Adventurer shares images from his CRAZIEST vacations – including skydiving from 28,000ft, skiing to the South Pole, and traveling to the edge of SPACE in a fighter jet
- Luke Hepworth, 49, has been scouring the world for adrenaline pumping activities for more than 20 years
- He loves picking wacky adventures, as the mental and physical aspect of training is something he enjoys
- On one trip, he broke a work Guinness World Record for taking part in the highest obstacle course at 18,746ft
Forget deck chairs and dreamy beach views.
For this avid adventurer, his vacation photos follow a different theme: pushing the human body to extremes.
Luke Hepworth, 49, has been scouring the world for adrenaline pumping activities for more than 20 years and one of his zanier expeditions saw him snag a Guinness World Record for taking part in the highest obstacle course at 18,746ft (5,714m) on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Dipping into his archives, the Sydney-based globetrotter has shared a selection of snaps with DailyMail.com which shed light on some of his top hair-raising expeditions to date.
Luke Hepworth, 49, has been scouring the world for adrenaline pumping activities for more than 20 years. One of Luke’s photo series shows him skydiving from a lofty 29,000ft in Memphis, Tennessee
Because of the dizzying height, he had to wear an oxygen bottle, a mask and a military jumpsuit. During the skydive he experienced two minutes of freefall
Luke decided to take the physicality of his vacations up a notch by taking part in the World Marathon Challenge in 2019
The event – which costs $42,047 to take part in with flights included – involves undertaking seven marathons on seven continents in seven days
The business owner and philanthropist once flew to the edge of space in the passenger seat of a MiG-29 supersonic fighter jet
One of Luke’s photo series shows him skydiving from a lofty 29,000ft in Memphis, Tennessee.
Because of the dizzying height, he had to wear an oxygen bottle, a mask and a military jumpsuit.
Recounting the jump, Luke said: ‘I completed the skydive with HALOJUMPER, which allows you to perform some of the highest jumps in the world.
‘I was strapped to a chap called Dave who had been living in the US but was originally from Australia so that was a bit of a home comfort. He also reassured me that he had completed thousands of jumps without any mishaps.
‘After jumping out of the plane on a crystal clear day, we experienced a two minute freefall. As we descended through the clouds, I could feel the temperature drop and my adrenaline was off the scale.
‘When we released the parachute, it went from incredible wind noise to absolute silence.
‘After landing I wanted to go back up and regretted not booking a second jump. My aim is now to go skydiving over Everest.’
Luke says he loves picking wacky adventures, as the mental and physical aspect of training is something he enjoys.
Other vertigo-inducing shots from one of his far-flung vacations show the business owner and philanthropist flying to the edge of space in the passenger seat of a MiG-29 supersonic fighter jet.
Luke went with a Russian outfitter in 2002, but the venture has since ceased operation.
Detailing the run of events, he said: ‘It was incredible! We took to the skies from a military base in Zhukovsky, which is some 20 miles southeast of Moscow.
‘The one-hour flight was bonkers. We performed loop the loops, barrel rolls, and more, prior to topping out at 60,000ft at the edge of space.’
A little close to Earth, Luke decided to take the physicality of his vacations up a notch by taking part in the World Marathon Challenge in 2019.
The event – which costs $42,047 to take part in with flights included – involves undertaking seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.
Luke described the trip as the ‘most demanding of week of my life to date.’
He explained: ‘We zipped between Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth (Australia) Dubai, Madrid, Santiago and Miami.
‘In total there was more than 180 miles of running, 44,740 miles of air travel, minimal sleep, and one shower for the whole trip.
‘If the running wasn’t hard enough, the temperature variations from sub zero to highs of 86F added another dimension to things.’
In 2019, Luke skied the last degree of latitude (about 60 nautical miles) to reach the South Pole
Luke (pictured at the South Pole) says he loves picking wacky adventures as the mental and physical aspect of training is something he enjoys and it forces himself to keep in peak condition
While Luke was in Antarctica to get to the South Pole, he summited Mount Vinson (16,050ft) to tick off one of his peaks
Luke (pictured paragliding in France) says he thoroughly hates being anywhere where he is ‘idle for too long’
With several of the seven summits already under his climbing belt – including Aconcagua in South America and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa – Luke set his sights on Everest in 2023. A photo he took of the summit during his climb
Due to various factors, Luke had to abort his summit attempt about six to nine hours from reaching the top
Asked where his favorite place has been to date, Luke says it has to be Antarctica and he has been there four times
Despite the grueling schedule, Luke said he ‘loved’ the marathon and there were 40 runners ‘from all over the world of different ages and with different experiences,’ but the common goal was ‘to get it done.’
The thrill seeker added: ‘Dubai was my Achilles heel of the event. It was the half way point and I was broken, exhausted, and had very swollen feet.
‘I really had to push myself to keep going and remain mentally strong. I tried to break the race down into chunks and see Dubai as another part ticked off.’
Upon completing the race, Luke was delighted to hear that he had raised more than $100,000 for six different charities.
He said this sense of accomplishment caused him to increase his ambitions and goals and with that, he decided to undertake the Explorers Grand Slam.
This challenge involves climbing the highest peaks on each continent, including Everest, along with skiing to the North and South Poles.
In 2019, Luke skied the last degree of latitude (about 60 nautical miles) to reach the South Pole, and while he was in Antarctica, he summited Mount Vinson (16,050ft) to tick off one of his peaks.
Photos from the trip, show him pulling a heavy sled across the desolate landscape in a bid to reach his end goal.
As with most of his adventures, he skied to the pole to raise money for charity, with his chosen organization being Big Change, a UK-based non-profit that supports young people and schools.
With several of the seven summits already under his climbing belt – including Aconcagua in South America and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa – Luke set his sights on Everest in 2023 with record-breaking mountaineer Nirmal (Nims) Purja as his guide.
However, due to various factors he had to abort his summit attempt about six to nine hours from reaching the top.
‘It’s true what they say, it’s the journey that matters, not just the destination,’ Luke said of his Everest experience.
Next up, Luke has his sights set on space, with one trip scheduled with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic in the next few years.
Luke says Branson is one of his biggest inspirations and over the years, they have become close acquaintances.
He revealed: ‘I’ve long considered Richard’s drive and passion for adventure to be inspirational.
‘His commitment and tenacity to complete a expedition is something I’ve witnessed many times.
‘I value the “get it done” attitude and have benefitted greatly from spending time with him.’
Asked where his favorite place has been to date, Luke says it ‘has to be Antarctica’ and he has been there four times. Meanwhile, his least favorite place on the map is anywhere where he is ‘staying idle for too long.’
‘I love being on the move!’ the adventurer chimes, before signing off to catch – you guessed it – a flight to the next port of call.
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