The ExplorersWeb Ambassadors are some of the most exceptional athletes, explorers and guides active in the realm of extreme adventure. While demonstrating significant achievements in the area of exploration or extreme adventure, our ambassadors assist ExWeb with their deep understanding of the history, context and current situation of their specific segment of extreme adventure or exploration.
Ryan Waters
Ryan Waters is a professional mountaineer, mountain guide, polar explorer and owner of Mountain Professionals. Ryan has guided and personally explored the world over. He is the first American to complete the True Adventurers Grand Slam, by skiing full unsupported expeditions to the North and South Poles and guiding the Seven Summits. He also completed the first unsupported/unassisted ski traverse of Antarctica from Berkner Island to the Ross Ice Shelf and has guided another full South Pole unsupported expedition. Ryan is a veteran of over 23 expeditions to the Himalaya including 13 summits on 8000 meter mountains. He is a Master Polar Guide with the International Polar Guides Association.
Marin Minamiya
Marin Minamiya is a university student from Japan. In 2016, at 19 years old, she reached the top of Mount Everest and became the youngest Japanese person to climb the highest peak on every continent. The following year, she was the youngest person to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam by reaching the North Pole. Nikkei BP featured her as one of Japan’s top 10 innovators.
Marin does not consider herself a mountaineer or an adventurer, just someone who loves being in nature and is enthusiastic about making dreams a reality. She is passionate about sharing her story, empowering women and making the world a cleaner, safer place.
In her spare time, she enjoys painting, baking and sailing.
See here for ExWeb’s interview with Marin.
Erden Eruç
Erden is world-record-holding ocean rower, adventurer, USCG Captain and sailing instructor.
Erden recently completed the first solo circumnavigation of the Earth by human power which started in 2007 and took 5 years and 11 days. He is one of the leading ocean rowers in the world today, holding 15 Guinness World Records related to ocean rowing and the circumnavigation of the Earth. He is the recipient of the 2013 Citation of Merit from the prestigious Explorers Club and one of the 2013 Adventurers of the Year – “Nine individuals changing the face of global adventure” selected by Outside Magazine. He is listed in the 2009, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018 Guinness books of World Records.
Six Summits Project
In memory of his friend Göran Kropp, Erden decided to reach the highest summit on every continent except Antarctica by human power. Aconcagua, Elbrus and Everest remain on Erden’s list of priorities over the coming years.
Around-n-Over
Erden is the founder of the Seattle based 501(c)(3) nonprofit Around-n-Over with a mission to educate and inspire children. To date, Around-n-Over has raised and applied over $100k toward educational projects.
See here for ExWeb’s interview with Erden.
Sarah McNair-Landry
Photo: Erik Boomer
The first woman recognized as a Master Polar Guide by the International Polar Guides Association, Sarah owns and operates NorthWinds Expeditions, one of the leading expedition companies in the world.
Sarah grew up with the Arctic Ocean and a team of dogs in her backyard. No stranger to the cold, she is the youngest person to travel to both the North and South Poles, traversed the Greenland Ice Cap six times, and has guided expeditions to the South and North Pole.
In 2011, along with her older brother, she kite-skied 3,300 km retracing the Northwest Passage. More recently she spent 120 days dogsledding completely around Baffin Island.
Her adventures are not limited to the polar regions. She has also kite buggied across the Gobi Desert, canoed rivers in Russia and rode camels through the Sahara in Egypt.
She was nominated for National Geographic’s prestigious “Adventurer of the Year” award twice, and named one of the “Top Ten Women in Adventure” by National Geographic Adventure Magazine.
When she is not in the cold, she spends her time working in film. She has directed several documentaries and experimental art films and is a published photographer.
See here for ExWeb’s interview with Sarah.
Eric Philips
Eric Philips is a professional polar explorer and guide with over 25 expeditions to or from the North and South Poles. In 1995 he led one of the early kite-ski expeditions, across Greenland, and in 2002, together with expedition partner Jon Muir, became the first Australians to ski to both poles. He has pioneered three new routes through the Transantarctic Mountains to the South Pole – the Shackleton/Zaneveld, Reedy and Kansas Glaciers – completed first routes and variations on Ellesmere Island, Greenland and the South Patagonian Icecap and in 2015 kite-skied solo from Novo to the iconic peak of Ulvetanna and back, in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.
In 2004 Eric was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to polar exploration and in 2015 the Australian Geographic Society’s Lifetime of Adventure medallion.
Eric is a co-founder and President of the International Polar Guides Association and founder and director of Icetrek Expeditions and Equipment.
