Who Is Sir Ranulph Fiennes?Sir Ranulph Fiennes is a British expedition leader who has broken world records, won many awards and completed expeditions on a range of different modes of transport. These include hovercraft, riverboat, manhaul sledge, snowmobile, skis and a four-wheel drive vehicle.

He is also the only living person who has travelled around the Earth’s circumpolar surface.

Did You Know…?Sir Ranulph does not call himselfan explorer as he says he has onlyonce mapped an unknown area.

Circumpolar means to go around the Earth’s North Pole and South Pole.

The Beginning of an Expedition LeaderSir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born on 7th March 1944 in Windsor, UK. His father was killed during the Second World War and after the war, Ranulph’s mother moved the family to South Africa. He lived there until he was 12 years old. He returned to the UK where he continued his education, later attending Eton College.

Ranulph joined the British army, where heserved for eight years in the same regimentthat his father had served in, the RoyalScots Greys. While in the army, Ranulphtaught soldiers how to ski and canoe.After leaving the army, Ranulph andhis wife decided to earn money byleading expeditions.

A World of ExpeditionsArctic

Antarctic

North Pole

South PoleThe River Nile

Mount Everest

The Eiger

The Transglobe ExpeditionIn 1979, Ranulph, his wife Ginny and friends Charles Burton and Oliver Shepherd embarked on an expedition to the Antarctic which was planned by Ginny, an explorer in her own right.

They were the first people to circumnavigate the world along the polar axis during the Transglobe Expedition. This means that they travelled around the globe from the North Pole to the South Pole.

This 52,000-mile expedition took three years to complete. It took a lot of careful planning and complex communication while travelling.

Did You Know…?A Jack Russell dog called Bothy was also on board the shipduring the expedition.

World FirstsFrom 1968 to 1969, Ranulph led the first hovercraft expedition along the world’s longest river, the Nile in Egypt.

In 1993, Ranulph and Mike Stroud became the first people to cross the Antarctic continent in an unsupported expedition. This was the longest unsupported polar journey in history.

Health ProblemsIn 2003, Ranulph experienced a massive heart attack, leaving him in a coma for three days and resulting in major heart surgery. Just three months later, he completed seven marathons in seven consecutive days!

In 2005, Ranulph began supporting the British Heart Foundation and climbed Mount Everest in Southern China, raising £2 million for the charity.

Over more recent years, Ranulph has had more heart attacks, an operation for cancer and been diagnosed with diabetes. Sadly, in 2004, Ginny Fiennes died from cancer. Since then, Ranulph’s fundraising has been in support of the Marie Curie charity.

Did You Know…?Marie Curie is a charity which supports those with cancerand their families.

The Global Reach ChallengeSir Ranulph Fiennes started the Global Reach Challenge in 1982 by crossing the polar ice caps. The challenge also includes climbing the highest mountain in each continent.He went on to climb:

Mount Everest in Asia in 2009

Mount Vinson in Antarctica in 2016 Mount Kilimanjaro

in Africa in 2004

Mount Elbrus in Europe in 2016

Mount Kosciuszko in Australasia in 2015

Ranulph intends to climb Mount Aconcagua in South America, Mount Carstenz in Asia and Mount Denali in North America.

Watch this 90-second film to see some of Sir Ranulph’s experiences. https://vimeo.com/248043635

https://vimeo.com/248043635

Lifetime AchievementsSome of Sir Ranulph’s greatest achievements are:•discovering the lost city of Ubar on the Yemeni border;•being made an honorary doctor of Birmingham City University;•receiving the Sultan’s Bravery Medal and the Polar Medal from the Queen;•wining the Man of the Year Award; •being presented with the Millenium Award for Navigation.

He has also endured temperatures of -30°C, removed the ends of his own frostbitten fingers, written 19 books and been named as top celebrity fundraiser having raised millions for the Marie Curie charity.

Although he is now in his seventies, Sir RanulphFiennes still has expeditions to complete.

Think About It!Have you ever done something which really challenged you? Is there anything you would like to do?

Watch this four-minute film of SirRanulph Fiennes talking about someof his life choices and experiences. https://vimeo.com/117673069

https://vimeo.com/117673069