Katrina 'Kat' Follows is a UK native and was born in Cornwall, Southern England. Her passion for the outdoors started when she was very young, growing up on a horse farm and spent most of her youth competing in show jumping and cross country events. She always had a fascination with the mountains and the polar regions. After gaining her bachelor's degree in classical music from Manchester University and a sound engineering diploma from Kingston University, she decided that her life was to take her to live and adventure, in the higher, colder regions that she had always dreamt about. She started her quest to climb the 'Seven Summits' in 2003, the highest mountain on every continent and completed them with a summit of Mount Everest in 2006. From then on her passion to climb, ski, hike and run ultramarathons, became a way of life for Kat. She has spent the most recent years climbing and speaking all over the world, where her expeditions have taken her from the high mountain ranges and volcanoes of Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina to the higher 8000M peaks of China, Nepal and Pakistan. She has climbed extensively throughout the Alps, skied to the Geographic North Pole as part of Team Canada and is an avid ultra runner, getting placed amongst the top three women in long distance events, across mountain and desert terrain. She loves the wilderness and has also expeditioned by canoe to many remote parts of the planet. This includes an incredible journey along the Siberian border with Mongolia and down the Nahanni river in the wild North West Territories of Canada. Kat has completed an expedition on skis, to the Geographic South Pole. In December 2016, the small team of four arrived at the South Pole, after hauling 110kg sleds from the ocean and skiing for 44 long days following the 'Fuchs-Messner' route. They covered 915km in total on their epic journey and were unsupported and unassisted with no help or resupplies. In 2017 she made a Transatlantic Ocean crossing, sailing 3400 nautical miles from the Gran Canaries direct to St.Lucia, on an Oyster '56 yacht over 22 days. This was followed by an incredible ski traverse of the Greenland icecap, from West to East, covering 600km in 26 days with her small team. Kat has also crossed a remote part of Baffin Island in Canada, guiding a group of 20 women who raised $1m for wounded Canadian Military veterans. Kat made another Transatlantic crossing, this time by sailing 2700 nautical miles and returning from the British Virgin Islands via Bermuda to the Azores. Most recently she accomplished a wonderful summit of 'Ama Dablam' in Nepal. After having attempted it a few times over the years, she finally stood atop to realize one of her life's dreams! Formerly sponsored by 'Mary Kay Cosmetics' USA, she is passionate about women setting goals and stretching to achieve their dreams, no matter how big or small.  She loves to attempt what may seem like unattainable challenges, pushing herself to mental and physical limits, especially if it means inspiring other women to discover and pursue what they love! Kat is based in the Swiss Alps.