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It turns out that in the daredevil world of adventurers and explorers, when the going gets tough, the tough actually hope and pray. Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the man the Guinness Book of World Records hailed as the 'Greatest Living Explorer', knows this better than most folk.
"You cannot appear weak in front of the other guy. So when it gets really difficult, you just hope and pray he breaks his leg. You can now call off the expedition knowing it was not because of you. It's alright, because he's probably thinking the exact same thing."
And this from a man who has among others the distinction of being the first to cross the Antarctic continent unsupported by foot, someone who overcame vertigo to scale the 6000-ft north wall of Mt Eiger, fought communist rebels in a forgotten corner of Oman, ran seven marathons in seven continents in seven days and sawed off his frostbitten fingers when the pain became unbearable.
At 64, Fiennes is still sizing up competition, but in a completely new arena – motivational speaking. "It's an absolute rat race. Everyone from former Olympians and prime ministers are now motivational speakers," says Fiennes, who is one of the speakers at Leaders in Dubai Business Forum this month where he will hold forth his views on leadership and survival in the business world.
Military past
The Eton-educated Ranulph traces his family lineage back to Charlemagne and is cousin to Hollywood stars Ralph and Joseph Fiennes. He was the youngest captain in the British Army and was drafted into the elite SAS unit where he specialised in demolitions.
What happened during his stint with the SAS is the stuff of legends. Angered by 20th Century-Fox Pictures's attempts to widen a pond in Castle Combe, Wiltshire, for a scene in the 1967 film Doctor Dolittle, starring Rex Harrison, Fiennes and an SAS comrade blew up (using Army-issue explosives) a temporary dam built by the film's producers. He was arrested and dismissed from the SAS and served out the rest of his military career in the Royal Scots Greys regiment.
The Dhofar rebellion
In the last two years of his military service, Fiennes was seconded to serve in the army of the Sultan Said bin Taimur al Said of Oman, who was having trouble with a Soviet-backed communist insurgency in the Dhofar region of his sultanate in the 60s. Fiennes commanded a reconnaissance platoon of the Muscat Regiment and fought alongside Omani and Baluch fighters – an experience that he chronicled in the book Where Angels Fear to Tread, one among the many books he has authored.
"These rebels were planning to take over a country and trying to convert Muslims into Marxists. Backed by the Soviets and armed with Soviet-made weapons (some were even trained in Odessa), they were quite a motivated lot," recalls Fiennes.
"Around the time the Dhofar insurgency broke out, I was stationed in Germany. So when I was called to Dhofar, I was only too glad to go. It was an experience fighting alongside Omani and Baluch soldiers. We went through a lot together. When they fasted during Ramadan, I would fast too."
Fiennes says he hates to hypothesize, but is willing to give us a short-term view of what he thinks would have gone down if the communists had won.
"In the short-term view, it would have been difficult to get oil out of the Arabian Gulf. Back then, 80 per cent of the world's non-communist oil passed through the Straits of Hormuz, so if the communists won, they could control that vital shipping route."
Fiennes was decorated for his bravery by the Sultan and he would visit the country many times in the following years, famously leading the expedition that unearthed in 1992 the lost city of Ubar, referred to as the Atlantis of the Sands.
Explorers and sponsors
Over the years, cynics have often scoffed at how sometimes corporate sponsors milk expeditions for maximum publicity. Is the spirit of adventure sort of lost when an explorer or adventurer climbs Mt Everest and then waves his corporate sponsor's flag?
"Well, the money has to come from somewhere because you could never really fork out the entire expenses for the expedition," answers Fiennes.
"I don't think the sponsor bit is overdone or that the spirit is somewhat lost. For example, people still loved to watch Michael Schumacher race even though he was covered under sponsor logos on his red jumpsuit. On the flip side, no amount of sponsor logos on your jacket can help when you starve on an ill-planned expedition."
Fiennes says it is easier to get a sponsor enthused about a project now than it was when he started all those years ago.
"Communication methods have improved. Also with the emergence of technologies like satellite phones, you could communicate to the press on behalf of the sponsor from even a remote location like the South Pole," he explains.
Conquering fear
Fiennes says he was born with a fear of spiders and heights. "After endless nights in the Arabian desert, I got used to spiders. So I figured that the best way to conquer my fear of heights was to actually scale a high peak and so I climbed Mt Eiger," says Fiennes.
Fiennes is currently writing a book on the history of his family. The Fiennes are originally from France and Eustace Fiennes, a kinsman of William the Conqueror, is said to have beheaded King Harold at Hastings during the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066.
The family had 12 castles in Britain, of which only one remain. But, that doesn't mean he's going to spend the rest of his days quietly. He's got two expeditions planned soon, but is not willing to divulge any more details. "We have competition from our Norwegian friends, so you can ask but I will not disclose any more details." And, what of retirement? "If I wanted to die young, I would just retire and play golf."
Bond contender
Ranulph Fiennes was in contention to play James Bond. He was in the running to be the next James Bond after George Lazenby. He was among the short-listed and even met with Albert Broccoli but rumour has it that the famous producer thought his hands were too big and that he had a face like a farmer!
"I thought Daniel Craig is a good choice, but I did think he was a small guy. But he is far from the cultured persona you would associate with a character like Bond, this guy looks more like a thug. But nevertheless, I would put him right up there with Connery in terms of being the best Bond."
Catch 'Leaders in Dubai' at the Dubai International Convention Centre from November 16-18. Log on www.leadersindubai.com for more details.
Profile
- 1965: Joins the SAS, becomes the youngest captain in the British Army
- 1970: Awarded the Sultan of Oman’s Medal of Bravery
- 1992: Leads a team to discover the lost city of Ubar
- 1993: Completes the longest unsupported crossing of the Antarctic continent in history
- 2003: Completes the 7x7x7 (seven marathons on seven continents in seven days) in just 14 weeks
after undergoing a heart attack and double heart bypass surgery
- Has raised more than Dhs750 million for various charities
- Author of 17 books
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