Richard Profit
Encyclopedia
Richard Profit (born 1974) is an English
mountaineer
, sailor, a former British Army
officer and polar adventurer. In 2007 he took part in the Polar Race
with the mother and son pair Janice Meek
and Daniel Byles
, successfully walking and skiing 350 miles from Resolute
, Nunavut
to the Magnetic North Pole in 20 days and 5 hours http://polarrace.com/2007/news/. He is married with two sons.
, England
, and after living for a short while in the North West his family moved to Johannesburg
, South Africa
. He returned to England in 1978 and the family settled in Wokingham
, Berkshire
where he attended St Paul's Primary School, and The Forest School (Winnersh)
. In 1985 the family moved to the Midlands, England
, and he attended Oakham School
, where he was actively involved in the Combined Cadet Force and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (attaining Gold), and he was awarded School Colours for full bore shooting.
After school he took a gap year and travelled extensively through East and Southern Africa
, undertaking safaris in the Okavango Delta
in Botswana, Lake Malawi
, Tanzania
and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m). He completed his formal education by reading Applied Biology and Management Studies at the University of Leeds
from 1993 - 1996, where he attained a 2(i)Hons.
Profit has been a keen amateur sailor
, learning his skills in the Baltic Sea
in 1995 and competing in the Army Sailing Association Regatta in 1997.
, and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
. He served operationally in Northern Ireland
and Kosovo
and left with the rank of Captain.
.
2007 in April 2007. This involved walking and skiing 350 miles from Resolute
, Nunavut
in Canada to the Magnetic North Pole. He was accompanied by mother and son pair Janice Meek
and Daniel Byles
, and played a key role in the expedition successfully setting two Guinness World Records
. They survived the worst ice conditions for years, a near catastrophic tent fire, and areas of open water and slush to successfully reach the Pole in 20 days and 5 hours.
http://www.carpediemtrust.com, a charity aimed at helping ordinary people to undertake extraordinary achievements in order to help them develop their full potential.
He is also a member of the Association of Pole Lathe
Turners, who aim to promote the traditional crafts of green woodwork.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
, sailor, a former British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and polar adventurer. In 2007 he took part in the Polar Race
Polar Race
The Polar Race is a biennial race from Resolute, Nunavut in northern Canada to the Magnetic North Pole. Teams of two, three or four walk/ski 350 miles pulling their food and equipment on sleds. Although not unsupported, there are strict rules on the carrying of equipment, with only food, fuel and...
with the mother and son pair Janice Meek
Janice Meek
Janice Meek FRGS is a Guinness World Record holding adventurer, ocean rower, international motivational speaker and polar adventurer...
and Daniel Byles
Daniel Byles
Daniel Alan Byles FRGS MP is an English mountaineer, sailor, ocean rower, polar adventurer and Conservative Party politician...
, successfully walking and skiing 350 miles from Resolute
Resolute, Nunavut
Resolute or Resolute Bay is a small Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region....
, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
to the Magnetic North Pole in 20 days and 5 hours http://polarrace.com/2007/news/. He is married with two sons.
Background
Profit was born in CheshireCheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and after living for a short while in the North West his family moved to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He returned to England in 1978 and the family settled in Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
where he attended St Paul's Primary School, and The Forest School (Winnersh)
Forest School (Winnersh)
Forest School is a comprehensive, all-boys' secondary school in Winnersh, Berkshire, England judged to be "Good" with some "Outstanding" aspects in it's most recent OFSTED inspection. It is located on Robin Hood Lane, the B3030 road, next to Winnersh railway station.-Grammar school:Forest School...
. In 1985 the family moved to the Midlands, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and he attended Oakham School
Oakham School
Oakham School is a British co-educational independent school in the historic market town of Oakham in Rutland, accepting around 1,000 pupils, aged from 10 to 18, both male and female, as boarders and day pupils . The Good Schools Guide called the school "a privileged but unpretentious and...
, where he was actively involved in the Combined Cadet Force and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (attaining Gold), and he was awarded School Colours for full bore shooting.
After school he took a gap year and travelled extensively through East and Southern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, undertaking safaris in the Okavango Delta
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta , in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea...
in Botswana, Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m). He completed his formal education by reading Applied Biology and Management Studies at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
from 1993 - 1996, where he attained a 2(i)Hons.
Profit has been a keen amateur sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
, learning his skills in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
in 1995 and competing in the Army Sailing Association Regatta in 1997.
Military career
Following university, Profit attended Rowallan Company 963 and Commissioning Course 971 at the Royal Military Academy SandhurstRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He served operationally in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and left with the rank of Captain.
Adventures and expeditions
Profit has taken part in expeditions all over the world including Africa, South America and the high ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
.
Major mountaineering expeditions
- 1995 - Cordillera Real (Bolivia)Cordillera Real (Bolivia)The Cordillera Real is a mountain range in the South American Altiplano of Bolivia. This range of fold mountains, largely composed of granite, is located southeast of Lake Titicaca, and east of the Bolivian capital of La Paz, measuring 125 km in length and 20 km in width...
. High altitude winter mountaineering expedition to climb:- IllimaniIllimaniIllimani is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real of western Bolivia. It lies just south of La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano. It is the second highest peak in Bolivia, after Nevado Sajama, and the eighteenth highest peak in South America...
(6438m) - Huayna PotosiHuayna PotosíHuayna Potosí is a mountain in Bolivia, located about 25 km north of La Paz in the Cordillera Real.Huayna Potosí is the closest high mountain to La Paz, a city which is surrounded by high mountains, and itself is the highest capital city in the world. Huayna Potosí is roughly fifteen miles due...
(6088 m) - ChacaltayaChacaltayaChacaltaya is a mountain in the Cordillera Real, one of the mountain ranges of the Cordillera Oriental, itself a range of the Bolivian Andes. Its elevation is . Chacaltaya's glacier - which was as old as 18,000 years – had in 1940 an area of , reduced to in 2007 and was completely gone by 2009....
(5421) - Charquini (5400m)
- Illimani
Polar race 2007
In April 2007, Profit successfully took part in the Polar RacePolar Race
The Polar Race is a biennial race from Resolute, Nunavut in northern Canada to the Magnetic North Pole. Teams of two, three or four walk/ski 350 miles pulling their food and equipment on sleds. Although not unsupported, there are strict rules on the carrying of equipment, with only food, fuel and...
2007 in April 2007. This involved walking and skiing 350 miles from Resolute
Resolute, Nunavut
Resolute or Resolute Bay is a small Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region....
, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
in Canada to the Magnetic North Pole. He was accompanied by mother and son pair Janice Meek
Janice Meek
Janice Meek FRGS is a Guinness World Record holding adventurer, ocean rower, international motivational speaker and polar adventurer...
and Daniel Byles
Daniel Byles
Daniel Alan Byles FRGS MP is an English mountaineer, sailor, ocean rower, polar adventurer and Conservative Party politician...
, and played a key role in the expedition successfully setting two Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
. They survived the worst ice conditions for years, a near catastrophic tent fire, and areas of open water and slush to successfully reach the Pole in 20 days and 5 hours.
Charities and organisations
Profit is a trustee of The Carpe Diem TrustThe Carpe Diem Trust
The Carpe Diem Trust is a UK based charitable trust. It was registered on 4 July 2006 with the UK Charity Commission, with the registered number 1115061.According to the Trust's website its purpose is:...
http://www.carpediemtrust.com, a charity aimed at helping ordinary people to undertake extraordinary achievements in order to help them develop their full potential.
He is also a member of the Association of Pole Lathe
Polelathe
A pole lathe is a wood-turning lathe that uses a long pole as a return spring for a treadle. Pressing the treadle with your foot pulls on a cord that is wrapped around the piece of wood or billet being turned. The other end of the cord reaches up to the end of a long springy pole. As the action is...
Turners, who aim to promote the traditional crafts of green woodwork.