Johnny Ward is the first person to climb the seven summits, reach the Poles, and visit every country in the world. Photo / Johnny Ward
Johnny Ward is the first person to climb the seven summits, reach the Poles, and visit every country in the world. Photo / Johnny Ward
Meet Johnny Ward, the first person to climb the seven summits, reach the Poles, and visit every country in the world, writes Poonam Binayak
Amidst the relentless cold of the South Pole in early 2024, Irish travel blogger Johnny Ward marked a momentous occasion as he gazed over the endless ice. He had just completed the ultimate Adventurer’s Grand Slam, a daring quest that took him to the highest peaks on each continent and to both the North and South Poles.
The journey to his monumental achievement was anything but easy. “I trained hard six times a week for years, ran countless brutal ultramarathons and cycled across countries,” Ward tells the Herald.
He further adds, “Funding it was tough. Even once you have the money gathered, pressing ‘send’ on the wire transfer for life-changing sums filled me with remorse and guilt. It is not easy, but I reminded myself that dreams do not come without sacrifice, so I pressed send.”
Back in 2017, Ward made history as the first Irish person to visit every country in the world. Now, he has set a new record as the first person in the world to accomplish both feats.
Irish travel blogger Johnny Ward had a target to visit 100 countries by 30, then every country in the world by 35 years of age. Photo / Johnny Ward
Conquering the world’s highest peaks
On January 12, 2024, Ward completed The Explorers Grand Slam (aka the Adventurer’s Grand Slam), an epic challenge accomplished by only about 70 people to date. Scaling the seven summits - Everest (8849m/Asia), Aconcagua (6960m/South America), Denali (6190m/North America), Kilimanjaro (5895m/Africa), Elbrus (5642m/Europe), Vinson (4892m/Antarctica), and Puncak Jaya (4884m/Oceania) - presented unique challenges.
Reflecting on his journey, Ward shared, “With the seven summits, I failed South America’s highest peak, Mount Aconcagua, the first time around. Huge storms forced our evacuation and I had to wait a whole year for the next season to try again. It was hell, and in round two, I had so much fear and anxiety that we’d fail again. And I’d be back for the third season in a row.”
Ward chuckles, adding, “Summiting it was pure relief, no joy at all.”
Describing Mount Everest as the pinnacle of hardship, Ward highlighted its unparalleled difficulty compared to his previous feats. “Climbing Mount Everest last year was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he admits.
“I see people saying it is a rich person’s plaything from the comfort of their sofa. Having rowed across the Atlantic, cycled thousands of kilometres, and run 150 miles in a straight shot, Everest was twice as hard as them all put together.”
Ward’s determination to achieve his goals has been both a blessing and a curse. “The pressure I put on myself to achieve these goals drags me to where I want to be, but it comes at a cost, both financially and mentally,” he added. “The stress and fear of failure are constant companions, but ultimately, there’s pride in knowing I’m giving it my all.”
Climbing Mount Everest was the hardest thing Johnny Ward has ever done. Photo / Getty Images
Pole-to-pole adventures
Reaching both the North and South Poles posed significant tests for Ward. “For the North Pole, I was so ill-prepared with my gear. I had no idea what it truly felt like to be at -50°C or even lower,” he recalls. “I had borrowed my mate’s ski gear and ran a marathon there in a pair of North Face sneakers. The cold was wild and instantly painful. I was freezing, and ended up with frostbite on my cheeks and nose.”
This experience underscored the raw power of nature and the criticality of proper preparation for extreme adventures. Looking back on his expedition to the South Pole, Ward notes, “I was more prepared. I had the right gear and took one of my off days to run a marathon there. Knowing what to expect made it much more manageable.”
Time and money: The essentials of adventure
“The brutal reality of climbing Everest, reaching the Poles, or visiting every country is that it comes down to two things: time and money,” says Ward.
Having both is incredibly difficult. “I was young, had no real job and no real career, so finding the time was easier. But funding it? I could not imagine how I was going to do that.” he adds.
Ward’s extraordinary journey began in modest circumstances. He grew up in a single-mother household on welfare in Ireland, where summer holidays abroad were a distant dream. “While my friends vacationed in Spain or Portugal, I stayed at home,” he recalls. This early experience ignited a desire for freedom. “I always dreamed about being free. Free to travel, free to spend, free to have time to do what I want to do, free to make choices not limited by normal stuff.”
Upon graduating from university in England in 2006, Ward booked a one-way flight to Thailand. “I was broke, so I had to teach English to get by. But it was the start of my new life,” he says.
By the age of 33, Johnny Ward had visited all 197 countries. Photo / Johnny Ward
With whatever money he saved, he travelled across Asia. When funds ran low, he took on various jobs like teaching at English Camps in South Korea. In 2010, he moved to Australia. “People making money blogging or working remotely were just starting out. I am awful at tech stuff (to this day!), so I struggled to find a way for me to do that,” he confesses.
“But I chipped away at it, started my blog, OneStep4Ward, and then I was truly free. From there, anything was possible.”
He further adds, “I’m a super focussed guy, so I had a target of 100 countries by 30, then every country in the world by 35, then be the first person in history to complete the ‘Ultimate Explorer’s Grand Slam’. The bad times may affect my mental health, but I stay laser-focused on every goal in my life, so I don’t waver then or now.”
By the age of 33, he had visited all 197 countries. His expedition took him to the farthest corners of the globe and required taking some unexpected modes of transport. He hitchhiked on a cargo ship from Oman to Socotra in Yemen and overlanded from Cape Town to Cairo and from Japan to Australia using public transport. By 40, he completed one more grand adventure: the Ultimate Explorers Grand Slam.
His blog became the financial backbone of his adventures. “Growing up poor left me aware of how tough it is to be broke. So, when I started making decent money, I was never flash. I backpacked rough, slept in bus stations, rode on the top of trains, and saved/invested 80% of my income,” he says. " That’s led me to a point now that if the blog dies, I should be fine.”
We all can do it
Ward believes that if you speak English and have internet access, anything is possible. “You can learn and achieve anything,” he says.
He emphasises that, “50% of my DNA is from a father in prison and growing up on benefits, but the internet does not care about that. It allowed me to chase my dreams as long as I kept up my side of the bargain: no complaining, head down, work hard, focus on your goals. We can all do that.”
By saving or investing 80% of his income, Ward can stay afloat with or without his blog. Photo / Johnny Ward
What’s next?
With the Ultimate Explorers Grand Slam behind him, Johnny’s focus shifts towards family and philanthropy.
Having just finished building his dream house in Chiang Mai, Thailand and expecting his first child, he is eager to balance adventure with fatherhood. “I have a goal to donate US$1 million. We’ve done about $300k so far, so I’m a long way off,” says Ward.
Ward also plans to run trips to wild places, where people who follow him can experience some epic adventures they might not otherwise have. “It brings me a lot of joy to show people secret places in the world,” he adds.
His upcoming events include an ultramarathon at the eye of the Sahara and an ultra-cycle to Turkmenistan’s Gates of Hell, with two more in the works. “I want to drag other people to achieve big things, so they know that the people who do this stuff are no better or more talented than them. They just made a choice to do cool stuff. I’ll help them make that choice too,” he asserts.
