Gavin McClurg is no stranger to adventure. In fact he is a National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” for his unpowered paragliding expedition across the Canadian Rockies (documented in the Red Bull Media House feature film “The Rockies Traverse”), and he became the first person to traverse the full length of the Alaska Range by foot and paraglider (unsupported) in 2016, (documented in the Red Bull Media House feature film “North of Known”).
He is the owner, founder and Captain of “Offshore Odysseys”, a global kitesurfing/surfing/sailing expedition. He has twice circumnavigated the world by sail, living at sea for 13 straight years, including short-handed roundings of both notorious capes (Horn and Good Hope).Gavin holds the former North American-record for foot launched cross-country paragliding, a flight of 240 miles deep into Montana from his home town of Sun Valley, Idaho.
Gavin is the first American (and only 3rd non-European) to complete the “toughest adventure race on Earth”, the Red Bull X-Alps, a paragliding / foot race across the Alps from Salzburg to Monaco. In ten days Gavin flew 1560 kilometers, walked 498 (12+ marathons) and scaled 52,000 meters of vertical ascent on foot (Everest 5 times). Gavin competed again in 2017, 2019, and 2021.
View Gavin’s recent TedXTalk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_d_Kkn-PKY
Gavin Mclurg is an adventurer and athlete with an impressive list of accomplishments. He was the 2015 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, placed 8th in the Red Bull X-Alps (and was the first American to reach the goal in Monaco), and held the World Mountain Distance record in paragliding (387 kilometers). Mclurg has circumnavigated the globe twice by sail, including a short-handed rounding of both Capes Horn and Good Hope, for a total of 160,000 miles. He also created, founded, captained, and served as CEO of Offshore Odysseys, an ocean-based expedition company focused on kitesurfing, surfing, and paragliding.
Mclurg’s athleticism extends to other areas as well. He was a former member of the US Alpine Ski Team and has made several first descents kayaking in Central America. Additionally, he is a published author of “Advanced Paragliding” and has written hundreds of magazine features.