FEAT’s annual adventure celebration

Almost a year has passed since the last Fascinating Expedition & Adventure Talks (FEAT) evening, where 10 South African adventurers took to the FEAT stage to relate their tales of adventure – in only seven minutes each. This October the audience will again be spellbound as they briefly journey over continents and oceans, up and over mountains, outside our borders and within our own country.

“FEAT has been going since 2010 and this will be our 5^th event,” says FEAT organiser Lisa de Speville. “That’s 40 talks! And there are another 10 coming up soon.”

She’s often asked she has a favourite evening or a favourite talk. “Each event is a totally different mix and the adventures are totally diverse,” she replies. "They're all my favourites."

De Speville describes FEAT as a theatre-style evening that provides a platform for adventurers to share their experiences. “In only seven minutes,” she adds with a smile. This short-talks format is dynamic and fast-paced. Each presentation decorated by slides, which are projected on to large screens.

“The audience is enveloped in the excitement of the talks – people, places, experiences, dangers, emotions and successes,” de Speville says.

Instead of releasing a list of speakers upfront, as before, de Speville is announcing the speakers once-a-week in the lead up to the evening.

“There are events that I attend regardless of the line-up because it is aligned with my interests. FEAT is very much like this. Also, the audience is unlikely to know a majority of the speakers unless they’re specifically involved in that sporting discipline. That’s the nature of these pursuits – so it doesn’t really help to know names. Of course you may recognise one or two; but again this depends on your interests.”

The names of three speakers have already been announced.

There’s Chris Bertish, an accomplished Big Wave Surfer and competitive Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) athlete. In August he crossed the English Channel by SUP, setting a new record for the crossing. This came only a day after completing a multi-day, non-stop expedition to SUP the Thames River (243km) from source-to-sea.

Richard Goodhead is another speaker on the roster. This Capetonian ran 6,000 kilometres from Cape Agulhas to Kilimanjaro two years ago and earlier this year he completed a three-month, 4,000-kilometre run from the southern-most tip of Argentina to Mt Aconcagua.

Back in 2002 Karen Hauptfleisch climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, which set off a chain reaction and her loves for African countries and adventures. Since then she has visited over 30 African countries, climbing to the top of their highest peak. There are 54 African countries, including the islands, so she has many more trips and adventures still to enjoy as she aims to visit every one of them.

“In fact, I don’t know most of the speakers – not in person anyway,” De Speville announces. “But, I love what they’ve done, I’m fascinated by their adventures and I’m sure you will be too.”

FEAT takes place at the Victory Theatre in Houghton, Johannesburg, on Thursday, 10 October 2013. Tickets (R190pp) are available online through www.entrytickets.net. Full event details including ticketing, speakers, parking information and venue directions are on the FEAT website at www.featsa.co.za.

Just when Cape Town has been feeling totally left out, FEAT is delighted to announce the first mini-FEAT events, in partnership with Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA), which take place in Cape Town on the evening of Thursday, 14 November and in Jo’burg on Monday, 18 November 2013. Details for these events will be announced after FEAT in October.

“But,” says de Speville with a wink, “you can diarise the dates now”.

FEAT is made possible by its sponsors, Black Diamond, Capestorm and Powertraveller, and its media partner, Go Multi magazine. These companies proudly support a range of adventure sport disciplines, events and athletes.