about us
As wife-and-husband and long-time friends, we’re team-mates in life and in adventure. A love for exploring the outdoors brought us together, and we only sometimes eat camp food for dinner at home…
Through experiences ranging from overcoming life-threatening medical challenges to international human powered expeditions, we’ve learned that we’re all capable of so much more than we realise. And, as humans, our connection with the natural world is both powerful and essential.
We want to help others find this same connection, unlock their potential to achieve more, and take positive action in their own lives. We do this as Guides for The Polar Academy, as motivational speakers with Speaker Buzz and as Explorers in Residence for the RSGS.
Hazel
Hazel spent four years of her life growing up in Alaska and Canada which further deepened her love of the outdoors. At school in Alaska she used to get bear, moose and earthquake training, with summers spent climbing trees, fishing and camping and winters spent in the mountains skiing.
She gets a sense of perspective and wellbeing from spending time in nature and has a real passion for undertaking expeditions that have a positive impact. She is passionate about sharing her love of the outdoors with others and is a qualified Mountain Leader, Guide for The Polar Academy and Explorer in Residence for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
She is a determined optimist and seeks joy in the simplest of things, including laughing at her own jokes. A practical and pragmatic type, she enjoys problem-solving and has a weird and wonderful photographic memory which can come in handy when finding misplaced things. She can get very excitable after coffee.
Mountain Leader
Polar Expedition Training
RYA Powerboat Handling Level 2
Outdoor First Aid, firearms certification and polar bear training
Member of Arctic Club and Scottish Arctic Club
BSc (Hons) Geophysics and MSc CCS (climate change solutions)
Luke
Approaching the end of a solo and unsupported ski to the South Pole - his 40 day long dream of pizza edging slowly closer - he realised how much this expedition had impacted not only him, but others who’d followed the journey.
Prior to this, as an unusually young acquirer of a pacemaker and then undergoing brain surgery, he’d taken a step back, to exploring the role of the outdoors to inspire; and help us find purpose, confidence and happiness in what we do. Luke aims to help more people harness the power of the outdoors as a guide for The Polar Academy and Explorer in Residence for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. He loves trail running, hiking and backcountry skiing.
Fluent in French, he’s an amateur outdoor photographer and filmmaker, fascinated by culture and language. A pragmatic optimist, he tries to embrace life as he does the natural world - appreciating every second and with a holistic outlook. He also likes being warm when it’s cold outside.
Mountain Leader
RYA Powerboat Handling Level 2 & RYA Competent Crew qualified
Outdoor First Aid, firearms certification and polar bear training
Member of Arctic Club and Scottish Arctic Club
Ma (Hons) History and French and MSc Investment Finance
we support
The Polar Academy
We’re both so proud and humbled to be Arctic Guides for The Polar Academy, a charity that identifies ‘invisible’ 14-17 years old secondary school children, crushed by a lack of self-esteem and gives them the chance to redefine their physical and mental limits.
Participants are put through a rigorous ten-month training programme before being immersed in the wilds of Greenland, navigating through some of the world’s remotest terrain for ten days. Their confidence soars with every step.
On their return to Scotland, each pupil shares their experiences with their peer groups, speaking to more than 20,000 school children in their region. They are living, breathing proof that dreams are attainable and that ordinary pupils can achieve the truly extraordinary.
The 2019 expedition team was part of a BBC Scotland documentary, ‘Arctic Academy’.
A video from the 2016 expedition to Greenland can be found here.
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society
We’re honoured to be Explorers in Residence for the RSGS, a position we’ve held since 2017.
The role was introduced in 2014, by Chief Executive Mike Robinson, in order to recognise some of the best young explorers and the role that exploration still plays in inspiring people about the world around them.
The aim of the EiR role is to excite people about the world’s physical and cultural variety, to awaken people’s personal potential and better inform them about global issues.
Marie Curie
We’re both proud to be ambassadors for Marie Curie and have met many of the amazing nurses and volunteers who make such a difference to the lives of terminally ill patients and their families.
We are delighted to have raised over £89,000 for the charity through previous challenges.