the South Pole. It’s been an incredible journey.

To learn more about the Shackleton Pioneer Programme visit this link. To watch Louis Rudd's short film visit this link.