Explorer's Grand Slam Facts for Kids

Sir David Hempleman-Adams standing in Antarctica in 2018. He was the first person to complete an Explorer's Grand Slam.

Vanessa O'Brien skiing the last part of the journey to the North Pole in 2013. She was the first woman to finish the "Last Degree" Grand Slam in under one year.

The Explorer's Grand Slam is a huge challenge for adventurers! It means reaching both the North Pole and the South Pole. It also means climbing the Seven Summits, which are the highest mountains on each of the world's continents. These famous mountains include Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson, and either Puncak Jaya or Kosciuszko.

What is the Explorer's Grand Slam?
- Different Ways to Complete the Challenge
- Even Bigger Challenges
Amazing Achievements in History
People Who Completed the Quest
See also

What is the Explorer's Grand Slam?

Different Ways to Complete the Challenge

When the Explorer's Grand Slam first started, adventurers had to travel very long distances to reach the North and South Poles. They would start from the coast and sledge for many weeks.

Over time, a shorter way to reach the poles became popular. This is called the "Last Degree" trip. It means traveling only the last 111 kilometers (69 miles) to the pole, starting from 89 degrees latitude. This shorter journey is still a big achievement, but it is less difficult than starting from the coast.

Today, most people and climbing groups agree that the Explorer's Grand Slam means climbing the Seven Summits and reaching at least the "Last Degree" of both poles.

Even Bigger Challenges

Some people want an even greater challenge! A True Explorer's Grand Slam means you also climb all 14 of the world's highest mountains. These are called the Eight-thousanders because they are all over 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) tall.

There's also a True Adventurer's Grand Slam. For this, you visit the magnetic north and south poles in addition to the other goals. These magnetic poles are different from the geographic poles.

All the rules and definitions for polar expeditions are now managed by something called the Polar Expeditions Classification Scheme (PECS). This helps keep track of these amazing achievements.

Amazing Achievements in History

Many brave people have completed the Explorer's Grand Slam. Here are some of the first and fastest to do it:

In 1998, David Hempleman-Adams from the United Kingdom became the first person ever to complete an Explorer's Grand Slam.
In April 2005, Park Young-seok from South Korea became the first person to complete a True Explorer's Grand Slam. This means he climbed the 14 highest peaks, the Seven Summits, and reached both poles.
In 2011, Richard Parks, a former rugby player from Wales, became the first person to finish the "Last Degree" Grand Slam in a single calendar year. He did it in just seven months!
On April 16, 2013, Vanessa O'Brien became the first woman to complete the "Last Degree" Grand Slam in under one year. She finished it in eleven months.
On April 22, 2013, Cheryl Bart became the first Australian woman to complete the Explorer's Grand Slam. She was the 31st person in the world to do so.
In 2014, Jing Wang became the fastest woman to complete the "Last Degree" Grand Slam. She did it in an incredible 142 days!
Also in 2014, Ryan Waters became the first American to complete the True Adventurer's Grand Slam. He skied the full length to both the North and South Poles without help and climbed the Seven Summits.
On April 21, 2015, Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik became the world's first twins and sisters, and the first South Asians, to complete the Explorer's Grand Slam (Last Degree).
On May 27, 2016, Colin O'Brady became the fastest person to complete the Explorer's Grand Slam (Last Degree). He did it in just 139 days, setting a new world speed record!
On April 12, 2017, Marin Minamiya became the youngest person to complete the Explorer's Grand Slam (Last Degree) at only 20 years old.