| 2nd |
| EXPEDITION PATRON Dixie Dansercoer is the Mongolia 2010 Expedition patron and a world-renowned explorer, endurance athlete and photographer. Read more about Dixie Dansercoer. |
| OUR SPONSORS Our sponsors demonstrate an enthusiasm to push beyond the margins of any frontier and relentlessly innovate. Their commitment to the expedition will ensure a chance for success. Read more. |
THE TEAM
RIPLEY DAVENPORT
Desert Adventurer | Expedition Leader | Speaker
Ripley Davenport came to prominence in the late 1990s after his successful crossing of
the Namib and Karakum Deserts. This was a time when desert expeditions were
infrequent and without any of the support infrastructure which many have access to
today. He made his reputation as a skilled specialist in desert and steppe expeditions.
In May 1998, Ripley completed a crossing of the Namib Desert, solo, without re-supply,
from Oranjemund to the border of Angola. This feat went unrecognised, without
sponsors or media coverage. This demands such a level of expertise and endurance
that many before had attempted and failed. Many thought the challenge was perhaps
impossible. It had taken Ripley many years, several set backs and an exceptional
degree of commitment to achieve his dream.
Indeed the undertaking had almost cost him his life on more than one occasion, when
he found himself being hunted by a pride of Lions and many hundreds of miles from the
nearest help. At the start of his 82 days crossing of the Namib, he lost one of his
camels, “Jangles” and was nearly drowned when a freak wave almost swept him out to
sea. His two camels, “Fiji”, and “Nelly” kept him company, as he battled his way up and
down sand dunes, through dense bush and across remote desert terrain, where the
temperature peaked 28C to 43C 24-hours a day.
Four months later, after crossing Namib, he crossed the Karakum Desert an endeavour,
both comprising a total of 108-day feat of extreme endurance, was noted as a
significant step towards understanding human endurance in a desert environment.
The result is that Ripley has now become one of the leading experts on desert
adventure and travel.
Ripley made a 2 week reconnaissance trip to the Thar Desert in India, the seventh
largest in the world, to survey the area for a possible future expedition. If at all
possible, he wants to cross the Thar Desert with the aid of two camels. No date has
been confirmed.
He had faced failure on his first attempt to cross Mongolia, in his all-consuming mission
after three years of planning and training, due to a technical failure with the inner wheel
components of his trailer. Ripley's second attempt at the longest recorded solo and
unassisted walk ever completed - across the vast landmass of Mongolia from east to
west, started one month later in May.
He endured extreme temperature fluctuations, blizzards, sand storms, isolation,
unrelenting desert heat and brutal terrain, which involved walking 1700 miles / 2750 km’
s across the Eastern Mongolian Steppe, Gobi Desert and the Altai Mountain Range, while
hauling provisions and equipment weighing in excess of 240kg in a wheeled trailer,
specifically designed for the journey, in 90 days or less.
RAY ZAHAB
Personal Trainer
Canadian adventurer Ray Zahab has competed in several, (and even won a few),
international ultra-marathons of distances from 100 to over 200 miles in length in some
of the harshest conditions on the globe.
He and two other runners recently ran the entire width of the Sahara Desert—7500 kms
/ 4500 miles in 111 days with no rest days—and in the process learned of the
seriousness of the water crisis in Africa.
The run was documented in a film directed by Oscar winner James Moll and narrated by
Matt Damon. One of the goals of the film is to raise awareness for the water crisis in
Africa.
Ray is an established adventurer and speaker who uses his athletic career to support
initiatives and causes he believes in.
Ray is Athletic Ambassador and board member for the ONEXONE organization and is a
board member of the Ryan's Well Foundation.
Founder of impossible2Possible, Ray was recently a member of the South Pole Quest
expedition team.
In winter 2008/9, Ray, and two other Canadians, broke the world speed record for an
unsupported team expedition to the South Pole, In the process, Ray became the first
person to trek this traditional route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole solely on foot-
without the use of skis.
Students and classrooms from all over North America joined the team as they trekked
to the South Pole on a daily basis- communicating and actively taking part – becoming
“team mates” of the expedition.
Ray Zahab Official website
i2P - Impossible2Possible Official website
LAURA DAVENPORT
Administration | Logistics
Laura Davenport, fluent in Russian, Danish, Lithuanian and English, will be supporting
Ripley throughout the expedition.
Her responsibility is essentially to take care of the expedition's administration and
logistics in addition to keeping Ripley moving forward. This involves collaborating with
current sponsors, seeking potential new partners, communicating with the media, and
dealing with all correspondence.
Laura will also keep the website ticking over with new information along with the latest
images, video feeds and blog reports. This will preserve the content, making this an
interesting, but more importantly, very informative website.
RIPLEY DAVENPORT
Desert Adventurer | Expedition Leader | Speaker
Ripley Davenport came to prominence in the late 1990s after his successful crossing of
the Namib and Karakum Deserts. This was a time when desert expeditions were
infrequent and without any of the support infrastructure which many have access to
today. He made his reputation as a skilled specialist in desert and steppe expeditions.
In May 1998, Ripley completed a crossing of the Namib Desert, solo, without re-supply,
from Oranjemund to the border of Angola. This feat went unrecognised, without
sponsors or media coverage. This demands such a level of expertise and endurance
that many before had attempted and failed. Many thought the challenge was perhaps
impossible. It had taken Ripley many years, several set backs and an exceptional
degree of commitment to achieve his dream.
Indeed the undertaking had almost cost him his life on more than one occasion, when
he found himself being hunted by a pride of Lions and many hundreds of miles from the
nearest help. At the start of his 82 days crossing of the Namib, he lost one of his
camels, “Jangles” and was nearly drowned when a freak wave almost swept him out to
sea. His two camels, “Fiji”, and “Nelly” kept him company, as he battled his way up and
down sand dunes, through dense bush and across remote desert terrain, where the
temperature peaked 28C to 43C 24-hours a day.
Four months later, after crossing Namib, he crossed the Karakum Desert an endeavour,
both comprising a total of 108-day feat of extreme endurance, was noted as a
significant step towards understanding human endurance in a desert environment.
The result is that Ripley has now become one of the leading experts on desert
adventure and travel.
Ripley made a 2 week reconnaissance trip to the Thar Desert in India, the seventh
largest in the world, to survey the area for a possible future expedition. If at all
possible, he wants to cross the Thar Desert with the aid of two camels. No date has
been confirmed.
He had faced failure on his first attempt to cross Mongolia, in his all-consuming mission
after three years of planning and training, due to a technical failure with the inner wheel
components of his trailer. Ripley's second attempt at the longest recorded solo and
unassisted walk ever completed - across the vast landmass of Mongolia from east to
west, started one month later in May.
He endured extreme temperature fluctuations, blizzards, sand storms, isolation,
unrelenting desert heat and brutal terrain, which involved walking 1700 miles / 2750 km’
s across the Eastern Mongolian Steppe, Gobi Desert and the Altai Mountain Range, while
hauling provisions and equipment weighing in excess of 240kg in a wheeled trailer,
specifically designed for the journey, in 90 days or less.
RAY ZAHAB
Personal Trainer
Canadian adventurer Ray Zahab has competed in several, (and even won a few),
international ultra-marathons of distances from 100 to over 200 miles in length in some
of the harshest conditions on the globe.
He and two other runners recently ran the entire width of the Sahara Desert—7500 kms
/ 4500 miles in 111 days with no rest days—and in the process learned of the
seriousness of the water crisis in Africa.
The run was documented in a film directed by Oscar winner James Moll and narrated by
Matt Damon. One of the goals of the film is to raise awareness for the water crisis in
Africa.
Ray is an established adventurer and speaker who uses his athletic career to support
initiatives and causes he believes in.
Ray is Athletic Ambassador and board member for the ONEXONE organization and is a
board member of the Ryan's Well Foundation.
Founder of impossible2Possible, Ray was recently a member of the South Pole Quest
expedition team.
In winter 2008/9, Ray, and two other Canadians, broke the world speed record for an
unsupported team expedition to the South Pole, In the process, Ray became the first
person to trek this traditional route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole solely on foot-
without the use of skis.
Students and classrooms from all over North America joined the team as they trekked
to the South Pole on a daily basis- communicating and actively taking part – becoming
“team mates” of the expedition.
Ray Zahab Official website
i2P - Impossible2Possible Official website
LAURA DAVENPORT
Administration | Logistics
Laura Davenport, fluent in Russian, Danish, Lithuanian and English, will be supporting
Ripley throughout the expedition.
Her responsibility is essentially to take care of the expedition's administration and
logistics in addition to keeping Ripley moving forward. This involves collaborating with
current sponsors, seeking potential new partners, communicating with the media, and
dealing with all correspondence.
Laura will also keep the website ticking over with new information along with the latest
images, video feeds and blog reports. This will preserve the content, making this an
interesting, but more importantly, very informative website.
| Patron: Dixie Dansercoer MONGOLIA 2010 EXPEDITION © copyright 2009|10 |
| Premier sponsor PILOTUR.DK | EXCLUSIVE PILOT WATCHES |
Official timekeeping by
PILOTUR.DK
PILOTUR.DK
52 d. 08 h. 49 m. 26 s.
Final time
Final time