leo houlding spearheads adventure capital campaign...
Leo Houlding one of the world's most exciting young adventurers has been commandeered by Cumbria Tourism to spearhead the Adventure Capital campaign to help the county become the UK's Capital of Adventure by 2012.
Leo Houlding is the fresh-faced, boy-next-door of extreme adventure sports having racked up a range of hair-raising exploits around the globe since first setting out to climb the hills of his native Lake District at the age of 10.
The 28-year-old athlete from Staveley near Kendal, has stepped foot on some of the world's rarest peaks including Mount Everest, the Old Man of Hoy sea stack off the Orkneys, the Angel of the North, and the world's most famous cliff face, the 1,000-metre El Nino.
As well as profiling traditional activities like climbing, water-sports, walking and mountain-biking, Leo will also be making people aware of newer, edgier experiences, like ghyll-scrambling, aqua-sailing, slack-lining and England's first Via Ferrata.
Leo said: "My Cumbrian roots and the world class outdoor adventure we have here have prepared me for climbs such as Everest and other adventures on some of the greatest cliffs in the world. I frequently travel to the most far flung corners of the Earth in pursuit of ever more extreme adventure".
"In between such expeditions there is nowhere I'd rather be than at home in the Lake District, Cumbria. The mountain and outdoor sports we have here are as enjoyable as anywhere in the world (and the beer is better!). As local lad it is a great honour to be appointed Ambassador for the Adventure Capital UK bid. My aim is to help promote our unique and dramatic region and to inspire visitors to get out and taste the adventure."
The twice-winner of the British Indoor Climbing Championship, is widely-credited to be a leading exponent of an exhilarating pursuit called "base-jumping," which involves scaling a significant summit and then free-falling off the top before parachuting to the ground.
Leo has also lived with tribal Maasai warriors in Kenya for his own TV series, raced Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson up and down a mountain and defied gravity and death in a series of stunts with Adrenaline Junkie Jack Osbourne.
This year, Leo is due to star in a film which painstakingly recreates the infamous quest in 1924 of British explorers Mallory and Irvine to become the first climbers to reach the snowy summits of Everest. Their dramatic disappearance and uncertainty about whether they reached the top, has been shrouded in mystery ever since and means that New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, are credited with the achievement, having made it to the top nearly three full decades later.
What is adventure?
The Oxford dictionary definition is "an unusual, exciting and daring experience". I've been on more than my fair share of adventures. They began as a boy in the fells of the Lake District. Scrambling along the exposed ridges of Helvellyn and Blencthra I found a sensation and a satisfaction that has captivated me ever since.
I've been fortunate enough to visit many of mother natures finest adventure playgrounds and can say with some authority that Cumbria and the Lake District rate as one of the best. The accessibility and range of activities offer adventure for all whether you're new to the outdoors or a seasoned enthusiast. The mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, coast and crags create a unique environment that is an adventure seekers paradise all year round.
From low level summer strolls to winter climbs in the high fells, from a cooling bathe in a stream to swimming the length of Windermere or from sailing peacefully on the breeze to kite surfing on a gale, there is a bewildering amount of unusual, exciting and daring experiences waiting for everyone. In my mind there is no question that Cumbria and the Lake District is the Adventure Capital of the UK - that's why I live here. Leo Houlding.
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