Martyn Stephen Williams was born in Liverpool, England on May 2, 1947. As a mountain and wilderness guide he is the first person in the world to lead expeditions to the three extremes, South Pole (1989)^[1] North Pole (1992)^[2][3] and Everest (1991).^[4] He is the first person to cross the continent of Antarctica under human power (1990).^[5]

He founded Adventure Network International, the Antarctic services company operating from Patriot Hills, Antarctica, which has created and supported most of the record breaking expeditions in Antarctica in the last 40 years.^[6] He also founded Antarctic Airlines, the first airline in the continent of Antarctica.^[7]

In 2000 he organized and led the Pole to Pole 2000 expedition, first and only attempt to date to travel from one pole to the other under human power.^[5][4]

As a public speaker he has spoken about human potential to audiences on all seven continents, and teaches tools and techniques for enlightened living.^[8][9]

Pole To Pole 2000

The Pole to Pole team, young people aged 19–25 were selected from 5 continents. They journeyed approx. 35,000 km (25,000 miles) in 9 months from the North Magnetic Pole to the South Pole. The goal of the journey was to inspire millions of youth worldwide to participate in environmental and humanitarian activities. The team achieved this goal by participating in activities along the route, and speaking to thousands of children and young adults at schools and universities. By the time they reached the South Pole on December 31, 2000 they had collected 65 million promises of action from all over the world. The timing of arrival at the South Pole was set to coincide with the beginning of the next millennium. The team of young people became the first people in the world to enter the new millennium.^[5][4][10]