Adventures
Tori is a professional adventurer. Her 20+ years' experience of expeditions and adventure started with a youth expedition to Iceland with British Exploring.
Those four weeks spent on the Vatnajokull Glacier were transformative in more ways than one and ultimately gave Tori the inspiration to take on some of the most extreme endurance challenges around the world.
“I can well imagine what an arduous challenge it must be to climb Mount Everest and I am full of admiration for your courage and determination to carry out this expedition. I could not be more grateful or touched that you should have chosen to raise funds for my Prince's Trust through your expedition, and greatly appreciate your remarkable thoughtfulness and generosity, as well as your commitment to our work with young people. ”
HRH, The Prince of Wales
“Ultimately, climbing Everest was a team effort. Not just four team members, but an extended support network built up over 18 months. We created a plan we all believed in. We set ambitious targets and worked incredibly hard in training to give us the best possible chance of reaching the summit. We had the courage to aim for the top and didn’t let the fear failure stop us.”
Mount Everest - first Welsh woman to climb Everest
For some, climbing Everest is a childhood dream, but this wasn't the case for Tori. It was born out of progressively more challenging and demanding expedition experiences which began as a teenager and peaked in her early twenties.
Many people thought she was crazy to consider climbing a mountain where winds can reach over 200mph and avalanches can sweep you away in seconds. Where the highest 848 meters has been named "the death zone". And where climbers can suffer from hypothermia, frostbite and acute altitude sickness.
But the encouragement received by her close network of adventurous friends and expedition colleagues was all she needed to fuel an inner excitement and motivation about this challenge.
Tori was part of a four-strong team led by a British mountain guide, Kenton Cool. The expedition comprised an intense 18-month training schedule which tested Tori to the limit, including an ascent of the Himalayan peak Cho Oyu (8201 metres). The team sought advice from fellow climbers and engaged professional support for the physical, psychological and nutritional elements of the expedition.
On 24th May 2007 Tori became the youngest British female (at that time) aged 25 and the first Welsh woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. All four team members were successful in reaching the summit, with teammate Omar Samra becoming the first Egyptian to do so.
“We were so exhausted; we kept falling asleep on our skis. You could NEVER switch off from the threat of polar bears. It tested me physically and mentally in ways I never imagined possible. Thank goodness we had a toolkit of mental techniques to help bolster our self-belief and keep us positive.”
The Polar Challenge - a race to the Magnetic North Pole
Tori loves being in a team. She also loves proving that anything is possible. Combine the two, and before you know it, you're trekking across the ice of the Arctic Ocean as part of an all-female team set to enter the history books.
In 2005, Tori and her fellow Pink Lady Polecats took on the Scott Dunn Polar Challenge. A mere 360 miles stood between them and the kudos of being the first all-female team to complete in one of the world's toughest races. A race which involved pulling sledges across shifting sea ice in temperatures as low as -40C.
The Pink Lady Polecats avoided polar bears and Arctic shock to take 6th place out of 16 teams. While by no means the strongest or fittest team, they showed what's possible when you aim high, set the right objectives and communicate successfully with your teammates.
“There was no easing into this challenge. Day 1 of our journey took us 34 hours of non-stop kayaking. At one point there was an uncontactable fishing trawler circling ahead of us in the darkness. I feared the worst but thought about what I’d already achieved against the odds and kept on paddling.”
Beeline Britain - one of the last Great British adventures
Have you ever considered what it would be like to travel in a straight line between Land's End or John O'Groats? Or even where that line goes?
Neither had Tori until 2014 when she joined the Beeline Britain team who became the first people to undertake this 1,100km journey between two iconic British landmarks.
Tori and the team cycled along country roads and through major cities, hiked through valleys and over mountains and kayaked across open seas to complete the challenge. In the process, they set a record for the longest open sea kayak crossing in UK waters kayaking non-stop for 200km over 34.5 hours from Land's End to Pembrokeshire.
On the way, they raised over £24k for the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association (BLESMA) and set the record for the longest open sea kayak crossing in UK waters.
The journey was captured in an award-winning documentary As the Crow Flies.
“What’s a little saddle soreness and foot cramping between friends when you’re travelling through the live-action set of Lord of the Rings? It was like Mother Nature threw all her ideas for beauty on earth into one place, and the result was New Zealand.”
New Zealand by bike
What's a girl to do after she's stood on the summit of the world's tallest mountain and hiked across the Arctic to plant a flag at the magnetic North Pole? Hatch a plan with a pal to cycle 2400km along the length of the land of the long white cloud (AKA New Zealand).
Tori and her friend Maria Leijerstam decided to travel to the Southern Hemisphere and see the breath-taking scenery of New Zealand from the saddle. They took just 23 days to cycle from the northernmost point of the country, Cape Reinga, to Bluff in the far south.
The friends enjoyed a tumultuous, adrenaline-filled journey which took in some of the world's most spectacular scenery. From mud pools to mighty kauri trees, hot water beaches to vast mountain passes, New Zealand, with its generous hospitality and friendly people, did not disappoint.