Paul Pritchard

Located in the UK, Paul Pritchard is a professional rock climber and mountaineer. Climbing around the globe, such as in Baffin Island, Himalayas, Karakoram and Patagonia. Paul received an award for mountain  literature, where he spent the prize money on a round-the-world climbing tour that took him to Tasmania to climb the world’s slimmest needle of  rock famously known as the Totem Pole, which can be found on Cape Hauy, rearing out of the Southern Ocean.

However, this climb would end in disaster, where a large sized boulder fell from the Totem Pole, catching his rope and crushed Paul’s skull leaving him with a serious brain injury. Having to haul him thirty meters up the ledge Celia, Paul’s climbing partner, then ran 8 kilometres before calling for help. After  hanging on the ledge for 8 hours, Paul was was finally rescued. The after math of the incident had left Paul  paralysed on the right side of his body along with speech and memory difficulties. Following the accident, Paul had spent a year in the hospital where he had to learn to walk, feed and dress himself whilst struggling to take control of his seizures. 

During this long year Paul was able to find the motivation to write an award-winning book, The Totem Pole. A very in depth and personal story told by Paul about his injury and struggle with Hemiplegia, a condition characterised by paralysis on one side of his body.  

Later, in 2017, Paul was nominated for Tasmanian Australian of the Year and soon after received the Australian Geographic Spirit of Adventure medal in 2018 as well as the Aspire award for literature in 2020. 

Despite all of this, Paul continues to live an adventurous life, with the continued belief that the brain injury was “the best thing that ever happened to [him]” Paul sees his horrific accident as a precious gift and films each of his challenges. His latest film ‘Larapinta: End to end’ - a film with the concept of the ‘dignity of risk’. A documentary following four adventurers with disabilities as they test their limits on an expedition through the Larapinta Trail in Australia. This documentary style film has been very well received in a multitude of international film festivals, screening in countries including Sweeden, England and Germany.  

In 2016, 18 years after his accident, Paul came back to the Totem Pole, with the purpose to finally finished the climb. ‘Doing It Scared’ is the award-winning film of Paul’s return climb to the Totem Pole.  Paul is an enthusiastic believer that without challenges in life, he wouldn’t have learnt all the crucial life lessons he has. Paul’s story isn’t about overcoming adversity, or being a hero, but focuses on humility and acceptance.