Dmitry Shparo

Dmitry Shparo is a famous Russian explorer, whose name is in the Guinness Book of World Records. He has walked across the Arctic, the North Pole and many other extreme places of the planet. Born in Moscow, Dmitry Shparo entered Moscow State University in 1956 to become a mathematician like his mother. While he was a student, he spent all his vacations doing hiking and cross-country skiing, especially in the Far North.

In 1970, Dmitry Shparo, together with his four friends, went on a hike along the Taimyr Peninsula in the north of Russia. They took a lot of pictures on the long, hard trip. Their photos were published in the central newspaper. During a meeting with the journalists, the five travellers said: "We shall go to the North Pole!" However, it took them nine years to make their dream come true.

In March 1979, Dmitry Shparo and his team started the expedition to the North Pole. It was a challenging mission. They had to cope with the extreme cold and with the drifting ice that formed huge mountains in their way. In spite of the hardships, it took the brave travellers only two months to get to the North Pole.

Several years later, Dmitry Shparo decided to cross the Arctic to the North Pole. He planned to do it during the Arctic night, in total darkness. It was a dangerous and very hard expedition. The travellers had to cope with drifting, crashing ice and extremely cold temperatures. In spite of all these difficulties, in February 1986, Dmitry Shparo and his team got to the North Pole. The 'Arctic Night' journey appears in the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 1989, Dmitry Shparo and his American colleague, Paul Shurke, crossed the Bering Strait that separates Eurasia from America, on dog sleds. Later, in 1998, Shparo and his son, Matvey, were the first Europeans to ski across the Bering Strait, from Russia to North America.

That same year, Dmitry Shparo initiated another of his life's projects. With the help of Canadian Paralympic athlete Rick Hansen he founded the Adventure Club to encourage disabled people to travel. Over the past 20 years the Adventure Club has arranged a lot of different events for disabled athletes and disadvantaged children all around the world. Under Shparo's personal patronage, blind and deaf people and amputees have reached mountain peaks and crossed deserts, including the frozen ones.

Shparo's sons, Matvey and Nikita, take an active role in the work of the club. In recent years, the Adventure Club has focused on youth programmes — for example, several youth ecological camps called Great Adventure were organized in Karelia. The club also arranges trips to the North Pole for children.

Dmitry Shparo has published several books about his journeys. The most famous books are: A Way to the North, To the Pole! and Three Mysteries of the Arctic.

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