Mark Agnew
Mark Agnew wins European Advnturer of the Year for kayaking the Northwest Passage. Photo: Matt Jones
Mark Agnew recognised for Northwest Passage world firsts
I can hardly believe it. I've just come down from the stage, collecting the award for European Adventurer of the Year at ISPO Munich. I am absolutely humbled by the recognition.
The jury "each year elects a person for outstanding performance in the concept of adventure".
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The crowded room and the applause were a far cry from the emptiness of the Arctic. For 103 days, I saw more whales than people. One of my closest encounters with anyone who wasn't one of my teammates was with a polar bear that woke us up by pressing itself against our tent.
In October, my teammates and I became the first people to kayak the Northwest Passage, and the first to complete it under human power, with no motors or sails in a single summer.
I joined Eileen Visser, expedition leader West Hansen and Jeff Wueste on this odyssey - we were the Arctic Cowboys. They are all American so aren't eligible for the award, but it is as much theirs as it is mine. Sharing the experiences with them made it so much richer.
Kayaking the Northwest Passage. Photo: West Hansen
Why me?
If I was to hazard a guess as to why I've been recognised among all of the epic European adventurers it is because this is a feat that adventurers have been attempting for years.
As far as I'm aware, the first concerted effort to complete the Northwest Passage by human power was a team of rowers in 2013. Since then, other kayakers and rowers have tried it too.
Even this year, we were racing two rowing teams, neither of whom finished.
Trapped in Ice.
There have been kayakers who have traversed the Northwest Passage but not the entire route, and not without long portages. One man rowed it, but over three years, returning home each winter.
Even sailing the Passage is still considered the Everest of sailing.
(From left) Mark Agnew, West Hansen, Jeff Wueste and Eileen Visser. Photo: Mark Agnew
But even knowing that, it is hard to fathom the company I am in. I remember be glued to the TV in 2012 for the space jump that earned Felix Baumgartner European Adventurer of the Year. He rocketed (or rather floated, then fell) to fame when he jumped out of space.
Kilian Jornet won in 2014. He is the biggest name in trail and ultra running, not to mention his many feats in mountaineering too. I've interviewed him as a journalist, and now I sit along side as a European Adventurer of the Year. It is humbling.
The team kayaked from Baffin Bay to the Beaufort Sea.
Since I returned from the Arctic, I've been in the press and on podcasts, celebrating the achievement. European Adventurer of the Year is no doubt the highest accolade so far.
The praise and validation is great. But it is not why I did it. Everyday in the Arctic I reminded myself of my intrinsic motivations: to have an immersive experience in nature and to share those experiences with my teammates.
I am so so proud of what we accomplished. I am so proud to be recognised by the jury. And also I am so content because of the experience I had, irrespective of the outcome.