Antarctica is one of the driest, coldest and most hostile of environments on the planet. It is a place devoid of any permanent life and a place that requires the utmost competence and sheer determination to survive for any length of time. Through history the tales of suffering and perseverance are legendary and etched into adventure folklore. For more than a hundred years of polar history, no African had ever made an unsupported walk to the South Pole. That is, until Alex teamed up with another South African Sibusiso Vilane.
In January of 2008, Alex and Sibu became the first Africans to complete the 1200km trek unsupported and unassisted. The journey took 65 days and was in Alex’s words, quite simply the hardest thing he has ever done.
Alex relates his trek with powerful images and video and shares some key strategies for tough times. First, the need to balance risk and understand when its critical to be aggressive and push forward; but also when its necessary to pull back and wait. Secondly, the need to simultaneously keep in mind the bid picture compelling stuff, like vision and purpose. But also the mundane minutia of the day to day grind that make up the audacious goal. Finally, Alex highlights the power of process and our ability to increase our effectiveness in any given situation when we make principled decisions.
One of the last great adventure problems was to cross the Rub Al Khali, or Empty Quarter as the Arabs call it, unsupported and on foot. Known commonly as the Arabian desert, it is the hottest and most hostile of all the worlds deserts, and splits the Arabian Peninsula in two. While virtually everyone said this project would be impossible, Alex and a small team set out to prove them wrong. In February and March of 2013, Alex finally succeed after three years of planning to cross the Rub unsupported. The journey took 40 days and covered 1210kms.
This is the story of overcoming impossible odds. Specifically, how to plan and strategize when the goal is complex, challenging in every sense and has never been done before. Alex talks about 1st Phase vulnerability and the need to predict initial problems as your team is refining processes and levels of accountability. This talk also highlights the importance of ruthless discipline in an environment that takes no prisoners. Finally, Alex relates how critical it was to be positive and encouraging as a leader when things were taking a turn for the worse.
If your team is embarking on a project that your peers feel is impossible, then this talk is for you. It will shift the boundaries on what you believe to be impossible and empower you like never before.
Most people think the greatest challenges in our loves are those very big, audacious goals; the complex and challenging intricacies of teams tackling new projects or ventures. Or, in a simpler sense, the actual Mount Everest. However, the greatest obstacles are the very ones we take for granted all of the time, the feelings of doubt and uncertainty. It is these things that hamper our ability to achieve any level of success.
Over a period of nine years Alex has spent 180 days on Mount Everest, leading teams in varying conditions before he finally succeeded summiting in 2005. Alex relates the trials and triumph of what it’s like to fight doubt and disbelief on the icy slopes of the world’s highest mountain, before finally tasting the sweetness of success.
Alex’s message is simple. Each one of us will one day face our own personal Everest. It might not be 8848ms of ice and snow, but whatever it is, our ability to overcome self-doubt and disbelief will allow us to taste success. Focusing on Passion, perseverance and that illusive thing called Purpose, this talk will change your perspective on what are the things that really challenge us.
In a world where precious metals, minerals, oil and natural gas are the traded and highly valued commodities, belief, and specifically self-belief will increasingly be valued higher and higher and come at a premium.
Alex has spent the last 20 years leading groups of executives and high performance teams on some of the world’s more challenging terrain; from the slopes of Kilimanjaro to the high plateau of Tibet and the wastelands of Antarctica. During this time he has noticed a very subtle but consistent theme. Irrespective of the challenge, the teams and individuals that have thrived and succeeded, and have consistently tasted success; have had one thing in common. Incredibly high levels of self-belief.
Alex describes the particulars of what gives these teams and individuals such high self-belief; from the process of ‘trading’ belief, like any other commodity, to creating and adding to a ‘belief pool’. Key to this process in understanding the concepts of positive and negative cycles of belief, and what we can do to shift from one to the other. Alex shares anecdotes and incredible pictures from the slopes of Everest to the icy cold of Antarctica to the desperate heart of the Arabian Desert.
This talk will empower you and give your team an unbeatable competitive edge. If you are wanting to know what the future differentiator is for high performance teams; it’s this. Self-belief and a set of skills to gradually increase your belief pool and make your competitors irrelevant!
Alex Harris is a world-renowned mountaineer, explorer, and extreme athlete whose name has become synonymous with resilience and fearless pursuit of the unknown. Born and raised in South Africa, Harris found his passion for adventure early, channeling it into a career that has taken him to some of the most unforgiving landscapes on Earth.
Best known for leading the world-first unsupported expedition across the Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali), Harris has demonstrated the grit, planning, and sheer determination required to achieve the seemingly impossible. His accomplishments span mountaineering and endurance exploration, from scaling formidable peaks to surviving harsh deserts. With each feat, he showcases not just physical stamina but the mental clarity and resolve needed to thrive in extreme conditions.
Through his work, Harris has cemented his reputation as one of the foremost explorers of his generation. His story is not only about athletic achievement but also about pushing human limits, inspiring audiences to embrace resilience, adaptability, and courage in their own lives and organizations.
Alex Harris is a name synonymous with fearless exploration and unparalleled determination. Hailing from the enchanting landscapes of South Africa, Harris has carved his legacy as an esteemed mountaineer and extreme athlete. His remarkable feats include leading a groundbreaking expedition that achieved a world-first: traversing the daunting expanse of the Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali) in the Arabian Peninsula, all without external support. With an insatiable thirst for pushing boundaries and defying the odds, Harris exemplifies the epitome of human resilience and exploration.
Born and raised amidst the rugged terrain of South Africa, Harris developed an early affinity for adventure and the great outdoors. His passion for mountaineering ignited during his formative years, propelling him towards a life dedicated to conquering some of the world’s most formidable peaks. Through rigorous training and unwavering determination, Harris honed his skills, eventually earning recognition as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers.
Harris’s expertise extends beyond traditional mountaineering, encompassing a diverse array of extreme athletic pursuits. From navigating treacherous terrains to enduring harsh climates, he possesses a wealth of experience in pushing the boundaries of human endurance. Whether scaling towering summits or traversing unforgiving deserts, Harris thrives in environments where most would falter, showcasing his unparalleled resilience and determination.
With a string of awe-inspiring accomplishments to his name, Harris has cemented his status as a trailblazer in the realm of extreme exploration. His groundbreaking expedition across the Empty Quarter stands as a testament to his unwavering resolve and pioneering spirit. By leading a team to achieve the unprecedented feat of crossing this formidable desert unsupported, Harris etched his name in the annals of exploration history.
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Alex Harris begins by describing how uncertainty defined many of his expeditions, including times when he doubted whether his team would even make it through the day. While planning and preparation were crucial, he emphasizes that the single most important factor in achieving success was belief, not as a fleeting decision, but as a culture sustained over time.
He shares his early life in Johannesburg, where exposure to the Mountain Club sparked his mountaineering journey. This path led him to climb the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent. His first expedition to Antarctica in 1999 involved leading a team up Mount Vinson. Facing extreme cold at –50°C, he convinced himself never to return, believing the continent too hostile for Africans.
As his career progressed, Harris’s pursuit of Everest connected him with Sibusiso Vilane, who would become the first Black African to summit Everest. They first met in 2003 on Harris’s second Everest attempt. Although Harris did not summit that year, his collaboration with Vilane marked the beginning of a deeper exploration of teamwork, resilience, and cultural significance in adventure.
Harris also references meeting legendary explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, known as “the world’s greatest living explorer” for his numerous polar records. Harris frames these encounters and expeditions as illustrations of belief in action: how explorers from different backgrounds can come together, fueled by resilience and the conviction that survival and success are possible even in the harshest environments.
The talk underscores that in times of uncertainty whether in exploration or life the key to endurance is cultivating a sustained culture of belief.
00:00 Opening: uncertainty, doubt, and belief as the deciding factor
00:25 Johannesburg upbringing and introduction to mountaineering
00:50 First Antarctic expedition to Mount Vinson, facing –50°C
01:15 Meeting Sibusiso Vilane on Everest and Sir Ranulph Fiennes in exploration
01:40 Closing lesson: cultivating belief to endure and succeed in uncertainty
Alex Harris opens with his 2005 Everest summit, the culmination of a 15-year journey. While there was no prize money waiting at the top, the experience highlighted the deeper meaning of adventure: learning, resilience, and transformation. He reflects on his 1996 resignation from sales to pursue climbing and how his early Everest failure paradoxically gave him credibility and opened doors to lead others on expeditions.
Harris describes how he and his team developed expertise not only in climbing but also in logistics, enabling clients to explore challenging destinations like Denali, Kilimanjaro, and Antarctica. He illustrates the hardships of polar expeditions, from drinking liters of olive oil for calories to braving –65°C temperatures and even the humorous hazards of frostbite.
Not all expeditions were successful—such as his 8-week attempt on Broad Peak, which ended without summiting. Yet, Harris frames failure as part of the journey, offering rare moments of beauty, clarity, and inner confirmation that fuel the desire to return stronger.
He concludes with a story of pulling a sled across Namibia’s desert dunes as preparation for an ambitious man-powered crossing of the Arabian Empty Quarter. For Harris, adventure is both a personal challenge and a professional livelihood, requiring not only endurance and planning but also storytelling—the ability to translate extraordinary experiences into meaningful lessons for others.
00:00 Everest summit (2005) and reflections on the true reward of adventure
01:10 Early Everest failures and the credibility that grew from them
02:00 Building expertise in expedition logistics and guiding clients
03:00 Surviving Antarctica: extreme cold, olive oil calories, and frostbite risks
04:30 Coping with isolation and homesickness at the South Pole
05:10 Failure on Broad Peak: 8 weeks of hardship without summiting
06:00 Finding meaning in rare, beautiful expedition moments
06:40 Preparing for a man-powered Empty Quarter desert crossing
07:15 Closing humor: proof he avoided “Arctic Willy”
A: His pioneering unsupported expedition across the Empty Quarter desert, alongside a career of record-setting climbs and endurance feats.
A: Yes, his talks are designed to translate extreme exploration into actionable lessons on resilience, planning, and leading under pressure.
A: Absolutely—he adapts his keynotes for corporate, educational, and adventure-focused audiences.
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