Antarctic adventures at Tiso lecture nights
Tiso’s annual lecture series takes place on November 4 and 5 in Glasgow and Perth respectively. This year, audiences will be entertained by Antarctic adventurer Stephen Venables.
Next up will be climber Dave MacLeod on 12/11 and MCofS Mountain Safety Advisor Heather Morning on 20/11.
Stephen is a respected mountaineer who has a reputation for pioneering new routes on little-known mountains all over the world.
Stephen is best known for his audacious expedition to Everest in 1988. Not only did his team pioneer a new route on the biggest face of the world’s highest mountain, but they also chose to make their attempt without using supplementary oxygen.
Facing the ever-present threat of avalanches and altitude sickness, the story of their expedition is one of tremendous courage and exemplary teamwork.
When his team-mates were forced to turn back due to exhaustion, all agreed that Stephen should carry on to the summit. When he reached the top he became the first Briton and one of only a handful of people in the world to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen, a feat that has been described as one of the most supreme athletic tests ever.
And then to Antarctica
Last year, Stephen achieved another dream, to go to Antarctica. He sailed across Drake Passage on the legendary yacht Pelagic Australis, to lead a team on ski ascents of Mt Scott and Mt Français, the highest mountain on the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula.
He describes the adventure, combining perfect powder snow skiing, sea kayaking among penguins, sailing, whale watching and ice climbing, as one of the best adventures in his 40-year mountaineering career.
His lecture will also include highlights from his six visits to South Georgia, including the most recent 2014 expedition which made three first ascents, and his 2000 crossing of the island with Conrad Anker and Reinhold Messner for the IMAX film, Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure.
Tickets are £7.50 (£5 for Outdoor Experience card holders) and can be reserved by phoning 0141 559 5450 or emailing [email protected]
Who’s going?