Ben Saunders

Ben Saunders is a polar explorer and a record-breaking long-distance skier. Since 2001, Ben has skied more than 6,000km (3,730 miles or 142 marathons) in the Polar Regions. He is one of three in history – and the youngest by more than ten years – to ski solo to the North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton and for the longest ever polar journey on foot.

In February 2014 Ben completed a remarkable 1,800-mile journey on foot from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back retracing for the first time in full Captain Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova route. (www.scottexpedition.com)
Ben is passionate about sharing his adventures and over the years has developed innovative communications technology that allows him to share writing, photography and film live from his expeditions.

Born in 1977, Ben grew up in Devon, was educated at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and lives in London. He is passionate about the great outdoors and spent four months walking and climbing in the Nepalese Himalayas aged 19, going on to work as an instructor at the John Ridgway School of Adventure in the Scottish Highlands, once billed as “The toughest management training school in the world”.

Ben is a keen athlete – after an unpromising start he discovered mountain biking in his teens and went on to race bikes on and off-road. He has run seven marathons (New York is his favourite course and 2:55 is his best time, set in London in 2007) and three ultramarathons, including an attempt at the inaugural 250-mile Thames Ring Ultra in summer 2009.

When he’s not pulling a sledge, Ben divides his time between planning and training for his next expedition, and earning a crust as one of the UK’s leading motivational speakers. He is an Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, a Patron of the British Exploring Society, an honorary member of the Cordon Rouge Club, a Global Ambassador for Land Rover, an Ambassador for Intel, a Fellow of the British American Project, and supports the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Orchid Cancer Appeal.

For further information visit www.bensaunders.com or follow @polarben on Twittter.