Over the last 25 years, Steve Holland of SJH Projects has provided technical support and advice to some unusual expeditions.

Equipment Design and Manufacture:

Sir Ranulph Fiennes:

The first project that Steve was involved in and then became the project manager for was a series of amphibious sleds for Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ attempts to reach the North Pole entirely without mechanical support. The Artic is an ocean covered by very active ice, which constantly moves, creating ‘leads’ of water to block the way. The idea of having a sled that could also be used a simple boat to maintain the straightest, most efficient line was seen as the one of the keys to success. The balance between food and fuel carried vs. speed over the ice vs. the weather makes the chances of success of such attempts marginal. Ran managed to set a series of records and proved that given the right conditions the Pole was attainable.

Rosie Swale-Pope:

Rosie Swale-Pope left her home in Tenby on her 57th birthday to run around the world. She crossed Europe and made it to Moscow carrying everything in rucksack. From Moscow the towns were further apart and she needed to carry more supplies. To take this weight off her back she started using a baby jogger. Discussions with her main sponsor, the UK edition of ‘Runner’s World’ magazine resulted in a call to SJH Projects to design a more purpose built trolley. This unit was to be simple, robust, large enough to take her rucksack and should be able to convert to a sled for when the Russian winter came. The trolley was delivered to Rosie in Omsk and was named ‘Hercules’. He has had his own adventures including being hit by a bus and saw her through the rest of Russia and Siberia in Summer and Winter.

In Alaska the deep snow and lack of roads demanded more specialised equipment and Rosie borrowed a small pulk sled with an integrated canopy. This did away with the need for a tent and was seen by Rosie as the way forward. Further discussions were held with Steven Seaton, the editor at Runner’s World to see if road going equivalent was feasible. Design discussions over satellite phone gave rise to the new specification. The new trolley would need to be longer and therefore would need to be tricycle design. Conversion from trolley to static shelter is by pulling three spring pins that allow the unit to settle on its insulated and reinforced base. This new trolley was delivered to Fairbanks, Alaska and has been her distinctive companion since.

Equipment Testing:

Xtreme Everest:

Travel and working in remote, harsh climates puts stress on key equipment. You need to be sure it is up to the task. One key example of this is the Xtreme Everest expedition, the largest ever medical expedition to Mt Everest which featured the highest laboratory in the world. The combined cold and thin air of altitude creates an environment far beyond the expectations of equipment designed for hospitals. The testing in support of Xtreme Everest included the use of the altitude chambers at the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine at RAF Henlow and the building of a working laboratory high in Alps on the Mt Blanc massif.

The Xtreme Everest team successfully summited in May 2007 having collected huge amounts of data that will feed back into the treatment of hypoxic patients in intensive care units around the world.