Interview: James Hooper on Continuing Rob Gauntlett's Legacy

Writer David Vann caught up with Brit James Hooper, who shared the Adventurers of the Year award with Rob Gauntlett for their ambitious 26,000-mile journey from geomagnetic pole to geomagnetic pole last year (read the feature article). Tragically Rob and his good friend James Atkinson were killed in a climbing accident in the French Alps earlier this month.

James Hooper and Rob had an exceptional record of working well together to achieve extraordinary goals, including climbing Everest at just 19 years old. Here, James reflects on the loss of his dear friend and how he plans to make sure Rob’s legacy lives on.

After the initial shock of the event, what are your thoughts or reflections now?
At the moment I'd just like to take a few weeks to reflect on everything, the direction which Rob and I were moving in and the goals we were trying to achieve. Many of those goals will not have changed and I feel more strongly than ever about trying to complete some of the work we had begun. Rob and I desperately wanted to be able to tell the story of our 180 Degrees expedition through the footage that we shot and through a book. We hoped that through this we could not only share some fun times and tales of beautiful places, but also encourage people to realize that there are no boundaries to what you can achieve, if you are just willing to believe that you can make your dreams a reality. I'm looking forward to writing the book, as I believe that it is a wonderful opportunity to continue Rob's legacy, and hopefully inspire people to draw on his strength and determination.

Is there any new information now about what happened, after the reporting of the first couple days?
There is no way of knowing exactly what caused the tragic accident leading to Rob and James's deaths. The mountains are an inherently risky environment, and yet this is part of why we love them.

Continue reading this interview >>

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