From war zones to volcanoes, continental crossings to Siberian ice, Oli France has spent much of his life chasing the edges of the map. In this immersive talk, he shares raw, rarely-told stories from expeditions through places that most people only ever see in the headlines, or not at all.

In this night of adventure storytelling, expect tales of close calls, curious encounters, and unexpected beauty in the unlikeliest of places. Oli will discuss what drives humans to explore, how we can manage risk and why we should lean in to fear and uncertainty.

Oli has guided over 500 people across the globe, to frozen Iraqi mountains, Congolese volcanoes and remote Yemeni islands plus he has undergone several expeditions including his 4-month solo winter journey from Hong Kong to Istanbul, an 18-day solo winter crossing of Lake Baikal, Siberia and in 2023, Oli launched The Ultimate Seven Project, an ambitious world-first project with the aim of travelling entirely by human-power from the lowest point in each continent to the highest. To date, he has completed the Africa, North America and South America legs, with over 10,000 kilometres covered across over 120+ days.  During his expeditions, Oli has been held at gunpoint, negotiated with militia groups, been detained for 5 days in Uzbekistan, caught in a deadly earthquake and caught meningitis in Somalia.  

2h 5m (inc interval)