There are loads of motivational speakers out there, but very few are as inspirational a character as Ben Saunders. It’s not often The Times describe someone as “the next Ranulph Fiennes”. He’s a record breaking polar explorer and long-distance skier, with four North Pole expeditions under his belt, and holds the record for youngest to ski solo to the North Pole and the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton.

Difficult to improve upon, you might think. Seemingly not, according to Ben – “I have a massive Antarctic project on the horizon – the first return journey to the South Pole on foot. At 1,800 miles and nearly four months, it will be the longest unsupported (i.e. human-powered) polar expedition in history.”

“My solo expedition to the geographic North Pole in 2004 was 31 marathons back to back over the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean. I was dragging 180kg (twice my body weight) at the start, and the lowest temperature was -48 degrees c. I spent 72 days alone, camping in the polar bear’s natural habitat (I slept next to a pump-action shotgun). Without wishing to sound too gung-ho, this is a big part of the appeal. It puts fun runs, triathlons and even things like the Tough Guy into perspective…”

Any Close Shaves? “Too many to mention. The closest shaves were being attacked by a polar bear in 2001 and falling through the ice alone in 2004. But there are always huge periods of self-doubt, fear and loneliness, particularly on big solo expeditions – in a sense these are harder to deal with than the occasional panic.”

Whilst there can be no doubt of the extreme physical and mental strain involved these expeditions, there doesn’t appear to be any strategic or special philosophy that motivates Ben when things get really tough.
“There’s no one thing in particular, but it’s essentially a combination of stubbornness, pride and bloody-mindedness, the knowledge that what I’m doing is benefiting others (whether it’s through associations with charities and schools, or merely the fact that they’re enjoying following my story as it unfolds) and a large dose of positive mental attitude. Music is one of my secret weapons – both on expeditions and when I’m grinding through tough training sessions back in the UK.”

When he’s not testing the limits of human endurance, Ben is a leading motivational speaker and author, as well as an ambassador for numerous charities and organizations. So to what extent do his expeditionary experiences inform his advice when speaking to people?
“Massively so. I’m remarkably normal in every respect – I’m not peculiarly talented, I’m not genetically suited to the cold, I don’t have a freakish lung capacity or a vast IQ, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth and I’m certainly not descended from a family tree of explorers. I’ve had to work hard for what I’ve achieved and there have been some soaring highs and crushing lows along the way – it’s these experiences that people seem most keen to hear about. No one has any idea what sleeping in a tent at -48 is like, or how it feels to be the only human being in hundreds of thousands of square miles, and it’s very difficult to explain these things. But we’ve all had dreams, and we’ve all experienced setbacks and challenge along the way – that’s what my story’s all about, really.”

For more details about the next planned expedition and forthcoming lectures, check Ben’s website at www.bensaunders.com or follow him on twitter @polarben.

 

Images used with the kind permission of Andy Ward and Ben Saunders.

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