Three former Rolex Laureates are exploring the mountain tops and the two poles to research the impact of climate change. Bernard Francou of France, Cristian Donoso of Chile and American Lonnie Dupre each have extraordinary tales to tell.

Glacier guardian


For the people of the Andes, such as these women at the foot of Qolquepunco in Peru for the annual Qoyllur Ritt'i pilgrimage, glaciers are sacred. ©Bernard Francou - IRD

For over 20 years, Bernard Francou has been probing glaciers high in the Andes for clues to the future of our planet. Selected as an Associate Laureate in 2000 for his project to extract an ice-core from Ecuador’s Chimborazo volcano, he now wants to make the public aware of a growing threat – to glaciers and to the millions of people living in the foothills of the Andes.

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Historic kayak journey

Photo courtesy of Cristian Donoso

Chilean explorer Cristian Donoso has completed a two-month expedition by kayak along the rugged coast of Antarctica, documenting the effects of global climate change on the isolated continent’s landscape and animal life.
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One pioneer in the Arctic footsteps of another


©Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition

To commemorate one of the most famous – and controversial – early polar expeditions, Rolex Laureate Lonnie Dupre and two other explorers have travelled to the North Pole on a daunting, 54-day trek across the ice.
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Source: Rolex Awards for Enterprise
www.rolexawardscom