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MEET THE TEAM

Dr. Gareth Andrews

FANZCA FRGS – Consultant Anaesthetist, Explorer, and Expedition Leader

Gareth is a Consultant Anaesthetist with extensive experience in critical care, remote medicine, and the management of high-pressure environments. Alongside his clinical practice, he is devoted to teaching and mentoring, sharing his expertise in anaesthetics and expedition medicine, with a particular focus on the challenges of delivering safe, effective healthcare in remote and extreme environments.

Outside of his clinical work, Gareth is an experienced explorer and expedition leader. He has led and supported scientific and exploratory missions in locations ranging from the Arctic to Antarctica, often combining his medical expertise with complex logistical planning in austere conditions.

Gareth is passionate about the intersection of medicine, leadership, and the natural world. He is currently involved in a number of research and outreach projects related to expedition medicine and environmental health, and enjoys mentoring others interested in this evolving field.

This year, Gareth will join his brother-in-law, Dr Richard Stephenson, in Chile to traverse the Northern Patagonia Ice Field – one of the least explored glacial regions on the planet. Over several weeks, the team will cover more than 250 kilometres of ice, collecting environmental data and drawing attention to the urgent need for glacier preservation.

Beyond his professional and expedition work, Gareth enjoys trail running and exploring the outdoors with his wife and two young children, adventures that are more modest in scale but equally rewarding.

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WHEN I STARTED EXPLORING

I was born on the Isle of Mull during one of the coldest Scottish Winters on record – a year when the sea outside our home in Bunessan froze solid.

Mum has always said that it was a sign of things come!

My earliest memories are of fishing the hill lochs with Dad on Mull. I was maybe five or six, fishing rod in hand, canvas tackle bag over my shoulder, scampering through the bracken up a mountainside trying to keep up.

They are some of my happiest memories.

 

MY FIRST MEMORY OF SLEEPING IN A TENT OR SLEEPING BAG OUTDOORS.

My parents instilled a sense of adventure in me from an early age.

Every holiday would be spent in a campervan or a tent next to a beach or in the mountains.

My first memory is being wrapped up in my blue down sleeping bag in our tent in the Pyrenees in a huge storm. Heavy rain and wind lashed the tent, thunder and lightning all around.

I loved it!

 

WHAT ADVENTURE MEANS TO ME

Adventure is a state of mind.

It’s not just dragging heavy stuff a really long way in really cold places. It’s climbing a tree, swimming in a wild river, surfing a new break.

It’s the way we view the world and our place in it.

WHY I WANT TO EXPLORE POLAR REGIONS

The polar regions are wild and dangerous, empty and stunningly beautiful – the true essence of adventure.

Immersing yourself in the polar world is both an immense privilege and a chance to test your mettle in the Earth’s most inhospitable environment.

 

WHY I AM CURIOUS

Curiosity to me is our natural sense of wonder, our innate need to question and explore.

 

WHY I WANT TO CROSS ANTARCTICA

Antarctica is the most wild and desolate, dangerous and stunningly beautiful environment on the planet.

It has fired my imagination since I was very young.

To ski across Antarctica unsupported is the purist form of adventure, it is one of the greatest journeys on earth – nothing to rely on except yourself, the person standing next to you and the contents of your sled.

Rich and I love just being in the polar environment and to be able to spend 4 months travelling across Antarctica is a huge privilege.