Explorers Grand Slam

The Explorers Grand Slam is an adventurers challenge to reach the north and south pole and climb the Seven Summits.

The original concept involved the polar trips starting from accepted coastal points, involving long sledging journeys. Over time the significantly shorter, easier and less serious 'Last Degree' polar trips - from 89 degrees to the pole (at 90 degrees) - have been claimed as the Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree). Currently, the climbing community and other leading organizations including the American Alpine Club, The Explorers Club, climbing companies such as International Mountain Guides, and the popular press all define the Explorers Grand Slam as having accomplished the Seven Summits plus (at a minimum - the last degree of) the North and South Poles. There is some consensus that a True Explorers Grand Slam means one will also have summitted all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. Likewise, there is some consensus that a True Adventurers Grand Slam is achieved by also visiting the magnetic north and south poles.

David Hempleman-Adams became the first to complete a True Adventurers Grand Slam in 1998.^[1] In April 2005, Park Young Seok completed a True Explorers Grand Slam.^[2] In 2011, former Wales rugby union international Richard Parks became the first person ever to complete the (Last Degrees) Grand Slam within a single calendar year, doing so within seven months.^[3] Cheryl Bart is the first Australian female and the 31st person worldwide to complete the Explorer's Grand Slam. She completed the North Pole on 22 April 2013 AEST.^[4][5] Vanessa O'Brien became the first woman to complete the (Last Degree) Grand Slam under a single calendar year, doing so in eleven months.^[6][7]

In 2014 Jing Wang became the fastest woman to complete the last degree Grand Slam in 142 days.^[8]

In 2014 Ryan Waters became the first American to complete "True Adventurers Grand Slam" by skiing full length, unsupported and unassisted North and South Pole expeditions and climbing the seven summits.

On 21 April 2015 Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik became world's first twins and siblings as well as first South Asians to complete the Explorers Grand Slam (last degree).

Colin O'Brady is the current world speed record holder for completing the Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree). He became the fastest person (male) to complete the challenge, doing so in 139 days on 27 May 2016.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Marin Minamiya became the youngest person to complete the Explorers Grand Slam (last degree) at 20 years old on April 12, 2017.^[13]

People who completed The Explorers Grand Slam

1. David Hempleman-Adams
2. Erling Kagge
3. Fyodor Konyukhov
4. Heo Young-Ho
5. Park Young Seok
6. Bernard Voyer^[14]
7. Cecilie Skog
8. Maxime Chaya
9. Ryan Waters^[15]
10. Stuart Smith
11. Johan Ernst Nilson^[16]
12. Wilco van Rooijen^[17]
13. Haraldur Olafsson (SP non-Coastal)
14. Khoo Swee Chiow (SP non-Coastal)
15. Mostafa Salameh (NP non-Coastal)^[18]
16. Newall Hunter (NP non-Coastal)

People who completed The Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree)

1. Sean Disney
2. Vaughan de la Harpe
3. Sibusiso Vilane
4. Arthur Marsden
5. Andrew Van Der Velde
6. Vernon Tejas
7. Will Cross
8. Lei Wang
9. Neil Laughton^[19]
10. Jo Gambi
11. Rob Gambi
12. Alison Levine
13. Randall Peeters
14. Wang Yongfeng
15. Ci Luo
16. Liu Jian
17. Wang Shi
18. Zhong Jianmin
19. Jin Feibao
20. Wang Qiuyang
21. Suzanne K Nance
22. Richard Parks
23. Andrea Cardona
24. John Dahlem
25. Matthew Holt
26. Arnold Witzig
27. Len Stanmore^[20]
28. Cheryl Bart
29. Vanessa O'Brien^[6][7]
30. Sebastian Merriman
31. Jing Wang^[8]
32. Tashi Malik ^[21][22]
33. Nungshi Malik ^[21][22]
34. Omar Samra ^[23]
35. Maria (Masha) Gordon
36. Colin O'Brady^{[9][10][11][12]}
37. John Moorhouse
38. Victor L Vescovo^[24]
39. Sean Swarner^[25]
40. Marin Minamiya^[13]
41. Michael W. Grigsby^[26][27]
42. Julia Elinor Schultz^[28]

References

External links

• Explorers Grand Slam official website
• Adaptive Grand Slam official website