Discover What You're Made Of
DISCOVER WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF
DISCOVER WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF
ALPINE SUMMIT CHALLENGE
DISCOVER WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF
Sir Ernest Shackleton showed us how the human spirit can overcome adversity by meeting the challenges ahead with an optimistic and determined mindset. Eight inspiring individuals from modern polar exploration, sport, climate activism and beyond, tell their stories of resilience and motivation to show that we are all capable of achieving more, no matter the size of the goal or how insurmountable the challenge may appear.
MAX THORPE
The ocean rower who defied death to become a world-record breaker
PREET CHANDI
The first woman of colour to ski solo to the South Pole
LLOYD WALLACE
The skier who overcame a drastic accident to compete at the Olympics
ADAM RAJA
Climber, photographer and activist who changed his life through the outdoors
WENDY SEARLE
The seventh woman in history to ski solo to the South Pole
CHRIS & JULIE RAMSEY
The pioneers of overland and endurance electric vehicle adventures
LOUIS RUDD
The polar explorer who has covered the most miles on Antarctica in history
MAX THORPE
Max Thorpe is a world record-breaking athlete and the protagonist of an unlikely comeback story. His experiences took him to the very edge when in 2017 he and his teammate were hit by a devastating rogue wave during a race to row across the Atlantic Ocean. The resulting capsize, fire and rescue is widely regarded as one of the most perilous sequence of events in the history of ocean sport. Two years later he returned to win the race and set a new world record for the fastest pairs crossing in history.
PREET CHANDI
When she thinks of her 12 year old self, Preet Chandi describes a Punjabi girl from Derby who has now pushed far beyond what she and others around her thought she was capable of. She was searching for a challenge, a way to push herself that that was big and different, which led her to Antarctica. In 2020 after two years of training, Army Captain Preet made the 700-mile trek to the South Pole. Battling gruelling white-out conditions, temperatures plummeting to -50 and sustrugi, she describes the unbearable frustration she felt at times and how she mustered every ounce of her resilience to overcome it. Preet was the third fastest woman and first woman of colour to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole, inspiring people from all walks of life that you are capable of so much more than you think.
When she thinks of her 12 year old self, Preet Chandi describes a Punjabi girl from Derby who has now pushed far beyond what she and others around her thought she was capable of. She was searching for a challenge, a way to push herself that that was big and different, which lead her to Antarctica. In 2020 after two years of training, Army Captain Preet made the 700-mile trek to the South Pole. Battling gruelling white-out conditions, temperatures plummeting to -50 and sustrugi, she describes the unbearable frustration she felt at times and how she mustered every ounce of her resilience to over come it. Preet was the third fastest woman and first woman of colour to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole, inspiring people from all walks of life that you that you are capable of so much more than you think.
LLOYD WALLACE
British aerials skier, Lloyd Wallace defied the odds to go from being in a coma to making his debut at the Winter Olympic Games in less than six months. In August 2017, a training accident in Switzerland left Lloyd in an induced coma. In the aerials discipline, athletes launch themselves off a vertical ramp, performing twists and flips high in the air before landing. During the accident Lloyd hit the edge of the ramp and was rendered unconscious. Lloyd didn't allow the accident to phase him and returned to training just two months later. He went on to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea where he landed a triple twisting triple somersault, the ‘full full full’. Four years later Lloyd returned to the world stage at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, where he performed two quadruple-twisting triple somersaults, becoming the first Briton to do so.
ADAM RAJA
Adam Raja is a climber, photographer and outdoor enthusiast. He is the Marketing Manager for Protect Our Winters UK, a non-profit organisation against climate change to protect the outdoor environments. He grew up in Glasgow and found himself in trouble with the authorities, including spending time in a juvenile detention. Finding a love of the outdoors, climbing and hiking was a turning point for him that changed the course of his life and removed him from troubled situations into positive ones in nature.
Adam Raja is a climber, photographer and outdoor enthusiast. He is the Marketing Manager for Protect Our Winters UK a non-profit organisation campaign to against climate change to protect the outdoor environments. He grew up in Glasgow and found himself in trouble with the authorities, ultimately spending time in a young offenders institute. Finding a love of the outdoors, climbing and hiking was a turning point for him that changed the course of his life and removed him from troubled situations into a positive ones in nature.
WENDY SEARLE
Wendy is a polar explorer with experience in Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica. In 2020, Wendy became only the seventh woman in history to complete a solo, unsupported journey from Hercules Inlet to the geographic South Pole, overcoming significant challenges before she left and out on the ice. However, not satisfied with this feat, Wendy is attempting to break the female speed record for a solo trek to the South Pole.
CHRIS & JULIE RAMSEY
Chris Ramsey is widely regarded as the pioneer of overland and endurance electric vehicle adventures, and with the support of his wife Julie has travelled through 20 countries on a series of world firsts. Best known for tackling a 10,000 mile adventure through countries including Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia in his Nissan LEAF electric car in 2017, this winter Chris is planning to be the first person in automotive history to drive Pole to Pole in an all electric vehicle. The upcoming expedition is a bid to raise awareness of the climate crisis and the role that electric cars can play in reducing our carbon footprint.
Chris Ramsey is widely regarded as the pioneer of overland and endurance electric vehicle adventures, and with the support of his wife Julie has travelled through 20 countries on a series of world firsts. Best known for tackling a 10,000 mile adventure through countries including Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia in his Nissan LEAF electric car in 2017, this winter Chris and Julie are planning to be the first people in history to drive Pole to Pole in an all electric vehicle. The upcoming expedition is a bid to raise awareness of the climate crisis and the role that electric cars can play in reducing our carbon footprint.
LOUIS RUDD
Shackleton’s Director of Expeditions, Louis Rudd MBE, is a record-breaking polar adventurer, former Royal Marine Commando and SAS soldier. He is the first and only person to have traversed Antarctica twice using human power alone and has reached the South Pole three times from different coastal starting points. Louis has covered more than 3000 polar miles on skis, with multiple extreme cold-weather tours in Northern Norway with Special Forces.
