Stephen Venables 2010 Tour

In The Steps of Shakleton

In Spring 2010, Stephen Venables will be bringing one of the greatest legends of exploration alive in his lecture show In the Steps of Shackleton, presented by adventure-based speakers specialists, Speakers from the Edge.

The first Briton to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen, Stephen is one of the UK’s best-known mountaineers.  His impressive career spanning over forty years has taken him all over the world, from the Himalaya in Asia to the European Alps, the South American Andes, the mountains of East and Southern Africa, and the sub-antarctic island of South Georgia.  Stephen is a seasoned speaker and the stories of his adventures have enthralled audiences all over the world.

 “Venables is superb on the terror and exhilaration of climbing”
       The Sunday Telegraph            

In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set out on his expedition to cross Antarctica via the South Pole.  However, early in 1915 disaster struck when his ship, Endurance, was crushed by the Antarctic ice.  Leaving his crew marooned on Elephant island, Shackleton set out with five companions in a tiny lifeboat in search of help.  After a sixteen day voyage 800 miles across the Southern Ocean they landed on South Georgia’s deserted south coast.  Here Shackleton continued on foot with two of his men, crossing thirty miles of unknown, unmapped glacial mountains, with no mountaineering equipment.  They finally reached the whaling station of Stromness on the north coast where they were able to summon a successful rescue for their remaining 22 companions.

In the last ten years, Stephen has twice has twice repeated Shackleton’s famous crossing of South Georgia.  The first time, in 2000, he was with Conrad Anker and world famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner, during the making of the IMAX movie Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure. He returned in 2008, this time sailing from the Falklands on Skip Novak’s yacht Pelagic Australis, to guide the ‘Beyond Endurance’ team on their crossing.

Stephen’s new show brings Shackleton’s epic escape from Antarctica to life, with stunning photos and film footage illustrating the explorer’s treacherous journey over the mountains. As Stephen explains, “Shackleton’s expedition is one of the great epics of exploration – a tale of escape and survival more miraculous than any fiction.”  With his highly acclaimed photos and natural gifts as a storyteller, Stephen captures the thrill of climbing, skiing and sailing in a place of such haunting beauty. 

“Stephen is a superb lecturer -  his slide shows are brilliantly illustrated, fast-paced, gripping, witty and full of fascinating historical background.”
                                      Sir Chris Bonington

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