About 70 people completed Explorers Grand Slam on land. I am sure the first person to complete it on land hadn't known how much it would mean to future explorers. Today it's one of major trophies, it is almost an initiation that puts you in the context of land explorers. I am glad I could set standards for human powered expeditions and I hope it will become a threshold of ambition for future explorers. It took me 9 years to complete it. In certain way I feel I expanded the boundaries of what human is capable of.
I earned 13 performance based World's Firsts during this journey, which happens to be the highest number of Firsts ever held by an explorer. I hope to see 50 people having completed Ocean Explorers Grand Slam in 30 years. I would like this title to be open to all human powered boats, whether powered by oars, paddling, pedals or kayaking. I would like it to be defined as completing a proper open waters crossing on each of 5 oceans by human power alone.
I think the only great explorations left on the surface of Earth are the boundaries of human power performance. Every land has been well discovered and there are no blind spots on our maps any more, but there are many spots where human couldn't put feet or oar yet by manpower alone. Distances and mental strength still is to be explored.
Ultra endurance is on major raise and I believe it will become the sports profile of the future. I think this is the most challenging Grand Slam one could undertake due to complexity of ocean rowing, especially in Polar areas. Antarctic Ocean will for sure be the most difficult piece of it. But I believe with the right amount of skills, courage, focus and funds this Grand Slam can be completed significantly faster than I did and I hope to see this speed record taken soon.
