Have there been many other hairy moments during the 25zero expeditions?
On a mountain in Ecuador called Illiniza Sur, I slipped on something called La Rampa (The Ramp). A fall from where I was would have been a fatal 500 meters down a very steep face. It got my heart rate up, I can tell you. On my descent of Mount Speke in Uganda’s Rwenzori mountains, I also slipped and popped my right knee out. It was painful, but fortunately I didn’t have an ACL to rupture as there isn’t one in my right knee due to an old sports injury.
RELATED: Welcome to the iceberg capital of the world
Losing my expedition partner in a blizzard during my Trans Antarctic expedition in 1999 was also an interesting moment. It was -40°C with high winds and my survival would have been almost impossible without the shelter of the tent, which he was carrying. I found him after several hours, but suffered frostbite as a result.
In 2015, you beamed footage from the top of one of the 25zero mountains, Carstensz Pyramid in Papua, Indonesia, into the COP21 Climate Change Conference in Paris, which contributed to an international climate deal being reached. That’s pretty badass.
It was a pretty special moment, although work is still needed on the Paris Accord to make it effective. The Accord is like going on a diet. The legally binding bit is the fact we’ve all signed up to going on the diet. The amount we’ve agreed to lose however isn’t enough.