23 February 2011

Polar explorer to share experiences with audience in Dundee

Record-breaking polar explorer and award-winning photographer Alex Hibbert will share some of his adventures when he appears in Dundee next week.

Despite being only 24, Alex has spent over 150 days unsupported in the Arctic and has crossed the second largest icecap on Earth three times. He will deliver the latest instalment of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s 'Inspiring People' talks programme at the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre, University of Dundee, on Tuesday, 1st March.

Alex's 'Longest Unsupported Polar Journey in History' lecture will recount just that. On 16th July 2008, Alex and his team-mate, George Bullard reached the Arctic coast of Greenland. Starved and dizzy, they had hauled 430lb sledges across 1374 miles over the previous eighteen weeks, further than any previous unsupported polar expedition in history.

The story of this epic journey is one of mental perseverance, physical toil in brutal conditions, and teamwork under pressure. The pair were forced to ski in darkness as temperatures plummeted to -40. With gale-force winds making things even more difficult, they had to rely on each other for their survival and even their own sanity.

Ever conscious of those pioneers who preceded them, Alex will explain the expedition's place in polar history and describe the lesser-known realities of expedition life. His talk is filled with stark recollections of adrenaline and reflection in the face of enormous odds stacked against them.

In 2002, aged just fifteen, Alex was one of the youngest people to complete the 125-mile Devizes to Westminster kayak ultra-marathon. Three years later saw him compete in the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Triathlon and, in 2006, Alex won his rowing ‘blade’ at University of Oxford and began competitively running long-distance races.

He has reached the summit of Mont Blanc in the French Alps and spent a period as a Royal Marines Officer. His first book, The Long Haul, was released in March 2010 and he was elected a member of the prestigious Explorers Club shortly after. In the spring of 2010 Alex guided an international team 350 miles across the Greenland icecap.

As he has seen so many sights worth documenting, it is fortunate that Alex is also an award-winning photographer. The images he has captured will feature in his talk, which takes place on Tuesday, March 1st at 7.30pm in the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre.

Tickets, costing £8 for adults, and free of charge for students, RSGS members and under 18s, will be available from the venue on the night.

The Royal Scottish Geographical Society is an educational charity that promotes an understanding of natural environments and human societies and how they interact. For further information about RSGS or to see the full 2010-11 Talks Programme please call 01738 455050 or visit www.rsgs.org.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277