Shackleton Epic Expedition

In 2013, at the request of the Shackleton family, Tim led the first authentic retracing of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s “double” – sailing a replica James Caird boat 1500kms across the Southern Ocean from Elephant Island, Antarctica to South Georgia, and climbing over South Georgia’s mountainous interior, using the same rudimentary equipment, period clothing and technology as Shackleton nearly 100 years before.

Shackleton’s “double” is regarded by many as the greatest survival journey of all time, and the Shackleton Epic Expedition is the first authentic recreation of his extraordinary achievement. A Discovery Channel/PBS documentary film was made about the journey, and Tim’s best-selling book,  Shackleton’s Epic – Recreating the World’s Greatest Journey of Survival (HarperCollins), gives his personal account of the planning and execution of the expedition. For more information on Tim’s book and the documentary, visit the Shop page.

To see footage of the Shackleton Epic Expedition, click on the videos below:-

Following on from The Shackleton Epic Expedition, Tim’s environmental project 25zero uses melting tropical glaciers as a means to raise awareness of climate change and inspire people to want to act. Using melting glaciers to “show” climate change was inspired by Tim’s observation of the dramatic retreat of the Konig Glacier on South Georgia, Antarctica during his Shackleton re-enactment in 2013. More than 90% of the glaciers on South Georgia are in retreat due to climate change; worryingly, the impact is even greater in the tropics.

Tim applies lessons learnt from his polar expeditions, in particular the Shackleton Epic Expedition, to talk to audiences about purposeful leadership, problem solving, teamwork, change management, goal setting and sustainability.