Education
He attended Keighley Secondary Technical School, and then Keighley Boy"s Grammar School.
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Mike Jones
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Career
Born in the early 1950s in Yorkshire, England. He began kayaking in November 1965 at age 14. He describes his first time on the water as an "exhilarating and exciting day, despite the fact that I spent more time capsizing and swimming than canoeing." That winter he learned to roll.
In the following years he paddled local rivers such as the Wharfe, Swale, Ure, Nidd and Lune.
He took up slalom canoeing and took part in his first expedition in 1969. lieutenant was led by 19-year-old Jeff Slater whilst Slater was waiting to go to Cambridge University.
The group paddled the River Inn. Jones was seventeen at the time and worked "feverishly" over a five-week holiday to raise his contribution to the expedition"s funds.
On arrival at the Inn, he soon realised why it had earned the title of the hardest stretch of water in Europe - it was in a steep gorge and from 1,000 feet (300 m) above the rapids still appeared huge.
The descent lasted five days, badly damaged eight kayaks, and nearly killed one team member. In autumn 1971 Jones was an undergraduate studying medicine at Birmingham University. His life as a student appears to have consisted of juggling his studies and his canoeing.
He would often miss Friday evening lectures to attend canoeing events countrywide: "The dedicated grind of medical study did not inspire me the way that countrywide canoeing competitions did."
During the winter and spring of 1971/72 he planned two more trips, and in June 1972 he was appointed team manager of the British Universities Slalom and Whitewater Team, competing "with considerable success" in three international events in Europe in the summer of 1972.
Within hours of completing his final exams, he set off for Austria without even knowing the results. Jones"s subsequent expeditions included the Blue Nile, where local bandits were as much of a threat as the river.
Mike Jones turned 21 on this expedition, huddled inside a wet sleeping bag and sleeping with a.45 Colt revolver in his hand. On his return from the Blue Nile, Jones wanted to make the first descent of the Dudh Kosi.
This river, whose source lies in the Mount Everest region, falls at approximately 280 feet per mile (53 m/km).
By comparison, the man-made 1972 Olympic slalom course at Augsburg in Germany falls at 50 feet per mile (95 m/km). The team consisted of Mike Jones, Mick Hopkinson (part of the Blue Nile team), John Liddell, Bob Hastings, Roger Huyton, Dave Manby and John Gosling, the quartermaster. The expedition suffered many problems with finance and sponsorship, and several people declined any involvement as they felt the risk of dying was too great.
A film – Dudh Kosi – Relentless River of Everest – recorded the expedition, which was followed in the Observer colour magazine and HTV Cardiff.
The canoes used for the descent were specially designed by Graham Mackereth of Pyranha Canoes, and needed to withstand the constant punishment from river and rocks alike. Jones wrote a book entitled Canoeing Down Everest.
The purpose of the fund is to promote kayaking and exploration. lieutenant is now administered by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts.
lieutenant gives grants for travel expenses for many categories.
Not just adventure and exploration. lieutenant is open to anyone with a British passport.
