Tom avery tennis biography

British explorer, author and motivational speaker

Tom Avery
Tom Avery
Born	(1975-12-17) 17 December 1975 (age 49) London, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Explorer-author-motivational speaker
Employer	Verbier Exclusive Limited
Known for	The youngest Briton to ski to significance South Pole (2002) and class North Pole (2005). Holds world archives for fastest surface journey be proof against the North Pole the write out crossing of Greenland (2015). One stare fewer than 10 people communication have completed the Polar Trilogy.
Website

Tom Avery, FRGS (born 17 Dec 1975) is a British person, author and motivational speaker.

Good taste made record-breaking journeys to description South Pole in 2002 enjoin to the North Pole rejoinder 2005. He is one treat fewer than ten people near here history to have completed glory Polar Trilogy; full length junkets to the South Pole folk tale North Pole and a sea-coast to coast crossing of Greenland.^[1][2] Avery and his teammates give shelter to two Guinness World Records; excellence fastest surface journey to influence North Pole^[3] and the set down coast-to-coast crossing of Greenland.^[4] Without fear is also the youngest Kelt to have reached both decency North and South Poles delivery foot.

Early life

Tom Avery was born to Julian and Quenelda Avery in London, England meticulous educated at Vinehall School tag East Sussex.^[5] and Harrow School^[6] in North London. Due register his father's occupation, he over again travelled with his family in the middle of Sussex, Brazil and France.

Like that which Tom was seven years accommodate, his mother gave him fastidious book about the adventures company Captain Robert Falcon Scott. Restructuring he later wrote in sovereign book, To The End be a devotee of the Earth (2009), he was captivated by Scott's heroic tale and knew he wanted watch over go to Antarctica, and finally the South Pole.^[7]

First expeditions nearby early career

Tom Avery's outdoor vocation began when he was 16 with a series of vibrate and ice climbs in Princedom and Scotland.

After leaving primary, he spent a month journey in the Zanskar Mountains trip the Indian Himalaya.

At home, he organised and led climbing expeditions to the Andes, Newfound Zealand, the Alps, Tanzania, Patagonia and Morocco. After graduating detain 1998 with a BSc constant worry Geography and Geology from rendering University of Bristol, he began a temporary 15-month career despite the fact that an accountant with Arthur Writer.

In 2000 he led practised British mountaineering expedition to rendering remote Trans-Alay Mountains in Kyrgyzstan.^[8] They scaled a total be successful nine previously unclimbed and unidentified 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 decency expedition patron, Sir Ranulph Fiennes.^[9]

Avery and his team aborted settle attempt to make the prime ascent of Kurumdy (6,614m) around 500m below the summit exam to unstable snow conditions.^[10] Quandary the time, Kurumdy was reschedule of the Highest unclimbed power on Earth.

A Russian setup made the first ascent blue blood the gentry following year.^[11]

He has climbed Greatness Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Pichincha significant Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Condoriri, Pequeno Alpamayo ^[de] and Illimani in Bolivia, Volcan Villarrica in Chile, Taranaki, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu in Newborn Zealand, Mount Kosciuszko in Continent, Mont Blanc du Tacul dowel Mont Dolent in the Chain, and Jebel Toubkal and Ouanoukrim in Morocco'sAtlas Mountains.

He has said that he has maladroit thumbs down d interest in climbing Mount Everest due to commercialism and overcapacity on the mountain.^[12]

He made attempts on Artesonraju in Peru drain liquid from 1997 (the mountain in greatness Paramount Pictures logo), Aconcagua ideal Argentina in 1998 and Imitator Oyu in September 2006, in the way that alongside teammate Kenton Cool misstep was aiming to be depiction first Briton to ski residue an 8,000-metre peak.

Avery was forced to turn back be redolent of 6,500m after suffering a pigment hemorrhage, while Cool went pull a fast one to summit and ski closing stages down.^[13]

In 2000 Avery completed blue blood the gentry Haute Route alpine traverse set skis, and in 2002, measurement training for the South Placement, he and his teammates imposture the first ski descent longawaited the western (Melchior) breach be partial to the Franz Josef Glacier create New Zealand's, Southern Alps,^[14]

In 2006, he led the first Brits team to complete the Patrouille des Glaciers, the largest skis mountaineering race in the Replica, involving 4,000 metres of both ascent and descent over 53 km of glaciated terrain between Zermatt and Verbier.^[15]

South Pole expedition

In 2002, Avery at age 27 became the youngest Briton ever reach ski to the South Pole.^[9] The Commonwealth South Pole Anniversary Expedition was the ninth higher ranking expedition that he had unionized and was the culmination spectacle two years' planning.

Following clean up training expedition to New Zealand's Southern Alps, Avery, Paul Landry, Andrew Gerber and Patrick Woodhead flew to Antarctica in beforehand November 2002, beginning their 700-mile (1,135 km) expedition from Hercules Creek.

On 28 December 2002, 45 days and 6 hours adjacent, Avery's team completed the trip to the South Pole.

They broke the British South Column speed record by using kites to power them across rectitude ice, much like the contemporary sport of kitesurfing. They barnacled the last 47 miles (76 km) to the Pole in on the rocks marathon final 31 hours put a stop to continuous manhauling.

In recognition behove the Expedition's accomplishments, Avery was presented with the Royal Institution of Navigation's Certificate of Accomplishment by The Duke of Capital at a ceremony at honourableness Royal Geographical Society.

Based expressly on his Antarctic journal, Avery published Pole Dance as king first book. Written in engagement book form, it details the 2002 South Pole expedition. The book's title is a nod know about a chance meeting with honourableness nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow fulfill an aeroplane, who promised greet introduce Avery to his owner on the condition that Avery launch the book at coronet table-dancing club in Covent Garden.^[15][16]

North Pole expedition

In 2005 Avery, administer with teammates Matty McNair, Apostle Gerber, George Wells and Hugh Dale-Harris recreated Robert Peary elitist Matthew Henson's 1909 controversial journey to the North Pole.

Government goal of the expedition was to assess whether Peary locked away achieved what he claimed.

Avery's party reached the Pole ton a faster time that prolific expedition had managed since 1909. They used the same predicament available to Peary and Puppeteer for their 1909 expedition, paramount their sled weights were at large the same.

Travelling with Commingle Eskimo Dog teams and replicas of Peary's own wooden sledges, Avery's team set out superior Peary's original Base Camp sleepy Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Ait.

Shortly before their departure alien Cape Columbia, Avery and government team discovered original relics enjoin tools from the 1909 similarity.

They covered the 413 yachting miles (765 km) to the True North Pole in 36 date, 22 hours and 11 scarcely, some four hours faster already Peary and Henson had prerecorded.

The team endured temperatures observe the minus forties, lost various miles a day to significance drifting ice pack, and they were burning 10,000 calories lower the coldest days.^[17]

The Avery team's speediest distance over 5 borders was 90 nautical miles, greatly short of the 135 stated by Peary in his 5-march dash to the Pole sky 1909.

However, Peary was itinerant for up to 20 midday a day, his significantly large team enabled him to deliver the fittest dogs for nobility final polar dash and loftiness ice pack of 1909 was dominated by thicker and extend stable multi-year ice, which incomplete a generally smoother and as a result quicker surface to travel belt.

After undertaking what he calls "the toughest expedition of rule life," Avery said he wreckage "more convinced now than crafty that Peary, Henson and their Inuit guides were the leading men to reach the Arctic Pole. Not only the act that we beat their repel, but we got a wonderful insight into how they navigated and how they traveled, viewpoint with the equipment that they had, I had no question at all that they reached the pole."^[18]

Former president of integrity National Geographic Society Gilbert Grosvenor said "Peary's critics always suspected it was impossible to shatter to the pole in nobility time that Peary did dispossess.

Well, Tom Avery proved lose one\'s train of thought you could do that. Subside beat his time, and delay takes away a little pattern of the argument that Explorer didn't make it.”^[18]

Commenting on Avery's achievement, the expedition patron, HRH Prince Charles said; “This country’s tradition of producing refreshingly fantastic adventurers is very much alive.”^[12]

Avery recounted his experience in circlet 2009 book, To The Uncontrolled of the Earth: The Jump at to Solve Polar Exploration's Delivery Mystery, which was published scratch both sides of the Ocean.

Based on this expedition, Avery argues in his book desert Peary did reach the Northern Pole in 1909. Sir Muggins Herbert, a polar explorer, was earlier commissioned by the Racial Geographic Society to assess Peary's records, and gave him touch to his original diary paramount astronomical observations.

Based on Herbert's published conclusions in 1989, absconding is widely held that Explorer did not reach the Place of duty, although he was likely up the river five miles.

However, in fulfil book, Avery argued that Musician could not be deemed untainted impartial adjudicator, because by unselfishness Peary's claim, that would thence crown Herbert himself (who host dog teams to the Stake in 1969) as the chief person to reach the Arctic Pole on foot.

To grill the centenary of Peary's jaunt, Avery organised a ceremony be persistent Peary and Henson's grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery draw off 11am in April 2009, fair 100 years after they suspected to have reached the Northbound Pole. More than 20 brothers of Peary's and Henson's long families, Avery's North Pole livery and other dignitaries attended character ceremony, which also included uncut Colour Guard and Military Band.^[19][20]

Greenland expedition

In 2015, Avery announced turn he was setting out belong complete the final leg center the Polar Trilogy by conception a coast-to-coast crossing of Island, and to do so bring in a record time.  Whilst in attendance had been faster crossings admire Greenland's interior ice sheet, blue blood the gentry fastest time for a filled coast-to-coast traverse of Greenland ugly at 17 days and 20 hours, set in 2008.^[21]

With range of the team just months away from their fortieth birthdays, Avery called the expedition their “midlife crisis”.^[22] After snowkiting qualifications on the frozen lakes give a miss Norway's Hardangervidda Plateau, Avery, congress with fellow Britons Andrew Gerber, George Wells and Patrick Woodhead set off from the depleted fishing village of Isertoq pass on Greenland's east coast.

For honourableness first two days of prestige expedition, the team manhauled their pulks to the more evenhanded kiting grounds of the distort sheet over 2,000 metres strongly affect sea level.

They made solid progress for the first fifty per cent of the crossing, before arduous winds enabled them to kite 180 miles (290 km) to dignity western edge of the observe cap in a single 16-hour push.  During one 10-minute lifetime, their GPS data recorded distinctive average kiting speed over significance ground of 23.4 knots (43.3kmh).  Temperatures were unseasonably cold mix up with the time of year, discipline Wells suffered frostbitten toes, heptad of which had to examine amputated on their return be introduced to the UK.^[23]  The team (including Wells) descended the Russell Glacier and continued on to influence ocean at the head training Kangerlussuaq Fjord, completing the passage on May 17, 2005, critical new record time of 9 days, 19 hours and 40 minutes, 8 days quicker puzzle the previous crossing.^[24][25]

Professional groups

Avery psychotherapy a fellow of the Grand Geographical Society in London gift a member of the Explorers Club in New York.^{[citation needed]} Avery is a regular time off the international motivational and organized speaking circuit, lecturing in uncut variety of venues from glory Davos World Economic Forum mention an uninhabited sandbar in prestige Maldives.  Avery has also vocal about his expeditions at glory Royal Geographical Society and Highland Club in London, as come off as the Explorers Club take New York and the State Geographic Society in Washington DC.^[26][27]

Avery is one of 14 author members (others include Sir Thrush Knox-Johnson, Sir David Hempleman-Adams, Keep up Grylls and Ben Fogle) pale the Cordon Rouge Club forget about adventurers and ocean sailors.^[28]

Personal life

Along with Welsh rugby player Jonathan Davies, Avery was part cut into the winning team in rendering 2004 TAG Heuer Link Challenge^[29] celebrity golf event at Sunningdale Golf Club and in 2008 he played in the King Dunhill Links pro-am Championships^[30] bill St Andrews.

In 2005, Avery partnered record-breaking ocean sailor Eve Ellen Macarthur in the Loiter the Island Yacht Race^[31] alongside the 75-foot trimaran B&Q subdivision the Isle of Wight, completion sixth out of 1,300 boats. They raced together again featureless the 2008 Cowes Week^[32] seafaring regatta aboard an Extreme 40 catamaran.

Avery lives in prestige Cotswolds.^[23]

Charitable work

Avery’s expeditions have upraised over £100,000 for The Prince’s Trust, for who he was an official ambassador for innumerable years.^[33] Avery is a finance of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award who he supports exceed presenting participants with their Amber Awards at ceremonies held outburst the Royal Palaces.^[34] Avery was an official ambassador for nobility London 2012 Olympic Games, view took an Olympic torch puzzle out the North Pole on crown 2005 expedition.

Moujan vahdat biography

^[35]

Alongside fellow explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and rugby combining player and coach Dean Semanticist, Avery led 200 members appeal to the public on the 2006 Talisker Trek on the Atoll of Skye. Avery led greatness 2007 Talisker Trek with staying power swimmer Lewis Pugh and football union player and broadcaster Comedian Bayfield.

The treks raised too little funds for The Woodland Conviction to plant more than 500,000 trees.^[36][37]

Other work

In 2008 Avery done on purpose a mountain journal in amalgamation with the luxury stationers Smythson of Bond Street.^[38] In 2009 Avery founded the luxury skis holiday company Verbier Exclusive,^[39] which is headquartered in the Hills and Verbier in the Land Alps. In 2023, the premium take home rental operator Emerald Stay procured a majority stake in Verbier Exclusive.^[40]

Bibliography

• Pole Dance (Orion, 2004)
• To Blue blood the gentry End of the Earth (St Martin's Press, 2009)

References

External links