Paul Deegan

Paul Deegan's passion for remote and wild places was ignited on April 20, 1985, when he survived a high-speed car crash by being thrown through the back window. Hours later, a policeman by his hospital bed remarked, "You should have died today." This moment spurred Deegan to vow that he would make every day count.

Two years after the accident, at age 17, Deegan proposed and co-led a significant environmental initiative—a 47-strong team tasked with cleaning up decades of accumulated waste at the base of Mount Everest. This experience sparked his interest in mountaineering, leading him to explore many of the world's most challenging and lesser-known mountain ranges. Deegan's adventures have included traveling along a frozen Himalayan river in a gorge deeper than the Grand Canyon and exploring the Eastern Pamirs, where he led an expedition that made first ascents on previously unclimbed peaks. His stories have been published in over 250 articles in prestigious publications including The Times of London and Geographical.

Everest has been central to many of Deegan's expeditions. He was a member of an expedition during the 1996 "Into Thin Air" storm, a tragic event that marked the worst disaster in Everest's history at that time. Despite initially vowing never to return to Everest after this ordeal, the mountain's allure proved irresistible. After an eight-year break, Deegan made a final attempt to summit Everest, achieving his goal 15 years after his first awe-inspired gaze towards its peak.

An award-winning author, Deegan received accolades for his book "The Mountain Traveller’s Handbook," which was honored at the U.S. National Outdoor Book Awards. As a motivational and leadership expert, he addresses audiences from corporations like Motorola and GlaxoSmithKline to innovative platforms like the Do Lectures.

Deegan is not only committed to his adventurous pursuits but also to aiding environmental and social causes. He donates at least 1 percent of his gross income to charitable organizations, delivers at least 20 percent of his talks pro bono, and offsets the carbon emissions from all his air travel. He has contributed to scientific research, assisting scientists studying ocean acidification on Arctic sea ice, and continues to engage with the communities that support his expeditions, such as the Sherpas in the Everest region.

When not climbing mountains, writing, or speaking, Deegan enjoys culinary experimentation, often trying to recreate exotic dishes from his travels. His explorations have led him to sample unique foods from raw chicken in Tokyo to fermented mare's milk in the Pamirs—a testament to his adventurous spirit both on and off the mountains.