I'm starting a series on Facepunch on incredible people and you may have seen a thread of mine (probably under the user name of Alpha) on Dr. Leonid Rogozov, a guy that performed self surgury in antarctica after he contracted appendicitis.
Well, folks. I present to you Fyodor Konyukhov.
[img]http://rt.com/s/obj/2009-07-15/01b.7.jpg[/img]
He is one of the few remaining adventurers and explorers. From his roles in multiple expeditions, to climbing Everest (twice), to running the famous Iditarod, Fedor has proven that he isn't just a sailor - yet his sailing achievements alone would stand on their own merit as an amazing career. Fedor is truly an adventurer of legendary proportions, who could stand among the greatest explorers in history.
[img]http://rt.com/s/obj/2009-07-15/02b.468.jpg[/img]
He was born in the village of Chkalovo in Ukraine’s Zaporozhye Region. From his early years, he felt the urge to travel and to discover the world and its many aspects, and prepared himself for future expeditions, though not always intentionally. He learned to swim and dive well, to sail oared and wind-driven boats, he bathed in ice-cold water and slept in the open. In school he had no equal in football and long-distance running. Most of all he felt attracted by the sea. Konyukhov was raised in a simple peasant family, together with his two brothers and two sisters. They were accustomed to hard work in the field and in the garden and Fyodor’s father, a fisherman, often took him to the Azov Sea for the fishing season. Fyodor took pleasure in standing shifts at the steer and helping fishermen draw their nets. Fyodor’s father, a World War II vetran, often told his children about the hard-fought battles against the Nazis. Young Fyodor was enchanted by the stories his grandfather, a lieutenant colonel of the tsarist army, told him about the polar explorer Georgy Sedov, with whom he had served in the same garrison. Before his final trip to the Arctic, in which he perished, Sedov gave his friend an orthodox Christian pendant cross, and asked him to pass it on to the most able-bodied of his children or grandchildren, who might be able to fulfill his dream of reaching the North Pole. Fyodor Konyukhov would turn out to be just the man to do it: he reached the Pole three times, including once alone, with that very pendant cross on his chest.
[img]http://konyukhov.ru/files/154/sEVEREST-3.jpg[/img]
[img]http://konyukhov.ru/files/190/vershini003.jpg[/img]
[img]http://race.antarcticacup.com/images/Kn-852.jpg[/img]
Now don't be pissed off that he's talking about God, that's his personal belief. Anyhow, this is him talking to RT just before his trek across the Silk Road.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7K1g7f01z8[/media]
Some of his art:
[img]http://www.konyukhov.ru/files/109/art_0015.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.konyukhov.ru/files/110/art_0016.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.konyukhov.ru/files/119/art_0025.jpg[/img]
He also does poetry. Also, :damn: that beard!
I have three testicles.
what has this man done to become better than me.
[editline]02:19AM[/editline]
actually they are more like cubes.
they still do the same thing though.
A man of many amazing talents. One of the very few today who actually take it upon themselves to explore the world. He is a man of definite respect.
I would love to travel across the world.
The thought of experiencing new climates and cultures, spending nights in dirty hotel rooms and bugnetted matresses, and having fun doing it.
If only I had the money to spend on traveling.
Now that is a manly man.
He's earned his way in many prestigious clubs. He was even pictured with Putin.