Into the Unknown: A Journey Through the World’s Wildest Places

From war zones to volcanoes, continental crossings to Siberian ice, Oli France has spent much of his life chasing the edges of the map. In this immersive talk, he shares raw, rarely-told stories from expeditions through places that most people only ever see in the headlines, or not at all.

In this night of adventure storytelling, expect tales of close calls, curious encounters, and unexpected beauty in the unlikeliest of places. Oli will discuss what drives humans to explore, how we can manage risk and why we should lean in to fear and uncertainty.

Bio: Oli France guides teams through the world’s wildest places. From Iraq to Syria, Congo to Yemen, Somalia to Siberia. His adventures have taken him across 75+ countries, spanning 15 years and including remote mountains, deserts and war-torn regions.

He has organised expeditions and led teams in places seldom visited and which have often been cut-off for decades due to war or dictatorships. He has guided over 500 people across the globe, to frozen Iraqi mountains, Congolese volcanoes, remote Yemeni islands and many more such wild places. His personal expeditions include a 4-month solo winter journey from Hong Kong to Istanbul and an 18-day solo winter crossing of Lake Baikal, Siberia.

In 2023, Oli launched The Ultimate Seven Project, an ambitious world-first project with the aim of travelling entirely by human-power from the lowest point in each continent to the highest. To date, he has completed the Africa, North America and South America legs, with over 10,000 kilometres covered across over 120+ days.

During his expeditions, Oli has been held at gunpoint, negotiated with militia groups, been detained for 5 days in Uzbekistan, caught in a deadly earthquake and caught meningitis in Somalia. There have been lots of good times too.

Oli’s expeditions have been featured across global media, including the BBC, Red Bull, Nat Geo and more. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Member of the Scientific Exploration Society, a Winter Mountain Leader, and has a degree in Outdoor Leadership.

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