Tarka L'Herpiniere: Explorer, Endurance Athlete & Entrepreneur

Meet Tarka L'Herpiniere: Explorer, Motivational Speaker & Technology Entrepreneur

#Entrepreneur   #Polar World-Record   #Motivation   #Resilience   #Risk   #Technology

Tarka made history when he completed Scott's iconic 1,795 mile Terra Nova route from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back.  Pushing the outer limits of physical and mental endurance, the Scott Expedition was the longest polar man-haul in history - and a Guinness World Record.

Tarka L'Herpiniere is an accomplished ultra-endurance athlete, a world-class explorer, a technology entrepreneur and an acclaimed motivational speaker. 

'We absolutely enjoyed having Tarka at our event and have had nothing but great comments from attendees.  It was really obvious that he tailored his talk to our messages and event, and that was very much appreciated.  His presentation was interesting, he was a terrific speaker - it was a great experience.'

Lightspeed (Canada)

Fluent in both English and French, Tarka is a technology entrepreneur who shares a passion for life and a deep love of the outdoors. His journey through life took him from free climbing to B.A.S.E. jumping until he discovered the high peaks of the Himalayas.

Tarka attempted to summit Mt Everest without oxygen but high on the North Col he developed a brain condition known as HACE that forced a new path in his life.  He has walked across the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts, cycled the length of Africa, was part of a team that completed one of the longest crossing of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap and competed for his country at ski alpinism.

He jointly holds the Guinness world record for the longest polar journey in history.  A recreation of the famous unfinished journey undertaken by Captain Scott (during which Scott and his men perished) and notoriously hailed as the ‘the worst journey in the world’, this feat of human endeavour involved living in isolation and hauling through the polar continental shelf for more than 108 days in some of the lowest temperatures on earth.

Tarka L'Herpiniere is currently the CTO at a US based Artificial Intelligence company; Predictive Technologies, that he co-founded in 2017. Before that he was the VP Software for a multinational Telecommunications company based out of South Korea.

Tarka speaks with passion about pushing boundaries, assessing risk, staying focused when the challenge takes you to the edge of what is possible, taking opportunities and facing difficult challenges and thinking of innovative solutions when the odds are stacked against you.  And reminds us to live life to the full - and enjoy it!

"We only have one life. No receipts, proof of purchase or refunds.  Surround yourself with wonderful people.  Go and visit the mountains and walk bare foot in the grass as often as possible. Call your mum, buy a trampoline and laugh at least 30 minutes every day.  In fact, do whatever you want but make sure you enjoy it.” 

Tarka L'Herpiniere

'We absolutely enjoyed having Tarka at our event and have had nothing but great comments from attendees.  It was really obvious that he tailored his talk to our messages and event, and that was very much appreciated. 

'His presentation was interesting, he was a terrific speaker, and overall it was a great experience.'

Lightspeed (Canada)

 

'I would like to thank you for the absolutely fantastic talk that you gave. Everyone I spoke to after the event found your story captivating and very inspirational. People have been talking about it ever since.'

Admiral Group

 

‘I just wanted to express my gratitude to you for coming last week and talking to us. The feedback was extraordinary, and it created a huge buzz. All of the Genesis team would love for you to return after your next expedition and do an evening talk to the community in Genesis.’
The Genesis Conference Center

 

‘Tarka held his audience captive from the outset with an easy style of delivery, a natural rapport with the pupils and stories of a series of death defying adventures pitched to perfection. The drama of many of his expeditions combined with lessons of endurance and determination to succeed make for an engaging hour and the array of questions that followed indicated how far he had stirred the imagination of his audience. We will certainly be inviting Tarka back.’
Canford School

 

‘Tarka was excellent. His presentation clearly matched the perceived needs of the event - linking his own experiences to where the students are now in life. Tarka is someone we'd be pleased to have back again.’
Cantell Maths & Computing College

 

‘There are inspirational speakers and inspirational speakers, but certainly for our part, your visit was an unrivalled treat. It would be hard to imagine anyone comparable as far as narrative skills, openness of personality and a wonderful sense of optimism. We will follow your adventures and wish you tremendous success.’
Willington

Tarka L'Herpiniere delivers his talks with excellent film footage and photographs and he tailors each talk drawing across his experiences in business and exploration. 

In the Press

The success of the Scott Expedition was reported worldwide: here's a small selection:

ITV reported the success of the Scott Expedition: 1,800 mile journey across the South Pole

British Explorers Complete Scott's ill-fated route in Antactica - read more from The Daily Mail

Tarka's story and his world-first expeditions have featured worldwide and within Britain on BBC and ITV news and national newspapers such as The Telegraph and Sunday Times.

Tarka L'Herpiniere has filmed and edited two inspirational outdoor documentaries: The Great Walk of China (2009) and The African Way (2009). The Great Walk of China is an award-winning documentary about an expedition through rural China and remote, dramatic and inhospitable landscapes. The expedition succeeded despite extremes of temperature and terrain: from the heat of the Gobi desert to -35 Celsius in remote mountain ranges.