Paddy Pallin Inspire - Tim Macartney-Snape, Misadventures Big and Small

Tim Macartney-Snape Presentation Information:

From not being able to even get to the base of an intended objective to losing all climbing equipment at the very base of the mountain and many other misadventures, Tim explains how uncertainty has been at the core of all his significant adventures from the first Australian ascent of a 7000 m peak to simultaneously the first Australian ascent of an 8000m peak and Mount Everest.

Since his first expedition to the Himalaya in 1978, on which he became the only member of the 15 strong university club group to reach the summit, Tim has been back almost every year trekking and climbing in the remoter parts of the worlds greatest mountains. Apart from their unmatched scale, the Himalayan/Karakoram mountains present the added challenge of high altitude where even their bases are as high or higher than the tops of the highest mountains in Europe, North America and Australasia.

Tim’s presentation will focus on a few of his notable ascents but these accounts will be embellished with details of the cultures and natural environment that these mountains rise above.

Tim Macartney-Snape led the first Australian expedition to Mt. Everest in 1984 when the team pioneered a new route on the north face of the mountain and startled the mountaineering world by making the ascent without bottled oxygen and no Sherpa support.

He returned to Everest six years later beginning the three month climb on the Bay of Bengal walking over 1000km to Base Camp. From there he climbed alone and without the assistance of fellow climbers Sherpas, or bottled oxygen, reached the summit on May 11th climbing the full 8,850 meters for the first time ever.

Following that success he went on to co-found the outdoor equipment brand Sea To Summit, a company he remained a director of until 2017 when he divested his share.

The sea to summit climb marked the culmination of twelve years of successful Himalayan ascents on ten major expeditions, all of them attained without bottled oxygen in a lightweight style and some of them up previously unclimbed routes on iconic peaks such as Gasherbrum IV, Annapurna II and Ama Dablam. Predictably his most instructive Himalayan climb was his first. In 1978 a team of novices from the ANU Mountaineering Club set off to climb the 7066 m Dunagiri in the Indian Himalaya. A challenging peak that has seen more failure than success. In the end Tim was the only member to reach the summit after an open bivouac on the summit ridge.

He is a consultant to adventure travel company World Expeditions, an occasional trekking, backcountry skiing and rafting guide, an ambassador for The North Face and a patron of the World Transformation Movement (WTM), an organization dedicated to understanding and ameliorating the human condition.

The Inspire Adventure Series is a monthly event designed to inspire you through captivating presentations by adventurers who will share their outdoor experiences via multimedia slideshows. In addition to enjoying the presentation and participating in a Q&A session, there will be time to connect, chat, exchange ideas, and even find a partner for your next adventure!

We encourage you to bring children and teenagers along—we’d love to inspire them too!

Paddy Pallin is hosting nine sessions in 2025, scheduled for Thursdays each month from March through November. Snacks and drinks will be provided, but please feel free to bring your own food if you have specific dietary requirements. You’re also welcome to BYO drinks, including liquor.

If the event is sold out and you’d like to be placed on a waiting list, please email mkozok@paddypallin.com.au.

Terms and Conditions:

- There are limited 120 seats available, first come first served. If you miss, please expect to take standing position for the length of the event.

- It's non-profit event. Tickets will partially cover the cost of hiring the venue, food, drinks, presenter etc.

- Tickets for those under 15 are free and must be accompanied by an adult guardian.

- If you have purchased a ticket and cannot attend, please send us written notice.