“Knowing that I have the blessing of my family to attempt these challenges eases my conscience, this way I can give the challenge every ounce of energy I have.”
As a well-respected leader in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Mountain Rescue Service, which is the only unit within the UK military that provides all-weather search and rescue, Briton Al Sylvester had performed over 400 rescue operations, including the rescue and recovery of downed aircrew from military jets and civilian aircrafts.
The years of service had led to countless rescue experiences and a greater appreciation of what it means to be alive and of the world we live in. So much so that he decided to write books based on his encounters, after he left the RAF.
He is the author of three novels: ‘Peaks to the Pole’, ‘Walk to Freedom’ and ‘Everest Dreams’, providing heartfelt personal accounts of his adventures to the extreme environments on our planet.
Everest Dreams – a landscape picture diary of the views and experiences Al encountered while trekking to Mount Everest base camp.
Peaks to the Pole – highlights the mental and physical challenges Al and his team had to endure to reach the peak of the South Pole. This was the RAF’s first unsupported expedition to the Geographic South Pole in 2006.
Walk to Freedom – after losing his best friend to cancer, Al chose to use the last 6 weeks of his RAF career to walk 881 miles unsupported in under 40 days to raise awareness and funds for the hospice that provided the end-of-life care for his best friend.
Dedicating over 30 years of his life to serve his country in the RAF is something Al is certainly proud of. We spoke to him to learn more about his journey in the RAF and his life after he retired.
EARLY LIFE
Tell us more about your family background and share with us on what it was like growing up.
I grew up in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, with 2 brothers and a sister. My parents both worked to bring up our family in a loving, warm and secure household. My father had retired from the Royal Navy and guided us to a disciplined and structured upbringing.
All of my brothers attended the Cub Scouts and shared amazing times camping, climbing and exploring the hills of England and Wales. My times at school were amazing, where not only did I enjoy a wonderful education but I made lifelong friends.
How did your upbringing shape the person you are today?
I believe the stability that my parents provided, enhanced with attending the Cub Scouts, gave me a foundation that I’ve built upon to give me the confidence to try some of the wonderful challenges that I’ve attempted over the years.
How would you sum up your childhood?
Wonderful, structured and disciplined, with amazing parents who guided me with great positivity.
JOURNEY
How and why did you decide to join the RAF at the beginning?
At the age of 15 in 1981, I approached the RAF careers office enquiring what qualifications were required to join, as I could foresee a career of adventure and visiting the world. My inspiration to join the RAF was my father, who had served with the Royal Navy.
What were some hard decisions you had to make and challenges you had to overcome along the way?
As a young troop, there were very few challenges as I had volunteered to join the RAF Mountain Rescue Service where I learnt my leadership and management skills. As I had already moved away from home, I kept regular contact with my mother via phone as by then back in 1984, my father had sadly died of Cancer.
As the years passed and my maturity progressed, the hardest challenge was knowing I was taking a lot more risks. I was on larger rescue operations and more adventurous expeditions, where my life was regularly put on the line.
I think one aspect of being a rescuer or explorer is that you have to be selfish as you know that you are leaving your loved ones behind. Knowing that you’re putting the rescue or expedition ahead of your family – that really hurts.
Share with us some memorable experiences and stories of your adventures.
The Royal Air Force gave me the opportunity to have many adventures. I’ve completed over 400 rescue operations and I attended 37 aircraft crashes.
Some of my highlights before attempting the South Pole were climbing Mont Blanc, Aconcagua, Mt Everest and Annapurna base camp, Mount Witney, Mount Kenya and ascending over 30 x 4000 metre Alpine peaks. These experiences were shared with colleagues who to this day remain lifelong friends.
On many occasions, my life was in extreme danger but when working alongside such incredible personnel, this gave me the boost of confidence to push that little further, to either rescue someone or reach the summit of the inaccessible summit.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Which achievements/milestones are you most proud of and why?
The ultimate has to be leading the RAF’s first unsupported attempt on the Geographic South Pole, but as I returned with frostbite, I decided to retire from the RAF with a challenge that brought together all of the skills, determination and resilience.
I walked unsupported 881 miles between Land’s End to John O’Groats between the most Southern point in England to the most Northern point of Scotland in only 39 days, raising almost £28K for a charity which provided palliative care for my best mate.
Also receiving an MBE from HRH Prince Charles in 1998 in recognition of my duties to the RAF Mountain Rescue Service and my services to raising over £100K in aid of Cancer Research UK.
What do you think are the key ingredients to your success?
Determination, resilience and relentless support from my family. Knowing that I have the blessing of my family to attempt these challenges, eases my conscience, this way I can give the challenge every ounce of energy I have.
What lies ahead in terms of your goals and ambitions?
In the future, I would really like an attempt at the ‘Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon’ in South Africa, which includes running unsupported over 250 kms in 7 days in a desert.
Also I would love an attempt of running from John O’Groats to Lands End, this time supported but running 42 miles a day for 21 days.
PERSONAL (LIFE)
To you, what are the most important things in life?
Health, fulfillment but most importantly happiness. It’s too easy to let the effects of modern pressures get to you and ruin your ambitions. With a smile and determination, virtually anything is possible. Try it, you could even use 57 muscles to smile, including the muscles in your bottom.
What’s worth mentioning on your life’s bucket list that you have not done?
Diving with sharks. It’s got to be done, hasn’t it?
Why do you do what you do? (What drives you everyday)
I love inspiring people. By this, I mean by setting an example, showing my friends, family and people around me belief that anything is possible. I ran a 100 mile ultra marathon recently, which left people speechless. I know this will give them that little nudge to believe that you can do something if you follow your heart.
Who are the role models and influences in your life?
My father. As he passed away when I was 18, I always wondered what he would think about his son in the RAF achieving these wonderful challenges.
Also Sir Ernest Shackleton, who without question achieved the greatest unsupported journey of all time back in 1914. I regularly compare what I am doing, thinking Sir Ernest and his crew went through so much more than I am, this greatly inspires me.
What are some things that many people don’t know about you?
Behind the scenes, I’m actually quite shy. When I’m out and about, I put on a huge show of shining confidence, but actually I’m always concerned about upsetting people.
What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind?
That with belief and determination anything is possible. Don’t let anyone get in your way, they are probably only jealous that they are unable to attempt it themselves.
What are some life lessons you will take to your grave?
– Never judge a book by a cover, always find out the real story behind what is on the face of things.
– If something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t.
– Do something about it, don’t walk away, maybe with a little work, you could fix it.
– Always make your bed in the morning, as when you’ve had the worst day ever, you’ll come home to a lovely cosy bed.
– You can never replace a first impression: clean your shoes, iron your clothes and always take a genuine interest.
– Don’t pay lip service, you are wasting your time and the person you’re talking to.
What are you most passionate about in life and why?
Making sure my family is safe and healthy. I’m also a Liverpool FC fan, I have been since 1974 and through thick and thin, I’ve learnt that you can not win every game. You can learn so much from failure.
VIEWPOINTS
You penned three separate novels namely: Peaks to the Pole, Walk to Freedom and Everest Dreams, providing heartfelt personal accounts of your own real-life adventures to the extreme environments on our planet. Give us a general overview on the kind of impact those experiences had on your perspectives of life.
My 3 books were written to bring together all the emotions of what happens when attempting an extreme expedition. From my perspective, it also brings all the memories together in one vehicle, an expedition like the South Pole, isn’t just about the execution about getting to the Pole. It’s about, how did we trained, how did we raise the money, what equipment we used, why did we make the decisions we made along the way.
But most importantly, penning the books selfishly gave me closure. With so many aspects, my mind would often start thinking: “if only…”, or “what if we did it another way…”. By writing a book, it actually justifies what I’ve achieved and most importantly – why.
You worked as a special educational needs co-ordinator for primary school children and constantly strive to inspire students with your own real-life adventures. Why do you think it’s important to educate and inspire the young?
I fear the priority for most children out of school is based behind a screen playing computer games. By showing them my adventures and relating to them, using analogies to compare what I’ve done with what they could do, this inspires the children to believe in themselves.
The key is to connect with them as soon as you can within a presentation, once the children are on your side, the rest is easy. In the end, the children only need a little time and guidance to see how things could be so much better.
Serving in the RAF for over 31 years and being part of its all-weather emergency service team, you have seen your fair share of epic rescues from both manmade and natural disasters. Do you have any thoughts on climate change and how this impacts rescue efforts of first-responders moving forward?
I’m not qualified to discuss climate change, however, I remember back in the 1980s and early 1990s, our winter climbing seasons were longer and colder than they currently are. This has made little impact on the rescues which the teams are involved in, however, mountaineering in general has become a lot more popular, hence the increase in rescue operations per year.