National Geographic Announces 2015 Adventurers of the Year

It is that time again. National Geographic has announced their picks for the 2016 Adventurers of the Year, with some familiar faces earning a spot on the list. Many of these men and women are people that we’ve followed here on The Adventure Blog, with some surprise picks to go along with those that are a bit more obvious and expected.

Falling into that latter category, I’m sure no one will be surprised to hear that Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson made the cut. After all, these two men held the world spell bound last January as they climbed the incredibly difficult Dawn Wall in Yosemite. Their climb took 19 days to complete, and for much of that time rock climbing gained widespread mainstream media attention, something that doesn’t happen very often.

Others who earned the title of Adventurer of the Year in 2015 include a female team of cyclists in Afghanistan who are breaking new ground, long-distance kayaker Freya Hoffmeister, who completed her circumnavigation of the South American continent, and skies Chris Davenport, and Christy and Ted Mahon, who became the first people to make ski descents of all 53 14ers in Colorado. Scott Jurek also made the list for his speed run along the Appalachian Trail, as did Ben Stookesberry, Chris Korbulic, and Benny Marr for their first descent by kayak of a river in Papua New Guinea.

As usual, these men and women are incredibly inspiring, and demonstrate a commitment to pushing the limits of what we believe we are capable of accomplishing. They are climbers, paddlers, explorers, conservationists, cyclists, and so much more. You can check out the entire list here, and vote for your pick for the People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year by clicking here. The winner of that category will be announced in February.

Also get a look at these amazing people in the video below.

Kraig Becker