Press Releases

Date 20-12-02, for immediate release

Wheelchair Explorer Announces Everest Expedition

Disabled explorer Glenn Shaw is currently planning an expedition to Mount Everest. By anyone's standards an ambitious project, the single detail that makes this venture all the more remarkable is that when he isn't hurtling around Britain in his customised Land Rover or paddling off the coast of Antarctica in his kayak, Glenn is confined to a wheelchair.

Glenn suffers from a medical condition known as 'Brittle Bones'. He knows that the slightest knock can result in a broken limb. A simple fall might kill him outright. But Glenn is an adventurer, and treats his physical disability as simply one more difficulty to overcome.

Glenn and his small team will set out for Everest in May 2003. They will fly to Tibet and then travel overland to the Buddhist monastery at Rongbuk. Glenn will then wheel himself to Base Camp at an altitude of over 5000 metres using a custom-built vehicle that is currently undergoing trials.

Glenn is aiming to arrive at Base Camp (at an altitude of over 5000 metres) on May 29th 2003 - exactly 50 years to the day since Hillary and Tenzing reached the summit.

"I'd like to go higher, but the Everest climbers that I have spoken to have described the terrain above Base Camp as being very broken and riddled with streams. This is the worst sort of ground for me to tackle. So I'll go as far as Base Camp and then assess the situation for myself," Glenn said.

Glenn's first expedition to reach the Mount Everest failed in 1997 when together with a Sherpa he slipped and fell at an altitude of almost 4000 metres. Only Glenn's considerable upper body strength prevented both men from going over the edge of a precipice. However, the self-rescue caused Glenn's legs to snap in eight places, forcing him to call off the attempt.

A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Glenn is a past recipient of a ski scholarship from the American National Sports Centre For The Disabled. In 2001, he was a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship enabled him to undertake a voyage by sea kayak around part of the Antarctic coastline. Glenn has also worked with Brunel University's Research and Development Team to develop kayaking equipment for fellow disabled explorers.

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For more information or an interview email: glenn@glennshaw.com

For details of Glenn's expeditions (including downloadable images for media use) visit www.glennshaw.com