Andy Kirkpatrick is one of the UK’s leading adventurers and mountaineers, having scaled the heights of mountain ranges across Alaska, Antarctica, Patagonia and the Alps. Also famed for having scaled El Capitan over 30 times, Andy specialises in big wall climbing and winter expeditions, inspiring others with his daring feats. Also a published author and monologist, Andy is now booked as a motivational speaker to share stories from his mountaineering adventures and inspire the next generation of mountaineers.
Pushing himself to climb some of the hardest walls and mountains to scale, Andy is renowned for seeking out routes ‘where the danger is real, and the return is questionable’. Specialising in big wall climbs, Andy has tackled temperatures lower than minus 30 and found himself in some of the most treacherous landscapes known to man. Outside of mountaineering, Andy has worked as a TV safety advisor and stunt rigger, having worked on films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Some of his most prominent expeditions include leading Alex Jones up Moonlight Buttress to raise money for Sport Relief, an ascent of El Capitan accompanied by his daughter for the programme My Life, climbing El Capitan with a paraplegic climber and making two ascents of El Capitan with Steve Bates, a blind climber. Andy is also a published author, having written the titles Down: The Complete Descent Manual for Climbers, Alpinists and Mountaineers, Higher Education, Unknown Pleasures, Me, Myself and I, Nutcraft- The Climbing Nut Bible, 100+ Tips for Climbers, Cold Wars and Psychovertical. He also filmed the award-winning Winter Patagonia and claimed the Boardman Tasker Prize twice.
Having solo climbed the Reticent Wall on El Capitan, the hardest route soloed by a British climber, Andy is now booked as a speaker for a range of corporate and public events to share the details of his daring mountain climbs. The way in which Andy shares his stories as a climber makes mountaineering totally accessible to all, sharing with audiences the risk and tension involved in big wall climbing. Not only sharing stories from the mountainside, Andy also shares stories of the adversity he has overcome throughout his life, making him a relatable speaker for many audience members. When looking to hire an inspirational mountaineer to speak at your event, book Andy Kirkpatrick today!
