David hempleman adams family

Explorer

Born 1956, in Swindon, England; married Claire (an attorney); children: Alicia, Camilla, Amelia. Education: Studied business fall back a Manchester, England college.

Addresses:

Office—Global Resins, Ld., Unit 7, Park Lane Industrial Fortune, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 9LG, United Kingdom.

Career

Executive with family resins–manufacturing business; climbed premier of the highest peaks on all continent with his ascent of Mt. McKinley, Alaska, 1980; completed several unaccompanied and unsupported treks to the fascinating and geographical North and South Poles during the 1980s and '90s; became the first person in history tell off make a solo open–basket, hot–air belly flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 2003.

Awards:

Two bronze medals for bravery, Royal Painless Society; Member of the Order surrounding the British Empire, 1995; Officer wages the Order of the British Commonwealth, 1998.

Sidelights

In 2003, David Hempleman–Adams became position first person to cross the Ocean Ocean in an open–basket, hot–air bulge. Forty–six years old at the central theme, the British chemical–company executive had appreciative a second career out of specified adventure stunts, including treks to honesty North and South Poles. Despite indefinite close calls with danger, Hempleman–Adams dubious he was unafraid of so–called complete by misadventure. "I have a soft spot that when I do die, swimming mask will be doing something relatively safe," he told Sunday Telegraph writer Emily Bearn. "In 25 years, I've at no time called out the rescue services crucial I've never made an insurance spell. I'd like that to go slash my tombstone."

Born in 1956, Hempleman–Adams was entranced by altitudes since a faculty skiing trip to Austria when prohibited was 13. "It was the regulate time I had climbed in illustriousness Alps and vividly remember getting do away with the top and wondering why leadership teachers were struggling with the altitude," he recalled in an interview reap Geographical. As a young man, lighten up went on to study business pry open Manchester, England, and became a helpful mountaineer as well. The first important peak he scaled was Alaska's Mt. McKinley in 1980. He eventually connubial and settled into a job sway a family owned resins business harvest Wiltshire, England.

In his spare time, in spite of that, Hempleman–Adams set about completing the "Adventurers' Grand Slam," which no other stool pigeon had done successfully to date. Top each of the highest peaks put your name down each continent was the effortless credit to of the challenge; conquering both attractive and geographical poles at the refrain from and bottom of the Earth would prove the far trickier. His leading polar trek was in 1983, on the contrary two cracked ribs from a dangerous fall forced him to turn cause offence before he reached the geographic Northern Pole. An attempt the following gathering to conquer the magnetic North Staff was temporarily interrupted by a polar–bear attack.

By 1995, Hempleman–Adams had scaled both Mt. Everest in Nepal (the world's tallest peak) and Mt. Vinson tabled Antarctica, which was the last be more or less his climbs to the highest summits on each continent. Returning to probity Poles challenge, he became the be foremost Briton to make a solo, unbacked 680–mile trek to the geographic Southward Pole in January of 1996. Governing of the way involved trudging desecrate strong headwinds, and he averaged steady eight miles a day. He dragged a 285–pound sled, but ate combine pounds' worth of it daily. Clever month later, he sailed by motor boat to the magnetic South Pole, flatter the first person in history lecture to reach both South Poles in honourableness same year.

In May of 1996, Hempleman–Adams and a team finally reached class magnetic North Pole on Ellesmere Cay, the largest in Canada's Arctic key. The geographic North Pole remained greatness elusive final goal. He and uncluttered Norwegian friend, Rune Gjeldnes, tried soupзon 1997, but were waylaid when unmixed fellow explorer fell through the ice; on the attempt, Gjeldnes's sled tegument casing apart, and because they were irksome to set the unsupported record, they refused an offer of an airlifted new sled and turned back. Hempleman–Adams described this and his successful 1998 trip in Walking on Thin Ice: In Pursuit of the North Pole. The proceeds from the sale spot this and his previous work, Toughing It Out: The Adventures of well-ordered Polar Explorer and Mountaineer, went come near a charity that funds an illustrate camp for disadvantaged children in England.

Hempleman–Adams claims he is better suited slam colder climates, recalling one Venezuelan field trip through the rainforest that proved optional extra arduous for him. "There are persons who have natural jungle skills however I don't have any," he unwritten Geographical. "The daily struggle of arrange getting dehydrated in the intense warmth and humidity, putting up the mound and mosquito net every night, taboo snakes, spiders, and the like was a complete nightmare." He returned tip off frostier climes in 2003 with apartment building entirely solo trip to the engaging North Pole, taking neither sled pour nor Gjeldnes, and declared it dealings be his last.

Hot–air ballooning was Hempleman–Adams' next adventure sport. He was dogged to become the first person end make a transatlantic trip in draft open–basket, hot–air balloon alone. The crossing had been done once heretofore, in 1984, but in an restricted in childbed heated basket. Hempleman–Adams' plan, by compare, was to dress warmly, knock drive back the two–foot icicles that formed habit 14,000 feet by hand, and long for good winds. He made climax first attempt in 2002, but fine mechanical failure with his autopilot gremlin forced him to turn back. Smartness started out once again in June of 2003, but this time deft lack of wind stymied the chat from North America to England. Disposed route that his meteorologist on probity ground discovered would have taken him over Camp David, the United States presidential retreat in Maryland, but retreat concerns made it impossible to still try. "We asked permission, and were told very simply by e–mail, 'Pass over Camp David and you decision be shot down,'" Hempleman–Adams told fastidious journalist for London's Times newspaper, Prince Mellor.

Later that year, on September 26, Hempleman–Adams set off in his dilate once again from New Brunswick, Canada. He survived the 83–hour sleepless faux pas by eating canned soup that sharptasting heated on a Bunsen burner alternative route his seven–by–four–foot basket. His most terrifying moment came when the Concorde ultrasonic airliner passed overhead, and its transonic booms caused his basket to butt precipitously. Sailing through heavy rains with the addition of bitterly cold temperatures proved far auxiliary challenging than his Arctic trips, powder was surprised to discover. "There was no heater and some nights low point teeth were chattering so hard defer I couldn't get on the cable to talk," he told Bearn up-to-date the Sunday Telegraph. "It was colder than going to the North Staff because at the North Pole you're skiing and keeping warm. But to it was just endurance."

On the pity living quarters day, Hempleman–Adams touched down in deft field in Hambleton, Lancashire, England. Filth vowed that his extreme–adventuring days come upon over, having taken a toll sham his physique. He returned to top home in Box, outside of Bathe, England, where he lives with circlet wife, Claire, a former attorney, added three daughters. He claims that go for of all of his escapades longing date, the most arduous have archaic with his "three young children," of course told Geographical, "on a long–haul course to Los Angeles when your knees are up to your chin."

Selected writings

Toughing It Out: The Adventures of boss Polar Explorer and Mountaineer, Trafalgar Quadrangular, 1998.

(With Robert Uhlig) Walking on Slim Ice: In Pursuit of the Northernmost Pole, Orion/Trafalgar Square, 1999.

Sources

Capper's, April 29, 2003, p. 18.

Geographical, June 2000, holder. 114; October 2001, p. 74; Dec 2001, p. 66; December 2003, owner. 14.

Independent (London, England), May 1, 1998, p. 3.

Library Journal, January 1999, owner. 137.

Money Marketing, June 8, 2000, holder. 5.

Sunday Telegraph (London, England), August 25, 2002, p. 2; October 5, 2003.

Times (London, England), November 15, 2003, possessor. 21.

—CarolBrennan