Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
WOULD YOU CLIMB a 3,000-foot-high wall without ropes or support?
Or take part in a downhill mountain biking race in a vehicle you’ve made yourself?
Or attempt to reach the top of a Papsura, a mountain which is actually called the Peak of Evil?
Nah, us neither.
But they are exactly the tasks that the National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year 2018 took on.
The famous magazine says its annual list honours “extraordinary achievements in the fields of exploration, adventure sports, conservation and humanitarianism within the past year”.
The 2018 class, with the theme of ‘Trailblazers’, includes climbers, ultramarathoners, mountain bikers, photographers and philanthropists. NatGeo says each of the eight has “achieved something unique, groundbreaking and game-changing in his or her field”.
Let us introduce them…
Honnold is considered by many in the adventure world to be the best free-solo climber in the world. That means he scales walls and cliffs without ropes and supports… for fun. In June 2017, he became the first person to free-solo the 3,000-foot granite wall of El Capitan. He also is the founder of the Honnold Foundation, a group that supports global clean energy initiatives.
An ultrarunner and ski mountaineer, Jornet has set speed records on mountains across the globe. Last year, he set a new record for the fastest summit of Mount Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen or ropes. He reached the 11,429-foot summit in just 26 hours.
Koch is a professional surfer and founder of the nonprofit Beyond the Surface International. National Geographic says that with her organisation, “She works to empower environmentally threatened coastal communities by teaching local children to surf and providing workshops on visual storytelling.”
Magar, a downhill mountain biker, competed in his first Nepali national championship race on a Frankenstein-style ride—a low-budget mountain bike he modified himself. Magar has since won national and international races, including the National Downhill Championship in 2017, and is working toward competing in the Enduro World Series.
Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen
Described as wildlife photographers, conservation activists, and founders of the nonprofit Sea Legacy, Mittermeier and Nicklen receive the honour as a pair.
Their organisation works to protect and create healthy and abundant oceans through visual storytelling. In 2017, they sparked a global conversation about polar conservation with their footage of a starving polar bear.
Hilaree Nelson O’Neill
Nelson O’Neill first glimpsed the Papsura mountain in India in 1999. She is a climber and ski mountaineer and had been a professional adventure athlete for more than 10 years at that stage and so it was her great challenge. Called the Peak of Evil, National Geographic said the mountain “seared a place in her mind and inspired years of training with the goal of reaching its peak”. Despite failing to summit in 2013, her obsession with this perfect mountain drew her back for a second attempt, something she’d never done in the past. She finally reached the top and skied the route in 2017.
Valerio is an ultramarathon runner, author and educator. She competes in races around the United States and is dedicated to creating positive messaging around health and fitness. Facing racism, sexism and body shaming, she has dedicated herself to challenging stereotypes around who is and is not an athlete.
Speaking about the winners, Andrea Leitch, senior director for National Geographic Travel and Adventure, described them as adventurers who are “constantly pushing boundaries” and “exemplify National Geographic’s spirit of exploration”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Inefficient way of working. Lots of people just staying for the social life. Much prefer the German approach of shutting the office down- if you can’t do your job from 9-5 something’s wrong – go home and relax and contribute to your community.
If only all companies were like this.
Some companies work people to the point of burn out.
This happy go lucky workplace at Google etc is purely a way of keeping people in work longer and only socialising with colleagues.
Throw in the fact that they’re main targets are CS grads who might be a bit socially challenged and you have willing victims at the ready.
Software development is a very stressful and demanding job. Providing a relaxing atmosphere helps productivity.
Only stressful and demanding if badly managed. American companies think they own you so they don’t have to plan correctly, they’ll just throw more people at the problem whether it’s working until 4am or weekend work at regular rates.
These environments are fine when you’re young – the craic is great and you don’t mind working the hours if you get free drinks nights etc. however it breeds bad habits in management and workers. Just my experience.
Agreed – the American way of working is based on working long hours rather than doing your job well – its also very short term driven because of the bonus culture – it has led to biggest recession in recent memory
Modern IT is a 24hr culture. It’s not possible to do everything in the old style 9-5 workday. Software deployments and batch tasks tend to have to run outside these times. If people want a 9-5 job with handy money and promotions based on length of service etc, then IT is the wrong place to be.
“Modern IT is a 24hr culture.”
That’s not true. I work in IT, I arrive 10-15 mins late in the morning, and I am gone to catch the Luas at 5:32pm
Why not mix it up some days, and arrive 10-15mins early, and then go to catch the luas at 5.02pm. Keep people guessing
I like the cut of your jib, maybe I’ll even take it a step further and get the bus home. I’d be the talk of the office.
Anything that touches IT is like this. I just quit my job in IT recruitment, working 7:30 to 21:00 every day and then some on the weekends, take lunch at desk while working, it’s insane. Life is for living, not making other people rich mannnnnnn.
Though at 21:00 we did play some sick table tennis!
@cpm the fact that you are freely admitting to arriving late every morning and leaving at the same time each day suggests you are the work shy sort. Also you travel via public transport with the great unwashed which suggests you don’t earn enough to owe a car. I think you ought to work harder and you’ll achieve more, otherwise you’ll still be stuck at the java in your 60s.
Oh dear me, Jon! So many assumptions in such a short paragraph. Anyway, the reason I get the Luas is because it’s about 10x quicker than driving in the city centre. So maybe I’m just more efficient with my time than you are – this probably explains your 24hr work schedule.
“otherwise you’ll still be stuck at the java in your 60s.”
- let me guess, – you’re one of “those guys” who could never get their head around programming LOL
A lot of people actually choose to stay programming long into their careers, – it keeps the brain ticking over unlike a lot of other activities, and the challenge depends a lot on the complexity of the problem at hand.
Table tennis not ping pong.
Unfortunately for every Google, there are 3 places who just want to grind 10 hours a day of hard slog out of employees. ESP call centers (which aren’t it jobs). People want to work where they are valued, more likely to happen in a small business than a sprawling multi national. Not a huge shock of a survey in fairness.
Your right Paul,
Some horrible companies to work for out there.
When times are good, these companies won`t hire enough staff and people will have a high workload.
When times are bad, these companies will fire a lot of people, will then not have enough staff, people will have a higher workload, lower pay, and put in crazy hours for fear of being the next person to be fired.
Meanwhile some of the directors jump ship with payoffs close to a million quid. Not naming companies but these things happen.
Imagine the uproar if public sector workers got free haircuts, swimming pools, lounges and ping-pong tables.
Just saying.
Imagine the shock if the government that hired the public sector workers posted quarterly profits in the billions thus being able to afford the pools and nice lunches…
If IT companies are earning exorbitant profits like this doesn’t it mean we’re all overpaying for IT services?
To be honest, ill work with whoever pays me the most and offers the best T&Cs. Startups are definitely interesting but often can’t compete on wages. Young IT professionals will move around a bit.
Sitting round cuddling office dogs, playing ping pong and sitting in ‘creative spaces’ with nerds all day sounds like my idea of hell.
Office dogs sounds cool.
Don`t knock table tennis, great game.
WOOF
Some of the irish start ups are cowboy setups – people looking to make a quick buck and little interest in developing staff
Companies outside the IT sector need to take note. People perform better and you get better results if you have a fun environment and atmosphere to work in.
Lol!!! It’s not our fault we chose the right career path
I worked for two start-ups, both went out business at a moment’s notice, while the wages in start-ups with funding can be higher, the security just isn’t there, and if you have a mortgage that’s not a great thing. I’d be very happy to work for Google!
have your say