Day at the office ......

Feed The Rat Expedition Consultancy Service.

“See above being another tough day on the way to the North Pole. I’m the first Australian to ski to the North Pole and the Magnetic North Pole and with numerous major expeditions behind me, I know that if you don’t feed the rat it will wither & die and so will I, so feeding it makes me whole!” GSJ ……

Ever considered putting an expedition together?

A first ascent of this?

A first decent of that?

Expeditions can be fantastic but they can also be a living hell that sucks the life and cash out of your dreams. (They can turn your best friend into your worst enemies & make it hell.)

So here’s the scoop.

If it’s early in your expedition career, why not use the skills and advice of someone who has learned how to run these things really, really well?

The answer?  You should …..

We’ve been mates with Graeme Joy for ages and GSJ is here to help.

It’s as simple as that. What’s his agenda?

To have your trip be as successful as possible and for you NOT to crash screaming into the pitfalls that await the unwary.

(Like he did on an early one!)

Have a look at just some of his exped’s below to assure yourself this guy has been there and back. What’s his reward?

Just a genuine feeling of contribution and maybe any weird spin offs that may arise.

No cash, no retainer, none of that shit and as Australia’s most successful trainer using expeditions as metaphors for businesses, he does this stuff for a living.

A bottle of scotch would not be wasted though ….

The key point is that these principles are applicable to all big trips.

Polar, desert, mountains, rivers, how to run a great trip is the same wherever you go.

Here’s some of the stuff he’d cover with you and if it’s more than you’ve ever thought considering, then an email to joy(at)hard.net.au is a goooood investment.

(He can put you in control so you own your expedition & get to feed your rat rather than the rats of others!)

Now read on, considering this stuff can save you a world of pain ………

Bastard global warming, who put that water there?
  • Expedition structure and logistics.
  • Clarification of expedition success factors that can become powerful sponsorship selling tools.
  • Selection process of both team members themselves and support personnel to ensure that they are fully aligned to the expedition goals.  In other words is there a cultural fit?
  • Leadership and teamwork structure and attributes:
  • Setting up the operational process of the expedition.
  • Understand the team members and group relationships.
  • Focus on problem solving and not jeopardizing personal relationships.
  • Negotiating with sponsors.
  • Expedition profiling and media relations.
  • Strategies for success in expedition planning, from obtaining finance, to operating in the field.
  • Setting deadlines in the planning process and creating fallback positions if milestones are not reached.
  • Contractual relationships with suppliers, sponsors and team members.

We know all this sounds a bit “official” and serious but that’s the difference between a trip and an expedition.

The first you sort of throw together, the second is way bigger and you want to stack the cards in your favour.

As just one of several examples, check out one of our friends Paula Constant’s site www.constanttrek.com to see how Graeme can maybe help you too.

Some of his trips are listed below, check them out and get in touch if it appeals.

  • Arctic - North Pole – Icewalk International North Pole Expedition; First Australian to Ski to the North Pole.(joint leader) Cape Columbia, Canada to the North Pole.
  • Arctic - Ski Sailing - Magnetic North Pole solo. (From Little Cornwallis Island to Deer Bay, Elliff Ringus Island, last 1.5 days alongside a Canadian expedition due to loss of satellite communications).
  • Sea Kayaking – South East Greenland from Angmagssalik to Nanortalik.
  • Sea Kayaking – Bass Strait from Tasmania to Victoria – unsupported via Flinders Island.
  • Cooper Creek from Innamincka to Lake Eyre 650km, first descent on a single flood by boat.
  • Mt Robson, British Columbia, Canada, solo.
  • Mt McKinley (Denali) Alaska
  • Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa.
  • Mt Vinson, Antarctica.