Mission Spiritus - A Journey of Purpose

We're thrilled to announce our support for Mission Spiritus, led by Alan Chambers MBE, former Royal Marine Commando, and his mission partner, Dave Thomas.

Alan and Dave forged a deep connection in the Royal Marines when they first skied coast to coast and have been close buddies ever since. Now both part of Extreme Leaders, a collaboration of explorers, scientists, endurance guides and astronauts, they are embarking on a new journey of their own, the Mission Spiritus.

Their mission is to traverse the South Pole, but with a purpose; to collect data samples to support a study initiated by Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to research the distribution of airborne plastics in the most remote place on Earth.

On the 13th November, Alan and Dave embarked on their mission, a 55-day, unsupported trek from the Hercules inlet to the South Pole. Dave will be the oldest adventurer to ski this route unsupported.

Every 20km of their journey, the expedition team will collect snow samples to measure the presence of microplastics in Antarctica, furthering crucial research in the fields of micro and nano plastics and their far-reaching effects in the environment. Such sampling would otherwise take years to fund and complete. Transferred to the specialist lab on the Lamont-Doherty Campus in Palisades, NY, the samples will be analysed, and the findings published, paving the foundation for future research and necessary solutions.

Due to their size, nano plastics are able to enter the human body via ingestion, inhalation and even migrate to organs, including the brain.

In addition to propelling environmental research, this expedition is also fundraising for The Royal Marines Charity, supporting those who have bravely served, PTSD, their mental health and that of their loved ones; a charity close to Alan’s heart. If you’d like to contribute to this cause, please feel free to send your donation via this link: https://shorturl.at/nuzSX.

To launch the sponsorship and share the news with our staff, we had the honour of hosting Alan at our London office on the 2nd November, where he was interviewed live by our Founder, David Segel, who is also supporting Alan and the mission via Segel Group Limited (SGL). That evening, Alan shared inspiring tales of his polar adventures, exploring the connection between stress and mental health, coping strategies for facing challenges and the importance of resilience and adaptability, and most importantly, the significance of Mission Spiritus. Joined by Ben Curry, CEO of The Royal Marines Charity, the day was filled with profound insights into mental resilience exploring the intersection of stress and mental health. We will have the pleasure of sharing snippets of this interview and the Mission Spiritus expedition in the coming months. 

To add to this special evening, we had a snow-themed, in-house event with an added immersive experience, intended to simulate a small part of the expedition team’s journey; strapped to a harness, dragging 100kgs on a sled. Even doing that across the floor was challenging – imagine what it is like wearing full-on snow gear, atop a featureless, barren, windswept and icy plateau, at an altitude of 2,835 m (9,301 ft) above sea level, in temperatures as low as -50F! On the day, we also presented Alan with some branded swag and stickers for his and Dave’s gear featuring the Mako and SGL brands. As they traverse the icy terrain, they will hoist both The Explorers Club flag and Mako's flag, bearing signatures from our staff who attended, which is a great privilege for us!

As Alan and Dave forge ahead, we're reminded of our shared responsibility to safeguard our planet. Let's come together to support this mission and create a sustainable impact.

Stay tuned for updates from the field! In the meantime, you can track the expedition team on this map: https://z6z.co/mission-spiritus-antarctica/ and don’t forget to check out the below websites:

Mission Spiritus: https://www.missionspiritus.com/
Alan Chambers: https://www.alanchambers.co.uk/ 
The Royal Marines Charity: https://rma-trmc.org/
Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: https://lamont.columbia.edu/

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