Alex Harris
Alex Harris
Alex Harris grew up in the relatively flat city of Johannesburg.
After joining the Mountain Club of South Africa in 1992, he started to fulfill his desire to climb some of the world’s highest mountains. In 1996, Alex became the youngest person ever, at the age of 25, to lead an expedition to Mount Everest. Alex is an established speaker on the school and corporate circuit. He is also a keen caver and always seeks adventure in faraway places. He has led more than 25 expeditions, which have taken him to all seven continents and the furthest corners of the world … from the jungles of Borneo, through the arid plains of Tibet, to the frozen wastelands of Antarctica.
He finds in mountains a sense of purpose and destiny that give his life meaning and inspire those around him. When he isn’t at the top of a peak, deep underground or sharing his story on stage, you are sure to find him tearing along a stretch of tar on his beloved road bike, preparing for his next journey. Finally, Alex collects stamps from Northern Nigeria, and Marvel comics!
We at Explore4Knowledge are pleased to have Alex Harris carry our name along with him on his expeditions.
http://www.alexharris.co.za/AlexHarris.html
Peter van Kets
Peter van Kets
Confirmed hero of his wife and daughter and adrenaline-seeking adventurer par excellence, has spent the last four decades either in or on the ocean in his capacity as fisherman, diver, body boarder (South African champion), surfer, yachtsman, paddler and now ocean rower. He is a certified yachtmaster and highly competent navigator, has completed many ocean crossings as skipper and has competed in most major SA yachting events winning South African titles and offshore series. His favourite sports are kayaking and surf ski racing and he has participated in countless races winning a silver medal at the SA Marathon Champs and enduring the grueling 255 km Port Elizabeth to East London Surf Ski Challenge.
Pete is also a qualified adventure instructor and is certified to instruct in rock climbing, abseiling, adventure racing, white water kayaking, etc. He has organized a number of major sporting events in the Eastern Cape including five South African inter-schools and corporate adventure races. He was voted the Daily Dispatch’s Newsmaker of the Year 2009, was awarded the Premier’s Award as Eastern Cape Sports Star of the Year 2007 and was runner-up, with Bill Godfrey for the Salomon/Out There/Adventure Zone Sportsman of the Year award 2008.
These days, when he is not rowing, Pete is a motivational speaker who is in demand as much for his impressive bio and his self-deprecating humour as his inspiring and entertaining presentations. Why ocean rowing? Well, when his 218th freefall parachute jump failed to produce more than a mild buzz of excitement and having overcome his prejudice against rowers (why don’t they look where they are going?) he set off from La Gomera with Bill Godfrey in December 2007. The pair won that race, after rowing Gquma Challenger 5,350 km across the Atlantic Ocean in 50 days. After vowing never to do it again, Pete found himself preparing for the next race as a solo rower, on Liberty Nyamezela. And he still thinks he’s ‘not a rower’.
