Jamie Clarke (adventurer)

Jamie Clarke (born 1968) is a Canadian outdoorsman, adventurer, author, filmmaker, actor, and public speaker.[1][2][3] He has stood on top of Mount Everest twice in 1997 and 2010, climbed the Seven Summits,[4] and is one of the few westerners who have crossed The Empty Quarter on camels.[5] In 2019, Clarke crossed the Mongolian desert, travelling east to west, with his son Khobe. They travelled on motorbikes, then summited Khüiten Peak, the highest mountain in Mongolia.[6]

Jamie Clarke
Born1968
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
OccupationAdventurer
Known forEverest climber, public speaker and advocate for the outdoors

Clarke has developed a career as a public speaker and media personality, drawing on his adventure and business experiences. He is a regular contributor to CBC Calgary on hiking and camping. He has also coached mental toughness, helping the Canadian national hockey team in 2018 in PyeongChang, and working with the Washington Capitals on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018.[7] Until their closure in 2017, Clarke operated two outdoor equipment retail businesses, The Out There Adventure Centre and LiveOutThere.com.[8][9]

Clarke lives in Calgary, AB, with his family.

Early life edit

Clarke was born in Calgary, Alberta, and as a child spent time hiking and skiing with his family in the Rocky Mountains.[10] As a teenager he started competitive cross-country skiing and enjoyed national success.[11][12]

Mount Everest edit

Clarke's first attempt on Everest in 1991 was with the "Climb for Hope" expedition. The team of 21 climbers reached 25,000 ft on a north side ascent before bad weather turned them back.[13][14]

Clarke's second attempt was in 1994 with the "Lungs Without Limits" expedition. Because the expedition was in support of the Alberta chapter of the Canadian Lung Association, the team climbed without bottled oxygen. Approaching from the north, the team of 14 made it within 150m of the summit before altitude sickness and bad weather forced them to descend.[15][16][17][18]

Clarke summited Everest for the first time on 23 May 1997 on a south side approach.[19][20][21] In 2010 Clarke returned to Everest to summit a second time as part of the "Climb With Us" expedition.[22] The team of six summited 17 May 2010.[23] The expedition was designed to test the HanesBrands "Super Suit".[24]

The Seven Summits edit

Between 1993 and 2008 Clarke summited each of the Seven Summits:[25]

The Empty Quarter edit

Following his 1997 Mount Everest Summit, Clarke set out to cross The Empty Quarter,[27] by camel, a 1,126 km journey through Oman, Saudi Arabia,[28] and ending at Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.[29] Prior to embarking on the crossing of the desert, Clarke travelled to London to visit Sir Wilfred Thesiger KBE, DSO, FRAS, FRSL, FRGS. Clarke was accompanied by his brother Leigh, his friend Bruce, and three Bedouin guides.[30][31] The expedition took 40 days.[32][33][34][35][36][37] During the trek, Clarke and his brother ate one of the camels they had been riding.

Public speaking, writing, and media edit

Clarke began public speaking in 1987, and began speaking professionally in 1992.[38] He speaks at schools, corporate conferences, meetings, and universities, and has spoken all over the world.[39][40][41] Clarke is represented by Keppler Speakers Bureau.[42]

Clarke co-authored The Power of Passion (re-published as Above All Else: The Everest Dream) with Alan Hobson after Clarke's 1997 Everest summit.[43] Following his expedition across The Empty Quarter, Clarke wrote and released From Everest to Arabia: The Making of an Adventuresome Life, chronicling the journey.[44][45]

Clarke has been a regular columnist for CBC Radio Calgary's The Homestretch since July 2013. His weekly segment is called "Get Out There" and focuses on getting outside and being active.[46]

Clarke appeared in two 1986 motion pictures; Rad as Luke and Hyper Sapien as Leo.[47][48]

Business ventures edit

In 2003 Clarke and George Achilleos opened the Out There Adventure Centre in Calgary. It is high-end outdoor apparel and gear store.[49] In 2009 Clarke and Achilleos expanded their outdoor business online, opening LiveOutThere.com, an online outdoor retailer serving the Canadian market. Initially, LiveOutThere.com was intended to be an online community for outdoor enthusiasts, but after two years the website was switched to a focus on e-commerce.[50][51] LiveOutThere.com was listed as No. 39 on the 2013 Profit Magazine Hot 50.[52]

Honors and awards edit

  • Nominated for the Order of Canada[citation needed]
  • Three-time Canadian Junior Cross-Country Ski Champion[53]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Pulfer, Rachel (March 2001). "Climb every podium". Explore. p. 16.
  2. ^ Creighton, Jayne (September 1999). "High achiever". Alberta Venture. p. 24.
  3. ^ Murray, Diana (30 March 2003). "I am man, hear my speakers roar". The Calgary Herald. Calgary. p. F3.
  4. ^ Pearson, Stephanie (January 2011). "Higher Love". O, The Oprah Magazine. USA. p. 106.
  5. ^ Stewart, Monte; Dempster, Mark (13 March 1999). "Calgary trio conquer desert". The Calgary Herald. Calgary.
  6. ^ Levinson-King, Robin (2 January 2020). "Dad travels 2,200km to get his son off his phone". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Lesson's from Mt. Everest help The Capitals reach the NHL Summit". The Speaker Experts. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  8. ^ Toneguzzi, Mario (23 August 2010). "Entrepreneurs reach for the top of retail; Adventure in the downtown". The Calgary Herald. p. B6.
  9. ^ Aarts, Deborah "The Art of the Pivot", Profit Magazine, 4 September 2013, retrieved 4 September 2013
  10. ^ Creighton, Jayne (September 1999). "High achiever". Alberta Venture. p. 24.
  11. ^ "Jamie Clarke". Alberta Human Rights. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Alex (6 March 1987). "Sports column". The Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie. p. A8.
  13. ^ Damaskie, Kevin (10 December 1991). "Climber broadcasts from Everest". The Journal. Calgary. p. 12.
  14. ^ Creighton, Jayne (September 1999). "High achiever". Alberta Venture. p. 24.
  15. ^ Nemeth, Mary (18 July 1994). "Alluring Everest". Maclean's. Canada. p. 44.
  16. ^ Stratton, Jackie (July 1994). "Peak Performance: The Emergo Everest Expedition". Impact Magazine. Calgary, Canada.
  17. ^ Beierbach, Don (16 January 1994). "Asthmatic climber undeterred by Everest statistics". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Canada.
  18. ^ Bronstein, Richard (February 1994). "Mount Everest–The ultimate quest". Business in Calgary. Calgary, Canada.
  19. ^ Creighton, Jayne (September 1999). "High achiever". Alberta Venture. p. 24.
  20. ^ Nagy, Sasha (10 June 1997). "Returning climbers on top of the world". The Calgary Herald. p. B2.
  21. ^ Andreeff, Monica (22 May 1997). "Calgarians mount assault on Everest summit". The Calgary Herald. p. A1.
  22. ^ "Jamie Clarke's Expedition Hanesbrands Everest; March 27– May 31, 2010". Bergadventures.com. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  23. ^ http://gearjunkie.com/mount-everest-summit. Expedition Hanesbrands: "Summit!". GearJunkie. 17 May 2010. Accessed 5 June 2013
  24. ^ Mansueto Ventures (February 2010). "Death to the Puffy Coat". Fast Company.
  25. ^ "Clarke summits Everest – again". CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.
  26. ^ "Take a peak: Building legs that can tackle Everest". Men's Health. October 1999. p. 29.
  27. ^ DeSouza, Fermin (19 March 1999). "Trek across the Empty Quarter". Weekend. Canada. p. 20.
  28. ^ Kirkby, Bryce (July 2000). "Across the sands of Arabia". Outpost: The Traveller's Journal. p. 32.
  29. ^ "Video: Penetrating Arabia's Empty Quarter". National Geographic.
  30. ^ Curren, Reg (10 February 1999). "Humping it across the desert". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Canada. p. A2.
  31. ^ Williams, Juliet (24 February 1999). "Empty Quarter Adventure: Calgarians push into desert despite odds". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Canada. p. B3.
  32. ^ Graham, Patrick; Robertson, Grant (February 1999). "Desert trek takes turn for worse". The National Post. Toronto, Canada.
  33. ^ Williams, Juliet (20 March 1999). "Calgarians show true grit with broiling desert trek". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Canada. p. A1.
  34. ^ Maxwell, Cameron (15 March 1999). "Forty days in desert "fantastic"". The Calgary Sun. Calgary, Canada.
  35. ^ "Zayed lauds adventurers". The Gulf Today. 14 May 1999.
  36. ^ Stewart, Monte; Dempster, Mark (13 March 1999). "Calgary trio conquer desert". The Calgary Herald. Calgary.
  37. ^ Daniszewski, John (April 1999). "Desert trek battle of man versus himself". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, USA.
  38. ^ Creighton, Jayne (September 1999). "High achiever". Alberta Venture. p. 24.
  39. ^ Yager, Doyle; Clarke, Jamie (March 2001). "The power of passion". The Business Owner.
  40. ^ "Today @ Colorado State University – International mountaineer Jamie Clarke will speak". Today.colostate.edu. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  41. ^ "Life in the fast lane: Highlights from our annual Inc. 500 conference". Inc. September 1999. p. 9.
  42. ^ "Jamie Clarke | Keppler Speakers". www.kepplerspeakers.com. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  43. ^ "The Extremist". WHERE Calgary. Calgary. December 2002. p. 18.
  44. ^ Yager, Doyle; Clarke, Jamie (March 2001). "The power of passion". The Business Owner.
  45. ^ Mark, Michelle (1 April 2001). "Desert crossing chronicled". The Calgary Sun. Calgary. p. 16.
  46. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/homestretch/columnists/getoutthere/. CBC.ca. 2013. Accessed 29 August 2013
  47. ^ Mitchell, Alex (6 March 1987). "Sports column". The Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie. p. A8.
  48. ^ Volmers, Eric (21 January 2011). "Rad, man! BMX cult hit shot in Cochrane turns 25; Panned on release, bike film has found its niche". The Calgary Herald. Calgary. p. D2.
  49. ^ Toneguzzi, Mario (23 August 2010). "Entrepreneurs reach for the top of retail; Adventure in the downtown". The Calgary Herald. p. B6.
  50. ^ http://www.va-angels.com/portfolio-items/live-out-there/. VA Angels. 2 April 2013. Accessed 29 August 2013
  51. ^ Aarts, Deborah "The Art of the Pivot", Profit Magazine, 4 September 2013, retrieved 4 September 2013
  52. ^ http://www.profitguide.com/microsite/profithot50/2013/ranking/39-liveoutthere-com. #39: LiveOutThere.com. 4 September 2013. Accessed 4 September 2013.
  53. ^ www.cccski.com http://www.cccski.com/About/History/Canadian-Junior-Championships/Canadian-Junior-Championships--Historical-Resu-%281%29.aspx#.UiEb3byoXYQ. Retrieved 30 August 2013. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[title missing]

External links edit