Bertrand Piccard - Around the World on a Wing and a Ray of Sunshine
November 2009

Bertrand Piccard, famous for being the first to complete a non-stop balloon circumnavigation of the world, is working on a new project that seems at odds with the laws of physics. Piccard, and his team of scientists, engineers, and physicists is working on Solar Impulse, an aircraft that will circle the world on solar power alone.   

Jessica Watson - Sailing Around the World at 16
October 2009

A collision with a 63,000 tonne cargo vessel would probably put most people off sailing for life. Not for 16-year-old Jessica Watson of Australia who considers it just part of training in her attempt to be the youngest to sail around the world solo.   

Ed Stafford - Walking the Amazon River
September 2009

Ed Stafford has been walking beside the Amazon River for 524 days, but he's still a long way from reaching the end and his goal of becoming the first person to walk the length of the world's largest river.   

Zac Sunderland - Youngest to Sail Around the World
August 2009

On July 16, 2009 the record for the youngest solo circumnavigation of the world was broken by Zac Sunderland of California. He returned to the harbor of Marina del Ray to complete his thirteen-month journey around the world. Not only is he the youngest to complete a solo circumnavigation, but also the first to complete this goal before the age of 18.   

Roz Savage Rows Across Pacific
June 2009

Roz Savage is en route to becoming the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. She left Hawaii on May 25th and has rowed 400 km towards the tiny island of Tuvalu, still some 3,700 km away. This is the second leg of her three-part, 13,000 km journey that began in the USA and will end in Australia.   

Sam Whittingham Shatters Speed Record
May 2009

Of the 100 billion or so humans that have ever existed there is only one that has travelled faster than 130 km per hour using only his muscles.  Canadian Sam Whittingham of Quadra Island, BC has propelled himself faster than any Olympic athlete or Tour de France hero in his custom-made bullet-shaped recumbent bicycle.  His success is attributed to a combination of athletic prowess and the design genius of Georgi Georgiev, creator of Whittingham’s bicycle.  

Matt Hill and Stephanie Tait Run for a Year
April 2009

Matt Hill and Stephanie Tait are two Canadians running 18,000 km.  Since they left Vancouver on May 4th, 2008 they have run 15,667 km (9,735 miles) across Canada to Newfoundland, down the Eastern seaboard to Florida and west across the southern states to California.  They are now running amidst rolling green mountains north of Santa Barbara County, and in another 2,000+ kilometres they will be back in Vancouver.   

Oliver Hicks strives to be the first to row around the world
February 2009

Oliver Hicks Oliver Hicks (27) is attempting what may well be the most ambitious rowing journey ever, a non-stop voyage around the world through the Southern Ocean. Beginning from the island of Tasmania, Australia, Hicks will spend up to two years rowing eastwards until reaching Tasmania again. Hick's path will veer south towards Antarctica where the currents and winds will be in his favour.  

Kevin Vallely and Expedition South Pole Quest
January 2009

Vancouverite Kevin Vallely is no stranger to adventure.  Currently he and fellow Canadian explorers Richard Weber and Ray Zahab are attempting to smash the speed record for an unsupported trek to the South Pole.  They’ve been trekking for 32 days now, and if all goes well, today could be the final day of the expedition. 

Where are our 2007 Featured Explorers now?
January 2008

Through 2007 we featured 11 adventurers along with a snapshot of what they were up to.  To start the new year we’ve put together a brief list of where they’re at now.

Expedition Amazonas
December 2007

A team hailing from Australia, South Africa and Britain is currently attempting to voyage the Amazon River from source to sea. This seven-thousand km journey spans most of the South American continent and will take the team through geography ranging from the high alto-plano in Peru’s Andes to the lush Amazon basin.

November 2007

Rob Cassibo has cycled through 81 countries, tallying an incredible 108,000 km beneath his two wheels. Six years ago Rob took an extended break from teaching high school and has been pedalled ever since. Now he is back in Canada, soon to be back in the classroom undoubtedly captivating students even more than when he earned TVOntario's teacher of the year award and Science North’s lifetime achievement award.

October 2007

Karsten Heuer, Leanne Allison, their toddler Zev and dog Willow are travelling across Canada by canoe, foot, sailboat and more to visit Canadian icon Farley Mowat. Their route, from Canmore, Alberta to Cape Breton Island, winds through many of the places Mowat chronicled throughout his 44 books.

September 2007

Jarle Andhøy and David Mercy (along with a couple of new Norwegian crew) are now attempting a journey around the world in Jarle’s new steel boat Beserk II.  Their route includes voyaging over the top of Russia, traversing the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, as well as another visit to Antarctica. 

August 2007

The Vendée Globe, around-the-world sailing race, is dubbed the world’s most gruelling challenge. The race generally takes 3-4 months as the sleek performance boats move at speeds often exceeding 20 knots.Derek Hatfield of New Brunswick will compete in the 2008 Vendée Globe and, if successful, will be the first Canadian to complete the race. 

July 2007

Canadian athlete Greg Kolodziejzyk can’t get enough of human powered travel. He is a iron man triathlete who has shattered multiple world speed records for human-powered propulsion.   And in December of 2008 he will pedal across the Atlantic Ocean in an attempt to break the record for the fastest solo human-powered crossing of the Atlantic. 

Reid and Soanya - 1000 Days in a Boat
June 2007

How does confinement for three years in a boat sound for relationship therapy?  That’s exactly what Americans Reid Stowe (55) and girlfriend Soanya Ahmad (23) are enduring in an attempt to complete the longest non-stop voyage ever.  They will spend 1000 days in a 70’ sailboat, perpetually plying the world’s oceans.  They will not be stopping in any ports or reprovision for the duration of the voyage. 

Mike Horn : Pole to Pole to Pole by Zero Emissions
May 2007

Renowned South African explorer Mike Horn is planning a zero-emissions circumnavigation through the poles.  The stages over land and ice will utilize human power and the oceans will be traversed by sailboat. We have long felt that the Holy Grail of expedition challenges would be a human powered circumnavigation of the world intersecting both poles - this comes pretty close.

Karl Bushby : Walking Around the World
April 2007

Karl Bushby, founder of the Goliath Expedition is attempting the longest unbroken journey by foot.  He left 9 years ago from the lower tip of South America and is walking to his home in England, a distance of 58,000 km through four continents. Karl has made it two-thirds of the way, including walking across the sea ice of the Bering Strait to Russia .

Tim Cope : Following the Route of Ghengis Khan by Horseback
March 2007

Tim is retracing the route of Ghengis Khan’s armies entirely by horseback - when he finishes he will be the first in modern history to do so.   He has been trekking solo with his two horses and a dog for three years now, and has covered more than eight thousand km through Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine.

Rosie Swale-Pope : Running Around the World
February 2007

Rosie is doing her expedition solo and self-supported.  She pulls all her equipment in a cart, and has traveled through some of the most remote and rugged areas on the planet. She left Britain several years ago and is now jogging through Canada.