MEET THE TEAM
CHALLENGES TEAM
We work with some of the very best polar guides, ensuring the highest possible safety, tuition and expertise on every expedition. Every Shackleton Challenge has at least two highly-qualified guides, led by Director of Expeditions Louis Rudd, and managed by Expedition Manager, Wendy Searle – between them they have accumulated thousands of miles on foot in polar regions. You will have several interactions with Wendy and Louis prior to departure, they will advise on pre-expedition training, kit recommendation and what to expect when on a Shackleton Challenge.
MEET THE TEAM
LOUIS RUDD MBE
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 the special forces. He has guided expeditions on a 1100-mile crossing of Antarctica and a 350-mile crossing of Greenland. He is also a military Arctic warfare instructor, a military ski instructor, a qualified army patrol medic, and a military snowmobile instructor, with additional training in crevasse and avalanche rescue. A member of the Explorers Club and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Louis has written of his journeys to date in his autobiography ‘Endurance’.
WENDY SEARLE
EXPEDITION MANAGER
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. She has also completed a full traverse of Greenland and trained extensively in Finse. In addition to her own trips, Wendy has extensive experience in planning and managing other major expeditions – she was the expedition manager for Louis’ record-breaking Spirit of Endurance Expedition in 2018. Wendy also has a wealth of knowledge about the history of polar exploration and scientific research at high latitudes.
IAN HOLDCROFT
SHACKLETON CO-FOUNDER
Ian is a Founder of Shackleton and committed endurance adventurer. He competes in a wide range of endurance events across running, cycling and rowing. He has successfully taken on major challenges such as multiple ultra marathons, including the Atacama Desert crossing, UTMB, TDS and in 2020 he rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Ian's passion is to help other people build the myriad benefits of adventure into their lives.
MAX THORPE
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT
Max is a world record-breaking athlete and the protagonist of an unlikely comeback story. His experiences have taken 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 some 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. Prior to joining Shackleton, Max ran his own consulting business focused on helping individuals and teams from boat, boardroom and beyond to tackle the critical challenges of preparedness for extreme and uncertain environments.
CHALLENGES GUIDES
ROB SMITH
CHALLENGES GUIDE
Rob Smith has been adventuring and guiding around the world for 25 years.
He has worked in Antarctica since 2000, supporting national science programmes and guiding expeditions.
He has skied to the South Pole twice from the edge of the continent on opposite sides of Antarctica, and climbed Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest mountain, 19 times.
In 2009 Rob was awarded the Fuch’s Medal to recognise ‘outstanding devotion to British Antarctic Survey’s interests, beyond the call of normal duty’. He has amassed more than 6000km of Polar travel on ski, skidoo and heavy vehicle traverses.
He has climbed Mount Everest 7 times from the Tibetan and Nepalese sides, in addition to climbing K2 8611m 2 times, Lhotse 8516m, Cho Oyu 8211m and Manaslu 8156m. Furthermore, he has climbed 6 of the world’s 7 summits, the highest points on each continent, and abandoned his attempt on Denali 150m from the top to rescue a collapsed climber.
In 2018 Rob was a joint winner of ‘Irish Adventurer of the Year’ for climbing Mount Everest and K2 in the same year. In 2021 he repeated the Everest / K2 double and became the first British or Irish person to summit K2 twice.
In 2021-22 he climbed Antarctica’s 3 highest mountains, Vinson Massif 4892m, Mt. Tyree 4852m and Mt Shinn 4660m in 1 week. A feat not repeated since their first ascents in 1966.
He worked with Shackleton for the first time in Finse, for the 2023 season, and brought his considerable experience, knowledge and calm sensibilities to bear.
JACOB MYERS
CHALLENGES GUIDE
Jacob “Val” Myers is a 25-year old mountain guide and conservationist hailing from the oldest mountains on planet Earth; The Appalachians. As early as his teen years he worked in Gorges State Park as a park attendant.
An accomplished ultra-runner, in 2021 he crossed all 800 desert miles of the Arizona Trail, effectively walking from Mexico to Utah. Most recently, Val completed the Inaugural Crazy Mountain 100 near his new home in Montana. The Crazies is regarded by many as the top 5 hardest 100-mile races in the entire United States due to the remote nature of the course, the intense heat and exposure, and the some 25,000 feet of vertical gain across the entirety of the race. Nearly half of all runners who stepped up to the start line failed to complete the race. Val finished 32nd.
SIMON ABRAHAMS
CHALLENGES GUIDE
Simon is a professional IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Chamonix, France, offering mountaineering and ski guiding both here in the European Alps and Worldwide.
He has been climbing and mountaineering around the world for over 35 years and has worked full time in the mountains since 1987. He lives in Chamonix in the French Alps.
As an International Mountain Guide, Simon holds the prestigious IFMGA carnet, which is the highest internationally recognised qualification for instruction and guiding in the disciplines of rock and ice climbing, mountaineering and skiing. He also holds the Mountain Instructors Certificate (MIC), which is the UK’s highest qualification for Mountain Professionals.
He has worked and climbed extensively all over the UK, the European Alps and in the greater ranges of North America, South America and the polar regions, particularly Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica.
Simon is Shackleton’s lead guide for our Mountain Challenges.
PREPAREDNESS TEAM
GUS BARTON
PHYSICAL
Gus is one of the world's leading expedition and endurance coaches.
He has trained his clients to achieve multiple world records, countless successful expeditions around the world and physical capability for the most extreme environments on the planet.
Gus completed a Sports Science BSc Degree at Exeter University followed by multiple personal training accreditations (REPS Level 3, Functional Movement Screen & Diploma in Sports Massage). Through a deep-rooted understanding and passion for the industry he forged this distinctive outlook to personal training and strength and conditioning coaching.
Gus has delivered over 5000 hours of personal and performance training to his client base, leading to a respected and trusted reputation throughout London's personal training community and beyond.
ALI MACDONALD
NUTRITION
Ali founded Resilient Operations in 2013 to help organisations tackle the age old enemies of sleep loss, fatigue and stress in order to operate and perform at their best, in the most challenging environments on the planet.
In 2019, he founded Resilient Nutrition® to develop a range of whole food based, functional nutrition products that would enhance cognitive as well as physical performance in the short term whilst supporting long term health.
Critically, he and the team have focused on populations working in extremes – the military, expeditions and adventurers. He and the team have worked on programmes and expeditions from the Arctic, to the Himalayas to the deserts of North Africa and the jungles of Borneo.
RHODRI LEWIS
EQUIPMENT
Rhodri is a leading expedition equipment expert who consults, tests and procures apparel and functional gear for operating in the extremes.
His passion for adventure and the outdoors begun at an early age growing up in the Mountains of North Wales. His early life was all about climbing, mountain bikes and hiking. British weather meant he was often up against the elements, so he developed a passion for performance apparel. For several decades, Rhodri has travelled the world, establishing a leading expertise of the world's best outdoor brands.
He went on to live in Norway where he complimented his apparel expertise with the development of wide-ranging expedition experience in extreme cold weather. His time in Norway saw him work closely on equipment testing and development with some of the world's best polar guides, Military Special Forces and record- breaking explorers.
DR HELEN PICKUP
MEDICAL
Helen is an Expedition Doctor, Lifestyle Medicine Specialist and GP.
Before training in General Practice she spent time working in Emergency Medicine, Anaesthetics, International Emergency Assistance and Medical Repatriation and spent a year working in a township in South Africa.
Her main expedition experience has been on high altitude treks where cold temperatures and exposure to the elements can mimic polar conditions.
She curates and supplies Shackleton’s specialist medical kits and provides 24 hour remote medical cover for our expeditions.
BOOK A 30-MINUTE INTRODUCTORY CALL WITH OUR CHALLENGES TEAM TO FIND THE RIGHT SHACKLETON CHALLENGE FOR YOU.
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