Sir Chris, the mountaineer, writer, photographer and lecturer, started climbing at the age of 16 in 1951. It has been his passion ever since.
His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest.
He made the first British ascent of the North Wall of the Eiger and led the expedition that made the first ascent of The South Face of Annapurna, the biggest and most difficult climb in the Himalaya at the time.
Sir Chris went on to lead the successful expedition making the first ascent of the South West Face of Everest in 1975 and then reached the summit of Everest himself in 1985 with a Norwegian expedition.
He is still active in the mountains climbing with the same enthusiasm as he had at the beginning.
Sir Chris has written 17 books, fronted numerous television programmes and has lectured to the public and corporate audiences all over the world.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1976 in recognition of the previous year's successful ascent of Everest and was knighted in 1996 for his services to the sport. He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2010 Birthday Honours for his services to the Outward Bound Trust. He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Cumbria in 2004.
We are delighted that Sir Chris is supporting Row Britannia. He is inviting Explorers and Adventurers, throughout the UK, to join us as British Sporting Icons and come along to our host university locations to thank, encourage and inspire students and staff in support of student and young adult mental health.
