Tom Avery
Encyclopedia
Thomas Avery is a British explorer and author. He gained notoriety for his record-breaking journey to the South Pole
in 2002. He has travelled by foot to both the North and South Poles.
, England
. Due to his father’s occupation he grew up travelling between Sussex
, Brazil
and France
. When he was seven years old his mother gave him a book about the adventures of Captain Robert Falcon Scott
. As he admits in his book “To The End Of The Earth” Tom was captivated by Scott's heroic story and knew he wanted to go to the Antarctica, and ultimately the South Pole
.
and Scotland
. At university, he organized and led mountaineering expeditions to the Andes
, New Zealand
, the Alps
, Tanzania
, Patagonia
and Morocco
. After graduating in 1998 with a B.Sc. in Geography and Geology, he began a temporary 15-month career as an accountant with Arthur Andersen
.
In 2000 he led a British mountaineering expedition to the remote Eastern Zalaay Mountains in Kyrgyzstan. The team scaled a total of nine previously unclimbed and unnamed summits up to 20000 feet (6,096 m) in height.
Avery has climbed mountains such as Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Pichincha and Cotopaxi
in Ecuador
, Illimani
in Bolivia
, Volcan Villarrica in Chile
, Taranaki and Ruapehu
in New Zealand
, Mount Kosciusko in Australia
, Mont Blanc du Tacul
in the French Alps
and Jebel Toubkal in Morocco
. He also made attempts on Cho Oyu
in Tibet
and Aconcagua
in Argentina
.
Avery has also completed the Patrouille des Glaciers ski mountaineering race from Zermatt to Verbier, leading the first British civilian team ever to complete the course.
. The Commonwealth South Pole Centenary Expedition was the ninth major expedition that Tom had organized and the culmination of two years planning. Following a training trip in New Zealand
, the small party of four flew to Antarctica in early November 2002, beginning their 700 miles (1,126.5 km) expedition from Hercules Inlet. On December 28, 2002, Tom Avery’s team completed the journey to the South Pole, 45 days and 6 hours later. Tom’s team managed to break the South Pole speed record by using kites to power them across the ice, much like the modern sport of kitesurfing
, and covering the last 47 miles (75.6 km) to the Pole in a marathon final 31 hours.
Based largely on his Antarctic journal, Pole Dance was Avery's first book. Written in a diary form, it details the 2002 South Pole expedition.
and Matthew Henson
’s 1909 controversial expedition to the North Pole
. The goal of the expedition was to solve the mystery of whether Peary had indeed done what he had claimed, and reached the Pole in just 37 days, a far faster time that any expedition had managed since 1909. Avery used the same equipment available to Peary and Henson at the time. Travelling in a similar style to Peary and Henson’s with Inuit dog teams and wooden sledges, Avery set out from Peary's original Base Camp at Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island
with his team and covered the 413 nautical miles (764.9 km) to the Geographic North Pole in 36 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes, some four hours faster than Peary and Henson. In the process, Avery and his team discovered original relics and tools from the 1909 mission.
Avery’s experience is detailed in the 2009 book To The End Of The Earth.
and is an official ambassador of the 2012 London Olympic Games as well as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London and a member of the Explorers Club
in New York.
Avery’s other interests include skiing, ocean sailing and golf. His ultimate ambition is to ski in Alaska and sail around the world.
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
in 2002. He has travelled by foot to both the North and South Poles.
Early life
Avery was born to Julian and Quenelda in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
. Due to his father’s occupation he grew up travelling between Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. When he was seven years old his mother gave him a book about the adventures of Captain Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
. As he admits in his book “To The End Of The Earth” Tom was captivated by Scott's heroic story and knew he wanted to go to the Antarctica, and ultimately the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
.
First expeditions and early career
Tom Avery’s outdoor career began when he was 16 with a series of rock and ice climbs in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. At university, he organized and led mountaineering expeditions to the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, 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...
, Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. After graduating in 1998 with a B.Sc. in Geography and Geology, he began a temporary 15-month career as an accountant with Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen
Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations...
.
In 2000 he led a British mountaineering expedition to the remote Eastern Zalaay Mountains in Kyrgyzstan. The team scaled a total of nine previously unclimbed and unnamed summits up to 20000 feet (6,096 m) in height.
Avery has climbed mountains such as Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Pichincha and Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of...
in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Illimani
Illimani
Illimani 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...
in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Volcan Villarrica in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Taranaki and Ruapehu
Ruapehu
Ruapehu may refer to:* Mount Ruapehu, the highest mountain in the North Island of New Zealand* Ruapehu District, the local government area that covers much land generally west and south of Mount Ruapehu, mostly in the headwaters of the Whanganui River...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Mount Kosciusko in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Mont Blanc du Tacul
Mont Blanc du Tacul
Mont Blanc du Tacul is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc....
in the French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
and Jebel Toubkal in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. He also made attempts on Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Avery has also completed the Patrouille des Glaciers ski mountaineering race from Zermatt to Verbier, leading the first British civilian team ever to complete the course.
The South Pole expedition
In 2002 he became the youngest Briton ever to ski to the South PoleSouth Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. The Commonwealth South Pole Centenary Expedition was the ninth major expedition that Tom had organized and the culmination of two years planning. Following a training trip in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the small party of four flew to Antarctica in early November 2002, beginning their 700 miles (1,126.5 km) expedition from Hercules Inlet. On December 28, 2002, Tom Avery’s team completed the journey to the South Pole, 45 days and 6 hours later. Tom’s team managed to break the South Pole speed record by using kites to power them across the ice, much like the modern sport of kitesurfing
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a...
, and covering the last 47 miles (75.6 km) to the Pole in a marathon final 31 hours.
Based largely on his Antarctic journal, Pole Dance was Avery's first book. Written in a diary form, it details the 2002 South Pole expedition.
The North Pole expedition
In 2005 Tom Avery recreated Robert PearyRobert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary, Sr. was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
and Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson
Matthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer and associate of Robert Peary during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which it was discovered that he was the the first person to reach the Geographic North Pole.-Life:Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy,...
’s 1909 controversial expedition to the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. The goal of the expedition was to solve the mystery of whether Peary had indeed done what he had claimed, and reached the Pole in just 37 days, a far faster time that any expedition had managed since 1909. Avery used the same equipment available to Peary and Henson at the time. Travelling in a similar style to Peary and Henson’s with Inuit dog teams and wooden sledges, Avery set out from Peary's original Base Camp at Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
with his team and covered the 413 nautical miles (764.9 km) to the Geographic North Pole in 36 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes, some four hours faster than Peary and Henson. In the process, Avery and his team discovered original relics and tools from the 1909 mission.
Avery’s experience is detailed in the 2009 book To The End Of The Earth.
Personal life
Tom Avery currently lives in London with his wife, Mary. He raises funds for The Prince's TrustThe Prince's Trust
The Prince's Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by Charles, Prince of Wales to help young people. They run a range of training programmes, provide mentoring support and offer financial grants to build the confidence and motivation of disadvantaged young people...
and is an official ambassador of the 2012 London Olympic Games as well as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London and a member of the Explorers Club
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
in New York.
Avery’s other interests include skiing, ocean sailing and golf. His ultimate ambition is to ski in Alaska and sail around the world.