David Kim Hempleman-Adams, LVO, OBE, CStJ, DL (born 10 October 1956 in Swindon, Wiltshire) is a British adventurer.

He is the first person in history to reach the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Poles as well as climb the highest peaks in all seven continents; the Adventurers Grand Slam.^[1] In 1984, he successfully completed a solo expedition to the Magnetic North Pole without dogs, snow mobiles or air supplies. Also he led the first team in 1992 to walk unsupported to the Geomagnetic North Pole.This was described in the book A Race Against Time. In 1996, he completed a solo unsupported expedition to the South Pole on January 5, sailed to the South Magnetic Pole on February 19, and led a team of novices to ski to the Magnetic North Pole on May 15. The book Toughing it Out describes David's first 20 years of adventuring.

In 1998 he joined Norwegian Rune Gjeldnes in an attempt to reach the Geographical North Pole, the final leg of his Grand Slam attempt, which he described in a book called Walking on Thin Ice. He also became the first man to fly a balloon over the North Pole in 2000, a trip that emulated the ill-fated attempt by Salomon August Andrée, a Swede, to fly to the North Pole in the 19th century and which he also described in a book called At The Mercy of the Wind.

He has made thirty Arctic expeditions and has reached the various Poles a record 14 times.

On 22 September 2003 he became the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an open wicker basket rozier balloon. The journey was from New Brunswick, Canada to north of Blackpool, UK.

In July 2004 he and co-pilot Lorne White flew a single engine Cessna from Cape Columbia in the north of Canada to Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America, covering 11,060 miles and arriving on 23 July after 12 days. In June 2005, Hempleman-Adams staged the world's "highest" formal dinner party. Hempleman-Adams, Alan Veal, and fellow adventurer Bear Grylls ascended to 24,262 feet in a hot air balloon. Grylls and Veal, wearing formal attire, then climbed down to a dinner table suspended 40 feet below the balloon and dined on asparagus, salmon, and summer fruits, and finally parachuted down to earth. His daughter Alicia Hempleman Adams became the youngest person to traverse Baffin Island in April 2005. In January 2007, Hempleman-Adams broke the quarter-century old world small sized hot air balloon altitude record, by ascending to 9,906 meters over Alberta, Canada; beating the previous record of 9,537 metres set by Carol Davis in New Mexico.^[2]

In October 2004, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Wiltshire.^[3]

In July 2007 Hempleman-Adams crossed the Atlantic in the smallest helium balloon to break the record for that particular class of balloon flying this distance. His aim was to land the balloon in Ireland but he was blown over to England by strong winds.See Toshiba Challenge website.

On 10 October 2008 Hempleman-Adams, along with co-pilot Jon Mason won the 52nd Gordon Bennett Cup, having flown a helium balloon from Albuquerque, New Mexico eventually landing over 1000 miles later near Madison, Wisconsin. They are the first British team to win the coveted prize in 102 years.^[4]

In September 2009 he broke the endurance record for a flight using the smallest man-carrying helium balloon. He flew 200 miles from Butler, Missouri, to Cherokee, Oklahoma, in 14 hours and 15 minutes using the class AA-01 balloon. The previous record was an eight hours and 12 minutes flight undertaken by American Coy Foster in March 1983.^[5]

To coincide with the 100th anniversary of Scotts expedition to the South Pole,The Heart of the Great Alone was published.It brings together a selection of the astonishing photographs taken by Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley with commentary and narration by David.

In September 2010 he competed in the Gordon Bennett 2010 balloon race held in the UK for the first time.^[6]

In December 2010 he turned on the Christmas lights in Wootton Bassett.

In 1992 David co-founded The Mitchemp Trust, a registered youth development charity working with vulnerable young people aged 11 to 14 years old from across Wiltshire who are suffering the effects of poverty and rural isolation. See The Mitchemp Trust website.

In 1998, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (MA) from the University of Bath.^[7]

Wikinews has related news: Balloonist to establish Trans-Atlantic Crossing record

Wikinews has related news: Toshiba Transatlantic Challenge - success

References[link]

1. ^ "North Pole party for 'Grand Slam' Briton". BBC News. 1998-04-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/85916.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
2. ^ British adventurer sets hot-air balloon altitude record in central Alberta^{[dead link]}
3. ^ London Gazette, Issue 57445 of 22 October 2004, page 13359 online
4. ^ Mr D. Hempleman-Adams (2008) Speech at Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award presentation, 29 October 2008, St. James's Palace, London.
5. ^ "Explorer achieves balloon record". BBC News. September 20, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/8264287.stm. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 
6. ^ Gordon Bennett 2010 website
7. ^ "Honorary Graduates 1989 to present". bath.ac.uk. University of Bath. http://www.bath.ac.uk/ceremonies/hongrads/. Retrieved 18 February 2012.