Explorer
Ice Warrior (
www.ice-warrior.com)
Jim has over 2 decades experience of Arctic travelling and in January 2001 he conceived the idea of combining his professional rescue expertise with his polar expeditioning into a long term vision known as the Ice Warrior Project.
Each year Ice Warrior calls for volunteers to embark on a comprehensive training programme ensuring that all members of the team become competent and safe polar travellers. Once they have attained this level they are then eligible to take part in an Ice Warrior expedition – some of which are world record setting events. These volunteers are of both genders, all ages and come from all echelons of society and all walks of life.
Each Ice Warrior Squad (as we call the training team) starts off being a disparate bunch of people with nothing but a common aim and develops into a cohesive group of highly performing and caring individuals that end up achieving something that they had only previously dreamt of.
To date we have trained more than 80 people to be safe and competent polar travellers, 26 of which have reached a north pole.
Jim believes and has demonstrated throughout his life that ordinary people, with the right set of characteristics, the right attitude and trained in the right way can achieve quite extraordinary things.
He draws his belief from experience in three separate “pools of life”. Business, where he spent 12 years as a top marketing communications consultant; fire and rescue operations where he has trained and led people in critical-crisis and immediately life-threatening situations for some 11 years; and 23 years of polar exploration.
“What Jim McNeill is doing is pioneering of the most advanced kind, just as Cancer Research UK is genuinely pioneering new ways to treat cancer. What he is planning pushes man beyond the boundaries and will take him to the most inaccessible places on Earth.”
Lord Robert Winston, broadcaster.
“When Jim approached me with a brief note hinting of a 'large ambitious but realistic' polar project in the offing he left me with little idea as to what it was all about. But three things grabbed my immediate attention. 'Polar', 'World Firsts' and the fact that this was a British effort.
During my first conversation with Jim, I was impressed by his quiet confidence and solid
enthusiasm. Since then I have come to learn of the determination, dexterity, skills and knowledge of the crew behind the project and am delighted to be associated with them.
Ice-Warrior has all the potential of a truly great British First. Slightly mad and eccentric in
conception, thorough and precise in planning and likely to prove ingenious and resolved in execution.
I wish Jim and his team the very best of luck in their endeavours.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Patron.
“Ice Warrior represents the best of British. It represents the great eccentric adventurous spirit. It also represents pioneering endeavours and the struggle of triumph over adversity.”
Donal McIntyre, broadcaster and reporter.