A wonderful evening was had by all who attended Tori James' talk.  She shared tales of how she went from an office worker to the first Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest at the age of 25. Members of Club 1541 attended the talk, including recent leavers who ad been lucky enough to spend the summer on a School expediation to the Himalayas. Fifth and Sixth form students also came to the talk and found her to be very insprign. Who knows maybe soon we will have a King's alumnus who has taken on the challenege to climb Everest themslevs...or maybe you already have. Let us know!

Tori stars in the BBC documentary ‘On Top of the World’ which was produced using video footage which she shot and directed whilst climbing Everest. She is also the author of ‘Peak Performance’ which describes her record-breaking climb to the summit.

Tori is a multi-talented individual with a passion for extreme adventure in sub
zero temperatures. She grew up on a farm in Pembrokeshire (West Wales) where she claims to have gathered much of her toughness for venturing outside in all weather. After gaining a degree in Geography from Royal Holloway University, Tori spent three years working for the British Exploring which is based at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London. It was during her time working in the attic of the RGS that she became part of a team that was determined to make the record books.

In May 2005 The Pink Lady PoleCats became the first ever all-female team to complete The Polar Challenge, a grueling 360 mile race to the Magnetic North Pole. Not only did The Pink Lady PoleCats finish the race in 6th position out of 16 teams, beating all-male teams along the way, but they also raced through polar bear territory, across constantly- shifting sea ice and battled against temperatures of -40°C.

In 2010 Tori cycled the length of New Zealand, a total of 2400km, unsupported from north to south.

In June 2014 Tori was part of the Beeline Britain team who became the first to travel in a straight line from Land’s End to John O’Groats in aid of BLESMA (the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association). Their 1,100km journey involved sea kayaking, road cycling, mountain biking and hiking and is documented in the award-winning film “As The Crow Flies”. The team set a record for the longest open sea kayak crossing in UK waters kayaking non-stop for 200km from Land’s End to Pembrokeshire. www.beelinebritain.com

Tori lives in Cardiff and works across Wales and internationally. She is a motivational speaker and consultant delivering leadership training, team and youth development projects. Tori has led teams in both corporate and charitable organisations in sectors including aviation, entrepreneurship and sport.

Tori is the President of Girlguiding Cymru, a Fellow of British Exploring and an ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Wales. In November 2014 Tori was awarded a ‘Points of Light’ Award by the Prime Minister in recognition of outstanding volunteering over the last 10 years.