Chris Brown (explorer)
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Mika Brown
Chris Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown at the South American POI in Brazil, 2023 | |
| Born | 1962 (age 63–64) |
| Alma mater | Durham University, Heriot-Watt University |
| Occupations | Entrepreneur, explorer, adventurer |
| Children | Axel Brown Mika Brown |
| Website | brown |
Chris Brown (born 1962) is a British explorer and adventurer known for his bid to become the first person in history to visit all eight of the Earth's Continental Poles of Inaccessibility.[1] To date, he has reached six of the eight poles. Brown holds a Guinness World Record for the most race dives into a swimming pool in one hour[2] and has been elected as a Lifelong Honorary Fellow of the Scientific Exploration Society.[3] He is also the father of Olympic bobsleigh athlete Axel Brown.
Born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire, Brown attended Stokesley Comprehensive School and King James's School in Knaresborough. He went on to study physics at Durham University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree, followed by a Master of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. Brown began his career as a petroleum engineer with BP before establishing his own publishing company, Take That Limited, in 1987. In 1988, Brown was elected a Member and Chartered Physicist of the Institute of Physics.[4]
First adventures
Brown, a tech entrepreneur from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, first got the "travel bug" while backpacking through South America as a student.[5]
Brown's idea to visit the Poles of Inaccessibility – the locations on Earth farthest away from the ocean, or, in the case of the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility and Northern Pole of Inaccessibility, land – first emerged during a trip to Antarctica in 2016. On this adventure, Brown learned about the various South Poles while travelling alongside former American astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who was attempting to become the oldest person to reach the South Pole.[5][6]
Two years later, in 2018, this idea was cemented while attending the "world's highest dinner party" on Mount Everest, organised to raise funds for UK charity Community Action Nepal. During the visit, Brown heard about the Seven Summits Challenge, where people climb the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Brown thought to try the same type of challenge for the Poles of Inaccessibility, marking the beginning of Brown's Eight Poles Project.[5][7]
Eight Poles Project
Brown's aim with the Eight Poles Project[8] is to be the first person to visit all of the Poles of Inaccessibility. These comprise Eurasia's Pole of Inaccessibility, Africa's Pole of Inaccessibility, Australia's Pole of Inaccessibility, Northern Pole of Inaccessibility, Southern Pole of Inaccessibility, North American Pole of Inaccessibility, South American Pole of Inaccessibility, and the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility/Point Nemo.[9]
As of 2024, he has visited six of the eight poles.[5]
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