Charlie Paton

 
Charlie Paton

Charlie

He has trekked thousands of kilometres across the polar regions and has stood on the Geographical North Pole a total of 10 times.

Charlie Paton is known for his exploits, professionalism and willingness to share his passion and knowledge with others. Charlie’s years of service in the Royal Marines gave him experience and expertise in all corners of the globe. In May 2000 Charlie along with Alan Chambers succeeded in becoming the first Britons  to walk unsupported from the Canadian coastline to the Geographical North Pole (Team Polar 2000). Charlie’s Polar training experience ranges from Norway, the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Canadian High Arctic, Spitsbergen, Iceland, South Georgia and Antarctica.


1989 1989
2000 2000
2002-2007 2002-2007
2008 2008
2009 2009
2010 2010
2015 2015

1989

Member of the an expedition to climb and summit Mt Kenya.

2000

Charlie was part of the first British team to successfully walk unsupported from Canada to the Geographical North Pole. The trek lasted 70 days. The expeditions patron was Prince Philip and the expedition generated over £20million in publicity for their Sponsor Diageo Johnnie Walker…. Since then, Charlie has stood on the Geographical North Pole 10 times. In 2001, after returning from the North Pole, Charlie was selected for the Great Britain and Royal Marines Biathlon team. He has skied across Greenland four times, and has retraced world legend explorer Shackleton’s footsteps across South Georgia Antarctica whilst leading a team of sixteen adventurers.

2002-2007

Charlie acted as an adviser & led many groups across Greenland and returned to the Geographical North Pole in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011. His diet program was publicised in the book ‘South, The Race to the Pole’ alongside the great explorers Amundsen and Scott, as a modern day comparison.

2008

Charlie skied across Greenland twice. East to West then West to East (total of 1100km). He led a group of Adventures across South Georgia in the footsteps of the Legend Sir Ernest Shackleton. He took part in a 3 day search and rescue mission for a missing person along with the Danish Military and British Embassy. The person was found alive and he was praised by the Danish Military, Greenlandic Police and officials from the British Embassy in Denmark for his bravery and excellence in his part conducting the search and operation. He was also part of a 2 year project in which scientists and explorers came together to undertake field research in the Arctic, working in temperatures as low as minus 50.

2009

Floating Ice Base camp manager on the Arctic ocean for three months, coordinating resupplies for the Catlin Arctic Survey Explorer ice team. Charlie also became a Commando Spirit Ambassador, helping raise funds for the RMCTF through once in a lifetime opportunities.

2010

Head of Science on the Explorer Ice team as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, which involved navigating a 3 man team across 500km of Arctic Ocean, reaching the Geographical North Pole after 60 days. Charlie was also founder and race director of the longest coldest winter arctic race FROSTSKADE 500; a 500 mile footrace spanning three countries Norway, Sweden, Finland. Managing all aspects of Safety, Logistics, Planning, Emergencies and resupplies for this brutal race with clients from all over the world. Charlie is also currently attacking each of the highest Mountain Summits in each of the 7 Continents.

2015

Charlie has been preparing for the Solo Across Antarctica expedition, which is a 2009km journey on foot across Antarctica.

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Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Patron of the expedition

“In 1914 one of the most unique leaders of men the world has ever seen, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, dreamed to undertake the immense challenge of being the first person to cross the little-known Antarctic continent from coast to coast (via the Geographical South Pole). He called his expedition the ‘Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition’. Alas his brave endeavour failed but what a glorious failure it was! I’m delighted that Charlie Paton has chosen to honour Shackleton’s heroic efforts, one hundred years on. Charlie has considerable knowledge of and experience in the polar environment. I have no doubt that he has more than what it takes to tackle the Solo Across Antarctica expedition. More significantly, perhaps, I have every confidence that his brave example will inspire the young people of today to chase after adventure and believe in the impossible. I am pleased to be Patron of Charlie’s extraordinary expedition and wish him God speed and a safe return.”

Jonathon Shackleton

Patron of the expedition

“Jonathan is cousin of the Irish, Kildare born explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and The University of Ohio, he has been involved in many Shackleton-oriented activities including films, TV documentaries and radio interviews world wide, and is co-author with John MacKenna of Shackleton: An Irishman in Antarctica. An excerpt from this book illustrates the immensity of Shackleton’s achievement. ‘Eighty years after Ernest Shackleton’s death, his legend and the extraordinary story of the Endurance South Pole expedition still hold a grip on the public imagination.Trapped in drifting polar pack-ice for ten months, Ernest Shackleton and his crew fought for survival against all the odds. When their ship, the Endurance, was finally crushed, they were stranded on ice floes for more than a year before reaching Elephant Island. From there Shackleton and five of his men embarked on the most remarkable rescue mission in maritime history, sailing in a small open boat to South Georgia Island across eight hundred miles of the world’s roughest seas to bring help to the others… Shackleton’s story lives on because of his unique qualities of leadership and the extraordinary fact that all of his men survived.’ We are honoured to have another living link with Polar exploratory history with the patronage of Jonathan Shackleton. ‘My cousin’s audacity and courage, persistence and great vision continue to inspire me nearly a hundred years after his poignant death.It is also very moving to know that his expeditions are still inspiring others to attempt to reach the most extreme Polar Regions. I am therefore pleased to be able to endorse the Solo Across Antarctica expedition as patron and friend.”