The Explorers Grand Slam or Adventurers Grand Slam is an adventurers challenge to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and all of the Seven Summits. The North Pole is defined as the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth’s axis of rotation meets its surface. The South Pole, situated in Antarctica, is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole. The Seven Summits are defined as the highest mountain peaks of each of the seven continents. Click a marker on the map below to learn more about each of the Seven Summits.
The Poles
North Pole |
South Pole |
The Seven Summits
Mt. Everest |
Mt. Kilimanjaro |
Denali |
Aconcagua |
Vinson Massif |
Mt. Elbrus |
Mt. Kosciuszko |
Carstensz Pyramid* |
* In 80′s Dick Bass set the task of climbing the highest peak on each continent. As a businessman without climbing experience, Mr. Bass defined each continent according to the lay person’s concept – hence Australia’s highpoint, Mount Kosciuszko, was included in the Seven Summits. Renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner revised Dick’s list by substituting the more difficult Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya) of New Guinea at 16,023 feet for Mount Kosciuszko.
People
David Hempleman-Adams became the first to complete this challenge in 1998.
In April 2005, Park Young Seok completed a True Explorers Grand Slam, which additionally includes ascending all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.
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.
In 2014 Jing Wang became the fastest woman to complete the last degree Grand Slam in 142 days and 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).
Marin Minamiya became the youngest person to complete the Explorers Grand Slam (last degree) at 20 years old on April 12, 2017.
Vanessa O’Brien became the first woman to complete the (Last Degrees) Grand Slam under a single calendar year, doing so in eleven months.
Some 73 people have completed the Explorers Grand Slam including:
Full Grand Slam
Both poles from an outer coastline/shore
- David Hempleman-Adams
- Erling Kagge
- Fedor Konyukhov (official website)
- Heo Young-Ho
- Park Young Seok (official website) (RIP: Went missing on 10/23/2011 while attempting a new route on Annapurna)
- Bernard Voyer (official website)
- Cecilie Skog (official website)
- Maxime Chaya (official website)
- Ryan Waters (official website)
- Stuart Smith
- Johan Ernst Nilson (official website)
- Wilco van Rooijen (official website)
Grand Slam
One pole from an inner coastline/shore and one pole from an outer coastline/shore or last degree
- Haraldur Olafsson (SP non-Coastal)
- Khoo Swee Chiow (SP non-Coastal) (official website)
- Alison Levine (NP non-Coastal) (official website)
- Mostafa Salameh (NP non-Coastal) (official website)
- Newall Hunter (NP non-Coastal) (official website)
- Zhang Liang (NP non-Coastal)
- Grazyna Machnik (NP non-Coastal) (official certificate 1 | official certificate 2)
- Jaco Ottink (NP non-Coastal) (official website)
- Jérôme Brisebourg (NP non-Coastal)
- Mark Shuttleworth (NP non-Coastal) (official website)
Last Degree Grand Slam
Both poles from 89 degrees
- Sean Disney (official website)
- Vaughan de la Harpe
- Sibusiso Vilane (official website)
- Arthur Marsden
- Andrew Van Der Velde
- Vernon Tejas
- Will Cross (official website)
- Lei Wang (official website)
- Neil Laughton (official website)
- Jo Gambi (official website)
- Rob Gambi (official website)
- Randall Peeters
- Wang Yongfeng
- Ci Luo
- Liu Jian
- Wang Shi
- Zhong Jianmin
- Jin Fei Bao (official website)
- Wang Qiuyang
- Suzanne K Nance
- Richard Parks (official website)
- Andrea Cardona (official website)
- John Dahlem
- Matthew Holt
- Arnold Witzig (official website 1) (official website 2)
- Len Stanmore (official website)
- Cheryl Bart
- Vanessa O’Brien (official website)
- Sebastian Merriman (official website)
- Jing Wang (official website | official certificates)
- Tashi Malik (official website)
- Nungshi Malik (official website)
- Omar Samra (official website)
- Maria (Masha) Gordon (official website)
- Colin O’Brady (official website)
- John Moorhouse (official website)
- Victor L Vescovo (official website)
- Sean Swarner (official website)
- Marin Minamiya (official website)
- Michael Grigsby
- Julia Elinor Schultz (official website)
- Muhamad Muqharabbin Mokhtarrudin
- Mike Gibbons
- Nikolaos Mangitsis (official website | official certificate)
- Josu Feijoo (official website)
- James Holliday (official certificate 1 | official certificate 2)
- Joel Schauer (official certificate 1 | official certificate 2)
- Alexander Pancoe (official certificate 1 | official certificate 2)
- Leifur Orn Svavarsson (official website | additional website) (North Pole Source | South Pole Source)
- Khai Nguyen (official certificate 1 | official certificate 2)
- Taylor Sweitzer (official website 1 | official website 2)
Note: As of 2022, all terminology and guidelines regarding polar data records are being conducted under PECS.
Press
Recent press about the Explorers Grand Slam.
First American to Complete the True Adventurers Grand Slam |
Nikos Magitsis: |
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Contact
Vanessa O’Brien, FRGS, is a British-American mountain climber, explorer, public speaker and former business executive. Vanessa created and maintains this website.
For any questions or feedback about the Explorers Grand Slam website, please contact Vanessa directly at vanessa@vobonline.com. Or visit Vanessa’s website at www.vobonline.com.