What Scouting says to people is: Every child has a right to have an adventure. Life is about grabbing opportunities

I've fallen down crevasses, been bitten by snakes, been knocked unconscious, had various limbs broken and once, a heavy camera came plunging down which very nearly decapitated me.

The hardest thing about my job isn't the snake bites or the crocodiles, it's being away from my children. I have a really religious satellite phone call every day back to the boys, wherever we are, whatever time zone, to say goodnight.

To get ready to climb Everest, I did a lot of hill running with a daypack on and a lot of underwater swimming. I would swim a couple of lengths underwater and then a couple above. It gets your body going with limited oxygen.

A man's pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance.

Our dreams are just wishes, if we never follow them through with action. And in life, you have got to be able to light your own fire.

For me, my training is a key part of my work as so often my life has depended on being able to move fast and haul myself up and out of something fast!