Thanks for getting this far.

I have never done a sponsored anything before. This will be the only one and never to be repeated, so as well as being a challenge I am hoping to make it count. The expedition was due to take place in May 2020, but it had to be postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Now taking place in May 2024 the expedition will see me (and Nicky - what a wife) navigate the thawing Arctic Ocean 400 miles from the North Pole on a rugged 50m Gaff Rigged Schooner the s/v Noorderlicht. Each day we will go ashore on a Zodiac or canoe to the rugged remote glacial terrain of the Svalbard archipelago. Once ashore we are aiming to climb the height of Everest on a pair of skis (and by definition ski down the height of Everest) over the course of seven days. 

The physical challenge is significant, but with the added challenge of avoiding icebergs, avalanches and polar bears (with 3,000 on the archipelago they outnumber humans).

The thought of raising money with every metre climbed and changing the lives of several cohorts of young disadvantaged people by putting them through Resurgo's award winning SPEAR course will keep me going when the going gets tough. 

I am meeting all the costs of the expedition and The MAPP Foundation will match fund all donations.

This is what SPEAR gets up to;

https://resurgo.org.uk/spear-programme/what-is-the-spear-programme/