Queenstown's Erik Bradshaw is the first person to ski the length of the Southern Alps.
The 48-year-old completed the nearly three-month, 850km journey in 2011. He has climbed or ski-toured extensively in New Zealand, North and South America, the Antarctic, Europe and the Himalayas.
Q Why do you do what you do?
A Being in the mountain environment is the place where I feel the most peace and also the strongest. I find such environments very understandable - there are no hidden meanings and things are simpler so it is easier to relax. The environment is also very challenging and, when mastered, leaves you with a great sense of competence and strength.
Q When did you first realise you wanted to be a mountaineer?
A Never, really. I have been climbing mountains since I was a child. There are pictures of me when I was less than a year old in the backpack up at places like Homer Saddle in Fiordland. Mountains have been my recreation - like others might go to the beach.
Q Who has been the greatest influence in your mountaineering life?
A My parents; they are the people who got me started. Trips to the mountains were when my parents were the most relaxed, hence my feeling of a place where I am most relaxed. They taught me the basics of snowcraft, climbing and glacier travel.
Q What is your most embarrassing moment?
A About 20 years ago I was climbing with some friends in a remote and serious area called the Balfour Glacier in Westland. We had to do a very exciting/serious abseil where a mistake would be fatal. I misthreaded my abseil device and had begun to lower off the start ledge.
My friends noticed it just as I did - a fraction of a second before it was too late. A classic mistake caused by not managing fear and excitement. I still think about it today, and feel a mixture of stupidity and embarrassment. It is also a huge motivation to be cool-headed.
Q Property aside, what's the most extravagant thing you've bought?
A Inventing my own ski bindings. I could buy an upmarket new car for the amount of money I have spent on prototypes and a patent application. The flip-side of the coin is they have allowed me such adventures as skiing the Southern Alps.
Q Who would play you in the film of your life?
A Wouldn't have a clue. Never thought such a film would be made. Almost guaranteed to be someone I consider totally different from myself but my friends would say is spot-on!
Q What song would you like played at your funeral?
A That question is way too dark for me to think about. Something uplifting so people leave feeling like they should get out and do more.
Q What is the most memorable moment of your climbing life to date?
A My 850km ski traverse of the Southern Alps. When I started I just didn't know whether such a goal was physically achievable. I knew I could do it one day safely, but to complete weeks and weeks of difficult travel without a mistake was daunting. When I started I decided to tackle it one day at a time, and found that once I committed to it, the risk was very manageable.
The ski traverse also required a lot of invention of equipment such as my ski bindings. Near the start of the trip my ski broke. They were a special, short pair which can't easily be purchased, so my friend Richard Harcourt and I made a new pair using a ski press he was building.
It was the first pair we had made and they worked brilliantly. In many ways the ski traverse was as much a victory for Kiwi ingenuity as it was a sporting achievement. I also completed the traverse in good style, not requiring any helicopter support and some of my travel times were records that probably won't be beaten for a long time yet.
Q What would be your dream climbing trip?
A I would like to do a big ski traverse with my family. My kids are only 3 and 5 but I find their company, along with my wife's, so enjoyable I look forward to having such an adventure. I have the buggy fitted with skis and we have done multi-day trips in New Zealand, including one where we camped out in -8degC temperatures.
New Zealand mountains are very rugged and not suited to young kids. I have always been curious about doing a ski trip in Australia, and I'm currently thinking a multi-day traverse with the family through snow-covered eucalyptus highland might be on the cards.
Q Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
A The ghost of Olav Bjaaland, the main skier on Amundsen's trip to the South Pole. He strikes me as a fascinating character with amazing stamina and a great sense of humour. Also Laird Hamilton, the big wave surfer, would be interesting, especially talking about his hydrofoil surfboard. Finally, Ueli Steck - a Swiss climber famous for speed records - to make sure we eat fast enough.
Q What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A I have so many designs and plans for improving ski equipment and outdoors equipment. I would like to work on that full time (with a fair amount of time for testing). I really enjoy doing things that haven't been tried before. This requires new equipment that can't be bought from the shops.
Q What keeps you awake at night?
A Dreaming up adventures, designing and making new pieces of equipment.
