ONE of the youngest people ever to conquer Shackleton’s Crossing on South Georgia Island is another entrant to our contest to find York’s Adventurer Of The Year.

Gemma Smith, 24, of Acaster Malbis, embarked in 2008 on a two-month expedition to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia in the South Atlantic.

“I was part of the youngest ever group to conquer Shackleton’s Crossing, a four-day, 30 mile trek across glaciers and over mountains,” Gemma said.

“This was the hardest and most challenging adventure I have ever done, walking through snowstorms, whiteouts and over crevasse fields. To put into context, more people have summited Mount Everest than have conquered Shackleton’s Crossing.”

Gemma said she also followed in soldiers’ footsteps in the Falklands War and completed a 56 mile yomp across the island, before the adventure ended in near disaster when the ice breaker ship she was on began taking on water and started to sink. “I was airlifted off in a Chilean Navy helicopter and spent one night in a remote Chilean lighthouse, and another aboard a Chilean naval missile ship” More recently, Gemma’s challenges have included half marathons and open water swims.

Another entrant, Tony Oakey, 34, of George Street, York, said he was “completely consumed with travelling.” He went away for six months at 19 and ended up coming home six years later, after working his way around the world as a diving instructor, including in Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Phillipines, America, Mexico, Costa Rica and Egypt. He also joined the crew on a yacht and sailed the South Pacific for six months.

Now he explores and walks the British countryside, wild camping whenever possible, but has also driven to Timbuctu in Mali in an F-reg Mercedes 190, where the car was donated to an orphanage, and he is now planning a two-week overland trip around Morocco in an old Toyota Land-cruiser.

Gemma and Tony both entered a competition to discover the city’s most adventurous person, launched in March by The Press and York’s new outdoor equipment retailer, GO Outdoors.

The competition has closed and the winner, who will receive £250 of store vouchers a plaque installed at the Fossbank store marking their status, will be announced later in The Press.