Bear Grylls

Every year the death toll on Mount Everest rises, and for every six mountaineers who make it to the top, one will die. Yet at 7.22am on May 26th 1998, Bear entered The Guinness Book of Records by becoming the Youngest, and one of only thirty, British climbers to have successfully climbed Everest and returned alive. He was only 23 years old.

The actual ascent took Bear over ninety days of extreme weather, limited sleep and almost running out of oxygen deep inside the ‘death zone’ (above 26,000 feet). On the way down from his first reconnaissance climb, Bear was almost killed in a crevasse at 19,000 feet. The ice cracked and the ground disappeared beneath him, he was knocked unconscious and came to swinging on the end of a rope. His teammate and that rope saved his life.

Previously, in 1997, Bear had become the Youngest Briton to climb Mount Ama Dablam in the Himalayas (22,500 feet), a peak once described by Sir Edmund Hillary as ‘unclimbable’. Last year he led the first team ever to circumnavigate the UK on Jet Skis, in aid of the Lifeboats.

Bear has a natural talent for communication and his speaking has brought him worldwide acclaim. He now spends his time talking to corporations around the world on his experiences on the mountain and how these can help us in our business environments.

“I remember lying there during those long months of recovery and suddenly this dream that I had clung to so tightly for so long, of climbing Everest, just felt a million miles away. It was something I could no longer relate to. It was out of what I could believe and I remember vividly looking at those same pictures of Everest my father had given me years earlier, and taking them down. I dismissed it as something childish and something that could no longer become a reality.”

Bear continued to persevere against all the odds and eventually after three months on the mountain, during which time four climbers were tragically killed, he was getting ever closer. “I remember clearing that final lip on my stomach and looking up and being unable to believe that just 200m away was the place that had captured me since I was a little boy. The roof of the world. But however many of these pathetic shuffles I took this place never got any closer. I remember the adrenalin beginning to pump, and you feel it as this very physical presence that fills your muscles and your veins but which also very quickly leaves you with this deep sense of weakness that follows…”

At 7.22am on the 26th May 1998 Bear Grylls climbed into the Guinness Book of Records as the Youngest British climber ever to reach the summit of Everest and return alive. “Looking back it is strangely clear how certain qualities stood out above everything else up there. There were certain things that kept people alive up there and gave us hope and they may be different from what you might at first imagine”.

He focuses on those simple qualities that make the difference between life and death on a mountain: the intimacies and realities of teamwork, the honesty needed in intense environments and the courage that comes not from bravado but from something else inside.

His book has also recently been launched in the USA and continues to touch people through its honesty, courage and humility.

BEAR GRYLLS SELECTED REFERENCES

“There are precious few people in this world who can really make a difference in a positive way, you are one. Many thanks for all you are doing for BA. It is so good for our people to hear and learn from someone who has done so much in a world so different from ours”.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BRITISH AIRWAYS

“I have never had such a positive reaction to a guest speaker before, the team were simply enthralled…an inspiration to all who listened! Somehow you still managed to make the challenges we face in our jobs relevant on a personal level to yours”.
TRADING DIRECTOR, COCA COLA ENTERPRISES LTD

“Bear was exceptionally well received by the audience, we thought he scored 10 out of 10”.
BP INTERNATIONAL

“Bear has a wonderful way of conveying his passion and excitement of the life threatening adventures he’s been on in a highly personal and compelling way – the ripples he has sent out across our business has been terrific. His delivery and content for our conference was excellent”.
W H SMITH LTD

“Your talk went down extremely well with all of our audience, I received special thank you letters from the Chief Executives saying that your speech was the most entertaining we have had to date . One of the best speakers we’ve had in years”
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS

“Our thanks for your professional and inspirational contribution to our lunch, the combination of your particular style and breathtaking video was entirely appropriate and hit all the right notes”.
THE INSTITUTE OF DIRECTORS

“All our senior Chief Executives had great things to say about Bear, he was a fantastic speaker”.
UBS WARBURG

“Your fascinating presentation at our Negotiators and Valuers Conference was truly amazing, especially for someone so young. Without exception we were all absorbed, it has had a positive impact across our company”.
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CHRISTIE & CO

“He was one of the best and most enjoyable speakers we’ve ever had for our Investors in People dinner”.
SUSSEX TEC

“Bear was marvellous, his presentation was unique and we all appreciated his great sense of humour”
AXA INSURANCE CONFERENCE