About Glenn 

Glenn Shaw has explored some of the world's wildest places. Thanks to funding by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, in December 2001 Glenn kayaked off the coast of Antarctica. His other exploits have included trekking in the Himalayas, skiing and dog sledging in North America, and kayaking in the Middle East. The single detail that makes Glenn's achievements extraordinary is that he has been confined to a wheelchair (or 'snowmobile' as Glenn calls his custom-built vehicle) all his life.

Glenn suffers from a condition known as 'Brittle Bones'. He knows that the slightest knock can result in a broken limb. A simple fall might kill him outright. But Glenn is an adventurer, and treats his physical disability as just another difficulty to overcome.

Glenn first made national newspaper headlines when he set out to reach the Southern (Nepalese) Base Camp of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain in 1997. That attempt ended at an altitude of around 3500 metres when Glenn suffered a dramatic fall during which he and a Sherpa almost slid over a precipice. Fortunately for the Sherpa, Glenn was able to use his considerable upper body strength to prevent them from both going over the edge. With both legs broken in a total of eight places, Glenn was airlifted back to Kathmandu.

In addition to making four attempts to cross Colorado's Continental Divide using huskies, Glenn has completed a solo canoe voyage through British Columbia and Alberta. He has worked with Brunel University's Research and Development Team in Israel to test and develop kayaking equipment for fellow disabled explorers. Glenn was honoured to receive his Fellowship to the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) in 1999. In 2000, he was awarded a ski scholarship from the American National Sports Centre For The Disabled.



Kayaking on the Norfolk Broads
 

Lukla in the Himalayas
 

Antarctica




 
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