We are delighted that Mark has joined our BRIT Ambassador family.
Mark is an established speaker, author and explorer who operates within the cold extremes of our planet. His expeditions include guiding film crews to the Magnetic North Pole, leading two expeditions to the Geomagnetic North Pole and completing solo expeditions to both the Geographic North and South Poles. Mark has been a part of major BBC and Channel 5 documentaries and over the years has trained and led people in the extremes of the planet.
Mark’s own award winning documentaries covered, the life of dog teams in Alaska, a solo survival film in the extremes, and a complex cutting edge expedition documentary showing the harsh reality of global warming and its effect on the Arctic Ocean as his team crossed to the North Pole.
Mark has created extreme classroom environments on Mount Everest involving over 1.2 million students and is ranked within the top 5 communicators in the world on the Skype platform.
“I have experienced the pressure of being and feeling alone; isolated in the cold extremes of the planet can often feel the same as the loneliness one can carry internally. The image you see of somebody doesn’t always reflect how they are inside.
The British Inspiration Trust (BRIT) Vision resonates with me; both personally and professionally and it has been a pleasure to have supported BRIT in their early years by championing the charity from the North and South poles. Since then, BRIT have evolved to become a collaborative charity who are striving to unite the charity, education and sport sectors through their annual BRIT Challenges and it’s great to see their influence and impact is going from strength to strength.
BRIT are having a positive UK-wide impact on young adult mental health and fitness by forging relationships with UK universities, colleges and students’ unions; over the past two years, well over 150 university and college teams have taken part in their BRIT Challenges.
The annual BRIT Challenge is an inspiring feel-good fundraiser to enable students and young adults of all abilities to take part wherever they are (at home or on campus). I hope every university, college and students’ union enters teams in the BRIT 2021 Challenge and promote the opportunity so that their students and staff can take part.
I am delighted to be joining the BRIT Ambassador family to support and improve young adult mental health and hope fellow Explorers and Adventurers will join me as BRIT Ambassadors and champion the BRIT Challenge. Together with Olympians, Paralympians and sports personalities, we can encourage our chosen universities and colleges to take on the BRIT 2021 Challenge and support the mental health and fitness of students and young adults throughout the UK.
I look forward to encouraging students and staff at the University of Warwick and Coventry University as they complete their 2,021 miles and fundraising targets.”
After serving in the British Army and then as a Firefighter in the Fire and Rescue Service, Mark went on to train and lead teams for major polar and mountain expeditions. Operating in areas such as the Arctic circle, the Himalayas, Antarctica, Alaska - along with the Norwegian and Canadian high Arctic Mark developed a passion for exploration.
In the beginning, exploration was more about testing himself physically and mentally whilst operating within the planet’s extremes, however Mark’s reason for exploring has changed over the years. He explored and filmed to create a global audience to understand the worth of the planet and the importance of modern day exploration.
With over thirty five expeditions to date, a growth audience of now 1.2 million students worldwide and a brand alignment with some of the world’s leading companies these are a few of Mark’s extraordinary journeys;
In 2003, operating from Resolute Bay in the Canadian high arctic and along the North west passage, Mark’s Survival Training expedition saw him train for more than a seventy day period and undergo tests for Cancer Research UK.
In 2004, Mark’s Geomagnetic North Pole expedition saw him operate within a team and head from Eureka on Ellesmere Island south/west through the Svredrup parse to the West coast of Ellesmere to reach the pole. A journey of 300 nautical miles.
The Geomagnetic North Pole expedition in 2006, saw Mark lead a team across Ellesmere Island in the Canadian high arctic and between Canada and Greenland to the pole.
In 2007, Mark was a guide for presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May, along with being the safety consultant for the program. It consisted of dog team race against a Helix 4x4 to the Magnetic North Pole for BBC Top Gear’s “Race to the Pole” expedition.
In 2009, Mark’s Our World expedition saw him working from Gris Fiord, a community of 70 plus people within the highest settlements in the Canadian high arctic. Using a two week crossing of Jones Sound, an education project was set up to engage with young people around the world to understand the effects of climate change on remote communities.
In 2010, for the Resolute Bay to Gris Ford expedition, Mark led the first team outside of the Inuit community to cross an old trading route between the highest Inuit settlements in the Canadian high arctic; 300 miles across Cornwallis Island, the North West passage and Devon Island.
Between 2010 and 2012, Mark led two expeditions to Island Peak (6184 metres) within the Himalayas as part of an educational program with The University of Warwick,
In 2011, Mark’s Solo South Geographic Pole Expedition was part of an award winning documentary, 'Solo Explorer”. Mark reached the pole after a fifty day, 700 statute mile, unsupported and unaided journey.
In 2012, Mark’s Solo North Geographic Pole Expedition was an unsupported and unaided 200 nautical mile crossing of the arctic ocean to the pole as part of a Channel 5 documentary - North Pole Ice Airport.
In 2013, Mark’s Mount Everest Ascent expedition used Skype technology to connect live with over 10,000 students around the world with an ascent of Mount Everest. Mark held online classroom experiences from Kathmandu, the holy temple of Tengbouche and within the death zone above 7,500 metres.
In 2016, Mark’s Geographic North Pole Expedition resulted in a three man team reaching the pole in the hottest season ever recorded as part of a major documentary on how modern day exploration is being affected by environmental change.
In 2019, Mark’s Mount Everest Ascent expedition 8848 used Mount Everest to engage with over 1.2 million students around the world using education platforms with Skype in the Classroom and Lonely Planet Kids.
Mark is currently working on his next expedition, Solo100, and combines his time with writing books and delivering speaking engagements speaking.
For more information on Mark, please visit his website.
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