Mountaineers

STEPHEN VENABLES.

“HIS STORY OF HOW HE CLIMBED EVEREST WAS AN OBJECT LESSON IN WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH SHEER DETERMINATION, AND A REAL INSPIRATION. A CONSTANT REMINDER TO US THAT EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK NEEDS TO BE AT THE CENTRE OF ANY SUCCESSFUL ORGANISATION.” Michael Walter Global Head of Corporate – Herbert Smith LLP

Stephen is an internationally acclaimed mountaineer, writer and broadcaster and the first Briton to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen.

In 1988, Stephen and a small team of climbers launched an audacious expedition to Everest. Not only did they pioneer a new route up the biggest face of the world’s highest mountain, but they chose to make their attempt without using supplementary oxygen. When his team- mates were forced to turn back due to exhaustion, all agreed that Stephen should carry on to the summit. When he reached the top he became the first Briton and one of only a handful of people in the world to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen, a feat that has been described as one of the supreme athletic tests known to man. Reaching the summit late in the

KEY THEMES Teamwork | Leadership | Motivation

day, Stephen did not have enough daylight hours left to descend safely on the same day and bravely decided to bivouac in the open at 8,600 metres, a feat at the very limits of human survival.

Stephen has spent over thirty years leading expeditions all over the world, making first ascents of many previously unknown mountains. His adventures have taken him to the Himalayas, the Andes, the Antarctic island South Georgia, East Africa, South Africa and European Alps.

Stephen’s presentations are gripping, fast paced narratives focusing on the group dynamics, motivation and strategic planning required to plan and carry out a successful expedition.

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