I promised you the blooper I filmed with Peter Bland when he visited my home in Western Australia. All thing do not always go to plan, especially when dealing with animals or children. I have another funny video from my sons classroom when “Bland - The Ice Man” presented his Adventure Odyssey’s to the children. I’ll share that one with you another time. For now, here’s Peters ordeal with Whiskey The 90kg Ram.
Peter Bland - The Ice Man vs Frisky Whiskey
I should have named that one: Bland Whiskey. If you get the opportunity to see Peter Bland speak, you’ll hear some great motivational stories of ordeals with Polar Bears that (might) put Whiskey to shame. I’ll share some more stories about Blandy in future posts.
My good friend, Peter Bland is The Ice Man. He is the first Australian to reach the North Magnetic Pole in 1998 and the first to venture both to the north and south magnetic poles. His courage and abundance mentality has brought him through conditions and aversity that lesser men would have folded under. In 1996, he navigated a team to the South Magnetic Pole. In 2000, he was honored to raise the Australian flag of Sir Douglas Mawson on the North Magnetic Pole, that was raised by Sir Douglas himself on the South Pole nearly 100 years earlier.
What Makes Peter Bland Remarkable?
Peter Bland was born with a hole in his heart. At the age of 8, he survived open heart surgery. His trek to the North Pole was undertaken only 12 months after his 2nd major bout of open heart surgery. In order to get funds to go to the north pole, “Blandy” got a sponsorship from an underwear company: Mitch Dowd Boxer Shorts. Check out this funny video, filmed on the Magnetic North Pole.
Disaster On The Antarctic Peninsula
With the North Pole behind him, Peter was ready for his next adventure. Peter and his friend, Jay Watson, set out to cross the Antarctic peninsula, unsupported. On the very last day of the journey, Peter Bland was swept away by an avalanche, into a crevasse. Falling the equivalent of 14 stories, Peter suffered massive injuries. For 3 days, Jay Watson lay on top of Peter to keep him warm and alive until rescuers arrived. Thanks to his friends persistence, Peter is still alive today.
Remarkable Facts About Peter Bland
These are some remarkable facts that come to mind about my mate: “Blandy”
Peter Bland has successfully raised over $14 Million dollars for charity
He has produced 2 television documentaries
He is the first Australian to the North Magnetic Pole
He has survived 2 major bouts of open heart surgery and carried on as normal
Peter founded Adventure Odyssey, where he takes people to Antarctica on lifetime adventures with his thrillionaire mate: Nik Halik
Peter is now a successful public speaker, motivating people with stories of his adventures.
The Ice Man Meets His Nemesis: Whiskey The Ram
A few months ago, Peter repaid a favor to me by doing a 1,5 hour presentation of his motivational adventures to my sons grade 5 class. They had a ball. Here is a video with Peter, filmed on my property in Western Australia from that very same weekend. He’s trying to hold off my Ram, Whiskey, while delivering a motivational message.
To quote his motivational saying:
If we want, what we want
then we have to be prepared to do, today
what others won’t
so we will have tomorrow
what others don’t - Peter Bland
Next time, I will post the blooper of the above video, titled: “Peter Bland and Frisky Whiskey”
My good friend, Peter Bland is The Ice Man. He is the first Australian to reach the North Magnetic Pole in 1998 and the first to venture both to the north and south magnetic poles. His courage and