No stranger to daredevil adventures and pushing the limits of human endurance, Akshay Nanavati , a former US marine and author, has set for one of the most daring challenges of his life - a 110-day solo ski expedition across the frozen expanse of Antarctica. Undeterred by the tricky terrain and the perilous temperatures plunging to -40°F, Nanavati has his eyes firmly focused on becoming the first person to complete an unsupported, coast-to-coast ski crossing of the coldest, driest and windiest continent of the Earth, covering 2700 km, reports ET.
This isn't the first such challenge he has undertaken. He is among less than 50 people who successfully skied up the treacherous Axel Heiberg glacier in Antarctica. And now, he is in the news for his treacherous 110-day journey across the frozen continent. Nanavati's Antarctica mission will have him skiing for 12 hours a day in extremely low temperatures that would test his patience, endurance, and mental strength.
Akshay Nanavati, an Indian-American is a former United States Marine, ultra runner, speaker, and author, and has penned a book Fearvana (2017), in which he presents his very unique philosophy of leveraging one's negative emotions like fear, anxiety and stress for transformation and bliss.
As Dalai Lama said: “Fearvana inspires us to look beyond our own agonising experiences and find the positive side of our lives.”
From alcohol addict to marine
Nanavati's story has a cinematic appeal. He has come a long way from being an alcohol addict at the age of 13 when he moved to the United States to getting inspired by a movie Black Hawk Down to begin his journey as a Marine. He opted for the United States Marine Corps despite his struggles with thalassaemia and didn't pay heed to his doctors’ warning that he might not survive boot camp. “I was tired of my selfish, worthless existence. I wanted to do something more, serve in an institution where the good of the group matters more than individual well-being,” Nanavati said in a YouTube interview.
Moving away from his past and conquering his many fears, Nanavati found solace in mountaineering, rock climbing, and caving.
His struggles with depression and PTSD
He was deployed as an infantry noncommissioned officer to Iraq, where one of his jobs was to walk in front of vehicle convoys and alert them about the possible presence of IEDs. However, when he returned to the USA, he struggled to return to normalcy and fell in the trap of alcohol addiction again and was soon diagnosed with depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In 2013, he came close to slitting his wrists and that was the turning point for change when he unveiled a new chapter of his life with a book on his experiences. Fearvana had a cocktail of neuroscience, psychology, spirituality, and his life experiences.
As per Nanavati, suffering is the means but the reason he undertakes these missions. “You are opening a doorway into the human soul where you can find treasures, but only if you battle the dragon," he was quoted as saying by Mansworld.
(Picture courtesy: Instagran/Fearvana)
This isn't the first such challenge he has undertaken. He is among less than 50 people who successfully skied up the treacherous Axel Heiberg glacier in Antarctica. And now, he is in the news for his treacherous 110-day journey across the frozen continent. Nanavati's Antarctica mission will have him skiing for 12 hours a day in extremely low temperatures that would test his patience, endurance, and mental strength.
Akshay Nanavati, an Indian-American is a former United States Marine, ultra runner, speaker, and author, and has penned a book Fearvana (2017), in which he presents his very unique philosophy of leveraging one's negative emotions like fear, anxiety and stress for transformation and bliss.
As Dalai Lama said: “Fearvana inspires us to look beyond our own agonising experiences and find the positive side of our lives.”
From alcohol addict to marine
Nanavati's story has a cinematic appeal. He has come a long way from being an alcohol addict at the age of 13 when he moved to the United States to getting inspired by a movie Black Hawk Down to begin his journey as a Marine. He opted for the United States Marine Corps despite his struggles with thalassaemia and didn't pay heed to his doctors’ warning that he might not survive boot camp. “I was tired of my selfish, worthless existence. I wanted to do something more, serve in an institution where the good of the group matters more than individual well-being,” Nanavati said in a YouTube interview.
Moving away from his past and conquering his many fears, Nanavati found solace in mountaineering, rock climbing, and caving.
His struggles with depression and PTSD
He was deployed as an infantry noncommissioned officer to Iraq, where one of his jobs was to walk in front of vehicle convoys and alert them about the possible presence of IEDs. However, when he returned to the USA, he struggled to return to normalcy and fell in the trap of alcohol addiction again and was soon diagnosed with depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In 2013, he came close to slitting his wrists and that was the turning point for change when he unveiled a new chapter of his life with a book on his experiences. Fearvana had a cocktail of neuroscience, psychology, spirituality, and his life experiences.
As per Nanavati, suffering is the means but the reason he undertakes these missions. “You are opening a doorway into the human soul where you can find treasures, but only if you battle the dragon," he was quoted as saying by Mansworld.
(Picture courtesy: Instagran/Fearvana)
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