Shackleton's Epic: Recreating the world's greatest journey of survival by Tim Jarvis
A new edition to mark the centenary Ernest Shackleton's epic 1916 journey across 1300 kms of hostile ocean in a tiny, leaking boat and unmapped ice and snow to reach a rescue station by British-Australian explorer Tim Jarvis, who recreated 'Shackleton's Epic' in 2012
Sir Edmund Hilary called it the greatest survival story of all time. In 1916, just months into Ernest Shackleton's third expedition to the South Pole, his ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and sank. With winter setting in and supplies running out, Shackleton faced a terrible quandary: should he and his crew stay on a tiny inhospitable stretch of Antarctic island and die waiting? Or should they make an almost certainly doomed journey, and sail in a lifeboat across 900 miles of the world's wildest ocean then trek over unmapped glaciers to reach help. Showing astonishing courage, Shackleton and a small band of men set off in an open boat. Even more astonishingly, they survived.
Almost a century later, explorer and environmental scientist Tim Jarvis set out with a crew of five to replicate Shackleton's journey, using the same equipment, eating the same unpalatable food and facing the same hostile ocean conditions. Shackleton's Epic is the story of that trip -- the wretched lows and the occasional highs and the mental and physical toughness required to survive in one of the last wildernesses on earth. Moving between the past and the present, this is a must-read book for all Shackleton fans and lovers of epic adventure.
ANZEC Member - Tim Jarvis
Tim’s childhood love of the outdoors has led to his career as an environmental scientist and in leading expeditions to some of the world’s most remote places. With more than 25 years of experience in both disciplines, Tim has a wealth of knowledge about what it takes to lead teams to perform at the highest level – knowledge he regularly shares with corporate and academic audiences around the world. Tim’s sustainability beliefs, like his approach to expeditions, are based around a pragmatic optimism – understanding the scale of the task ahead and prevailing through a combination of outcome-focused goal-setting, adaptability, resilience and good teamwork. He also understands that there is no single solution to achieving sustainability outcomes. This is reflected in the wide range of initiatives he supports and works on, including environmental advocacy work with conservation charities WWF and FFI, his recent four years of patronage of Nature Play SA whose goal is to encourage children to spend more time in nature, and five years’ service on the board of Zoos SA – leaders in endangered species conservation. Tim’s roles with partner organisations include advising on technological and social solutions to sustainability issues for global engineering firm Arup, provision of climate change and sustainability advice to Australia’s largest insurance broker Steadfast, his position as Global Brand Ambassador for leading outdoor apparel manufacturer Kathmandu for whom sustainability and brand quality are top priorities, and head of the adventure advisory panel and on the advisory board of the Australian Geographic Society. Tim holds Masters degrees in environmental science and environmental law. He was conferred a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to environment, community and exploration in the 2010 Australian honours list and was voted Conservationist of the Year in 2016 by the Australian Geographic Society.
