Episode 156: Barry “Baz” Gray “Royal Marine Commando/Antarctica Expedition”

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Barry Gray (Baz) is a modern-day explorer and adventurer specialising in extreme cold climates. Barry is currently planning the Solo Unsupported and Unassisted crossing of the Antarctic continent from Coast to Coast in 2024, a journey still yet to be completed, if successful, this will be a world first. Barry was always an adventurous spirit growing up, very much the outdoor type. He enjoyed almost every type of sport and excelled in quite a few of them. His true-life adventure started as a 16-year-old when he applied to join the Royal Marine Commandos. Before he reached his eighteenth birthday, he had completed the world’s toughest military basic training course and took his place amongst the UK’s finest soldiers. The Royal Marines are the UK’s specialists in Mountain and Cold Weather training. All Royal Marines go through this training but it’s a unique and special group of marines that deliver the training, they are known as the Mountain Leader Branch. Barry applied for the gruelling and extremely challenging course in 1998 and was a fully trained Mountain Leader instructor 10 months later. Barry then went on to become the Chief Instructor of this very special group in 2007. Barry’s career saw him deployed on Operational tours to Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. As a Royal Marine and Mountain Leader, he has travelled the globe including the Himalayas, Norway, European Alps, The Andes, USA, Oman, Brunei, and Antarctica to name but a few. Barry decided to leave the Royal Marines in December 2016 after 26 years, achieving the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). Amongst his passions are polar history, especially the heroic age, and in 2013 he took part in the successful Shackleton Epic expedition in which he was part of the team that authentically re-enacted Shackleton’s 1916 escape from Elephant Island and crossing of South Georgia. One of the most remarkable Survival stories ever told. The journey can be seen as a three-part documentary on Discovery Channel called “Shackleton Death or Glory” Barry also skied Solo and unsupported to the South Pole in 2018-19 covering 730 miles in only 38 days making him the third quickest person in history to do so. This was part one of a two part plan to be the first man to ski Solo and Unsupported, without any assistance, to cross the entire Antarctic continent from sea to sea via the South Pole. This attempt is planned for October 2023. Barry now runs a motivational leadership business which is another big passion; to help others through mindset and resilience become the best versions of themselves.