Ffeinnes - admirable or daft?

Wise and Barrow I agree with you as long as his funding is not from a government as one person suggested. As long as his sponsors are private then it is their choice what they do with their money. Either just a gift or because they will get a programme or book out of it. Perhaps he is just eccentric and IMO we could do with a few more of those. Yes, he is completely batty - so?

His wife may be glad to see the back of him for a time. Intense people can be hard to live with. He does seem to like his adventures to be extreme but, as I said before, good luck to him.

BTW GNHQ, any chance the misspelling of his name in the title could be corrected (please!)? The typo could have been mine so not being critical, it's just a bit irritating seeing it wrong all the time.

His wife died a few years ago; not sure if he remarried. Maybe that's another reason why he is so driven?

...I always rather fancied being married to an explorer, as I like to spend a lot of time on my own, However, Benedict Allen was my explorer of choice [swoon ]....mind you, I was married to an engineer which is the next best thing [always in the garage taking things to bits and putting them back together again....]

Better still - give him his full name.

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes,

With a name like that he was bound to be eccentric.

I'm not sitting listening to my arteries hardening, but I am not taking a load of heavy plant to an environmentally sensitive area.

He did remarry very soon after his wife died I think. I say good luck to him but I still found the wig quite shocking.

Some names just beg to be misssssspelt methinks Bags. Obviously did not try hard enough. He will be ffffffffrieizing no doubt.

I think we knew who you meant Jess and the wig still bugs me however his name is spelt!!

I don't care.

Methinks that if he wants to spend a winter in the cold and dark, there's many an O.A.P. who will offer him a house-share!

Yes Bagsdefinitely attention seeking. The explorer tag is what annoys me as quite frankly it really doesn't apply. Explorers go to undiscovered places and regail us with their new finds. As he says, it is how he has earned a living and that is why we hear so much about his outings - he has to publicize them to get sponsorship!!
His currentjolly could be labelled an endurance test

he obviously just seems driven to it and I admire him. I'm not sponsoring him,so good luck to him. I don't have a feeling that he would be a cosy companion that sits by the fire and chats, so maybe this suits his family. Maybe he is nuts, but there is room in the world for a few eccentrics, I like that.

He's a meshugganeh! He's also a showoff, which is a bad combination!

I heard him speak once and he was really good - but it didn't make me want to follow him on his mad schemes though I enjoy hearing about them. I understand he's already lost some of his extremities to frost bite. He's the type who can't sit still - the call of the wild and all that. However, if he gets into trouble some team or other will have to risk their necks to help him and there lies the rub.

I think the whole thing is a vanity project.

I'm astonished at all the negativity about this story, and am pleased to see that Wisewoman and Barrow have more positive responses.

Ran Fiennes is an astonishing individual and has been an inspiration for young men and women for over 40 years. If you had spoken to some of the young who were at the Royal Geographical Society last week you would understand something of his worth to the world.

Also bear in mind that every expedition he has led has done significant scientific research en route and has many awards for the contribution he and his teams have made to the advancement of science in a variety of fields, from medicine to oceanography over the years.

AND please be aware that he has raised many, many millions of pounds for charities such as Marie Curie cancer care, multiple sclerosis, British Heart Foundation and now a charity fighting blindness. He is not a rich man and does indeed make a living from books and lectures; he is not rewarded for the journeys themselves.

Above all, I'd stress that he is one of the sanest and most modest people I've ever known, and his expeditions are famous for their brilliance of planning and the low incidence of injury and loss, given the extreme conditions.

Please look at the BBC report and the Coldest Journey website to learn and understand more about someone who, aged 68, refuses to give in to age and continues to celebrate life in the way he does best.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19609293
http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/

I declare an interest - I have known Ran all my life, so have the advantage of being quite well informed, but every year my admiration for him increases as he concedes nothing to age - unlike me!

I saw the interviews where he said he never got any A-levels so this was the only thing he could do to support his family. Really? What about book tours and inspirational speeches to salesmen etc. I think it's very irresponsible of him with a (2nd) wife and young children to consider. Yes, he will be thoroughly checked over healthwise before he leaves but with his medical history I think he's mad!

I suppose he wants to pop off in harness, I could think of better ways of going though

Carpathia, many years ago I attended a talk given by Col. John Blashford Snell shortly after he led an expedition from Anchorage in Alaska to Terra del Fuego in S. America via the notorious Darien Gap. The talk was fascinating and led me to become an admirer of a man who is a highly respected explorer.
For anyone interested, 'Google' him and read his biography... amongst many other things he initiated Operation Raleigh which has inspired many young people the world over. He remains involved with the development of opportunities for young people.
I am not against anyone wishing to be 'an explorer' but I do question the justification of setting off on what he terms ' the worlds last great challenge' and cannot see how this, if he succeeds, will benefit many people.

Oldgreymare - John Blashford-Snell is one of Ran's longest and strongest supporters, so if you admire him, and he admires Ran...

Operation Raleigh has been a phenomenal success over the years, and has been specifically targeted at young people. Blashers is a one-off, and a good egg.

Ran's expeditions have had different motivations, but the inspiration happens nevertheless. This time, if you look at the website, you'll see there is some significant research which has never been done because the Antarctic winter is so vicious.

The money the expedition will raise (target £10 million) goes to a charity fighting avoidable blindness, so the efforts by Ran and the whole team will benefit large numbers of people very quickly. There aren't many people in the world who can raise that kind of money in a lifetime; Ran has done this many times over. I don't know the total sums he's raised for charities, but it's in the tens of millions, which I'd say was justification in itself – wouldn't you?

And may I say, gently, that as his expeditions are privately funded by business sponsors, and everyone on the expedition is a volunteer, and the contingency plans if rescue is needed are also privately funded, Ran doesn't need to justify himself to anyone. Nor does he need to prove himself, recognised the world over as an extraordinary achiever.

Carpathia - you have convinced me! I withdraw my criticism.

Carpathia It's been enlightening to read your informed posts.

An extraordinary man who does extraordinary things.

I was full of admiration when I saw the piece on television - until I saw the two enormous tracked yellow monsters belching black fumes chugging along with him.