Expedition Planning

Big adventures don’t fail because people lack courage—they fail because of what gets overlooked before the journey begins.

In this one-hour, story-driven workshop, explorers Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely share how serious expeditions are actually prepared, and how experienced teams stay effective when plans unravel. Drawing on journeys across the Arctic, deserts, polar ice, and remote mountain ranges, they explore the often-invisible work that happens long before the first step is taken: decision-making under uncertainty, team dynamics, risk awareness, mental readiness, and systems that allow rapid adaptation.

This is not a gear checklist or a how-to clinic—though participants will see and handle real expedition equipment used in extreme environments. Instead, the focus is on preparing for uncertainty itself, when weather shifts, equipment fails, routes disappear, or assumptions prove wrong.

Whether you’re planning a remote expedition or your first serious backcountry trip, this session offers hard-earned insights into how great adventures are really made.