Gavin Bate

Gavin grew up in England and Western Australia and studied English literature in Northern Ireland before embarking on many years of travel, mostly in developing countries, during which he worked as an aid driver in east Africa, as an expedition guide and also scrapping ships on the beaches of India and Pakistan. He also lived in the slums of Nairobi and worked as a teacher for several years, also building clinics and schools with the money he raised as a mountaineer on many fundraising climbing trips. This included six expeditions to climb Mount Everest, a solo walk across the Sahara Desert and a trek to the Magnetic north pole.

He started the adventure travel company Adventure Alternative and the charity Moving Mountains. These organisations continue to thrive, providing careers and livelihoods to many. Gavin now resides in London with his family, still actively traveling and climbing mountains. He occasionally lectures on responsible tourism and small adventures on large mountains, and he is a Fellow of Oxford Brookes University.