One of Britain’s greatest adventurers is heading Down Under. If you’re travelling Australia in May, try and time your visit to Sydney to coincide with Leo Houlding’s appearance at Frontier, on the Pacific Highway in Crow’s Nest, where he’ll be sharing his amazing stories over a drink. We caught up with Leo at the Adventure Travel Show to talk inspiration, makeshift pillows and the spirit of adventure.
Ulvetanna (‘the wolf’s tooth’ in Norwegian) is the jewel in the crown of the Orvinfjell mountains in Queen Maud Land, Eastern Antarctica. Those who know such things consider it the most technically demanding peak on the harshest continent. Naturally, Leo Houlding has climbed it.
What was the initial inspiration to start adventuring?
I think the spirit of adventure burns within all of us from birth. Most are taught and encouraged to extinguish or at least temper it: “don’t do that”, “be careful”. I had the drive and opportunity to nurture the flames and have been striving for great adventures in wild places ever since. Those used to be the trees and streams around my childhood home, now they’re the mountains and glaciers of Antarctica.
What was your first adventure?
My first real adventure was a trip to Turkey when I was seven with my dad and uncle. We climbed a remote mountain called Ak Dag and spent a week far off the beaten track in friendly mountain villages and wild high peaks. I remember it well and think it was a key trigger of the life I now lead.
What’s the most useful bit of kit you have ever taken with you, and what’s been the most useless?
I always travel with a Berghaus jacket called an Asgard hybrid. It’s comfortable, smart, light and incredibly warm. Whether you’re stuck waiting for a bus outside JFK airport in -10˚F on your way to the Caribbean, or you need a pillow in a hostel in Bangkok, it’s a winner. Most useless piece of kit was a digital camera with a flat battery and no charger. Argh!
What was the best bit of advice you were ever given?
If you don’t ask you don’t get. People are surprisingly helpful when you’re open and friendly towards them. Be it advice on where to get a drink, a bed for the night or a guide for the day, most people are good at heart.
As for practical advice – store digital copies of your passport on your email or cloud and keep some cash in PayPal. When I lost my travel wallet, passport, cards it was surprisingly straightforward and painless to sort out.
We caught up with Leo at ATS 2015. Read that interview here.
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