Sir Ranulph Fiennes − the World’S Greatest Living Explorer

Sir Ranulph Fiennes − the world’s greatest living explorer

In 1984, the Guinness Book of Records described Sir Ranulph Fiennes as the world’s greatest living explorer. Since then, he has continued to break world records and to take on and pull off some of the most difficult challenges on Earth. But who is Sir Ranulph, and why are people so amazed by his breathtaking achievements? Sir Ranulph, who is a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, was born into a wealthy, aristocratic family in 1944. When he was nineteen, he became a soldier in the British Army and spent a lot of time in Oman in the Middle East. During that time, he became the youngest captain in the army, learned about survival skills and took up the sports of climbing and skiing. In the late 1960s, after almost eight years of service, Sir Ranulph left the army. He has been an adventurer ever since, and has led expeditions all over the world. On two of his early expeditions, he went down the River Nile in a hovercraft and crossed a huge glacier in Norway. However, it wasn’t until 1979, when he was in his thirties, that he made one of his first really famous journeys. With two old friends, he set out on an amazing and risky adventure, which took over three years to complete. They sailed south to the Antarctic, crossed the South Pole, then sailed north to the Arctic, and finally travelled to the North Pole. They didn’t get back to Britain until 1982. It was the first time anybody

insight Pre-Intermediate Workbook Unit 5 pp.40–41 © Oxford University Press 2014 1 insight have achieved as much as Sir Ranulph Fiennes. There have some been amazing explorers in history, butfew finally,and, the USA. completed marathons in Australia, Singapore, Britain, Egypt, day, next the anotherhe marathon then ran and Antarctica by runningstarted amarathon in South America, flew to seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. He he completed in 2003, when he was nearly sixty. He ran Perhaps Sir Ranulph’s most amazing challenge was the one He has lost also toes to frostbite attack. and has had aheart off back home, cut doctors the ice was so cold that he got severe frostbite. When he got Sir Ranulph had to pull sledge and all his equipment fell through ahole in the ice. he attempted to walk across by the himself, Arctic and his has had some terrible experiences. In 2000, for example, Not all of his expeditions have successful, been and he Naturally, there has aprice been to for pay his bravery. sixty-five afraid andold, of heights!years he climbed Mount Everest –despite that he was the fact on his own, and 2009, in Then, took it days. ninety-three him use any machines He went all. at on this incredible journey Ranulph, continent by only walking and skiing. In other words, Sir wasit time the a that man first or woman went across the This Antarctic. the of Oman and has walked in also a lost the deserts city across Since visiting both poles, he has led an expedition to discover Nobody has able been totransport. do it went round the world in this using direction, only surface Pre-Intermediate Workbook Unit5 who was almost fifty at old the time,years didn’t was almost fifty journey was record-breaking because everything out everything pp.40–41 the of ends some of his fingers. with his hands, and his hands, with again since. again © Oxford University Press 20 1 4 2

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