Hugo Turner

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

and Ross Turner

(born 22 October 1988), better known as The Turner Twins, are British

adventurers An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

best known for their pioneering expeditions.

Biography

The twins were born in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

and grew up near

Christow Christow is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England. It is located south-west of Exeter, in the Teign Valley, just off the B3193 road that links Chudleigh and Dunsford. Christow is on the eastern edge of Dart ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. They attended

King's College, Taunton King's College is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Taunton, Somerset, England, providing education for 2 to 18-year-olds. Set across two sites, it is surrounded by Somerset countryside. A member school of the Woodard Co ...

. They both graduated with degrees in industrial design and technology from

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public university, public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university sinc ...

in 2011. They hold two world records: for being part of the youngest four-man crew to row the Atlantic and the first twins to row any of the world's oceans, after successfully rowing the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

in 2011–12 as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Hugo broke his neck aged 17, resulting in a neck reconstruction. Following this accident the twins have supported spinal research charities. During their expeditions, the twins support and actively take part in medical research studies at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

's Department of Twin Research. They are also known as the "Adventure Guinea Pigs". They have climbed

Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus; ; is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. It is situated in the south ...

, allowing

's Department of Twin Research and GlaxoSmithKline's Human Performance Lab to conduct research to better understand the effects of high altitude on the human body and the performance of different clothing systems by having one twin wear the replica clothing from

George Mallory George Herbert Leigh-Mallory (18 June 1886 – 8 or 9 June 1924) was an English Mountaineering, mountaineer who participated in the first three British Mount Everest expeditions from the early to mid-1920s. He and climbing partner An ...

's 1924 British Mount Everest expedition and the other wear a modern mountaineering equivalent. They have reached several centre points known as poles of inaccessibility.

Expeditions

Atlantic row

In 2011, Hugo and Ross rowed across the Atlantic Ocean with teammates Adam Wolley and Greg Symondson. Starting on the island of

La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third-smallest of the archipelago's eight main islands. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Gomer ...

in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, they rowed to the Caribbean island of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, arriving at Port St Charles 41 days, 23 hours, 34 minutes later, setting two world records – the youngest four-man crew and the first twins to have rowed across any of the world's oceans. Along the route they battled 40 foot seas, lightning storms, fatigue, jelly fish stings, swollen prostates, hallucinations, salt sores, limited sleep and sea sickness.

Greenland ice cap

In 2014, the twins attempted to trek across the polar ice cap of

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. The expedition set out to support research programmes at King's College London's Department of Twin Research while also comparing old and new clothing – Ross wore replica clothing which

Sir Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarc ...

used 100 years ago on his "Endurance" expedition, while Hugo used modern clothing. The 555km trek had the twins dragging 100kg sledges, skirting crevasses and avoiding teetering 6m ice structures. Hugo sustained a knee injury which resulted in a helicopter evacuation after two weeks.

Elbrus

In 2015, the twins climbed

in the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains * * Azerbaijani: , * * * * * * * * * * * is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...

. The twins tested the traditional clothing and equipment used by mountaineers 100 years ago and compared it against today's modern

mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

equivalent.

Australian pole of inaccessibility

In 2016, the twins reached one of the centre points of Australia, otherwise known as the Australian pole of inaccessibility, using

paramotors Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring or PPG, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a back-pack motor (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, and ...

. Adventurers have journeyed to the pole before, but never by paramotor. Having had 6 months worth of training and learning to experience heights of 500–1000 feet, the twins started near

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and eventually reached an area of Australia known as the Red Centre near the town of

Papunya Papunya ( Pintupi-Luritja: ''Warumpi'') is a small Indigenous Australian community roughly northwest of Alice Springs (Mparntwe) in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is known as an important centre for Contemporary Indigenous Australian ar ...

South American pole of inaccessibility

In 2017, the twins reached the South American pole of inaccessibility. Starting from the Chilean coastal town of

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...

, they cycled across

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

into the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso near the city of

Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city and the largest city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America and also forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várz ...

. They achieved this expedition on bike and cycled 2500km and taking a time of 5 weeks. They experienced four very different environments: desert, high-altitude plateau, jungle and Brazil with 45 °C heat.

North American pole of inaccessibility

In September 2018, the twins successfully reached the North American pole of inaccessibility using bicycles. Covering a distance of 2600km and temperatures ranging between 51 °C and -5 °C this expedition took them four weeks. Starting from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, the route crossed the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...

Monument Valley Monument Valley (, , meaning "valley of the rocks") is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeas ...

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

Grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur ...

and eventually the

Badlands National Park Badlands National Park () is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in southwestern South Dakota. The park protects of sharply Erosion, eroded buttes and Pinnacle (geology), pinnacles, along with the l ...

Iberian pole of inaccessibility

In 2019 the twins successfully reached the Iberian pole carrying out a fully electric motorcycle expedition. Their mission was to discover the capabilities of fully electric vehicles. Beginning in central

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the route journeyed across

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, over the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

and into central

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Covering a total distance of 2,534 kms, it took 7 days to reach the Pole of Inaccessibility with the motorcycles requiring 59 hours of charging.

Atlantic pole of inaccessibility

In 2022 the twins set out to reach the Atlantic pole of inaccessibility, supporting a plastic research survey for

Plymouth University The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

's, International Marine Litter Research Unit, and also testing hydrogen fuel cell technology in a subsequent nationwide tour of the UK. The team missed out on reaching the pole of inaccessibility due to unfavourable weather and engine limitations.

Medical research

The twins work with King's College London's Department of Twin Research to help better understand the genetic and physical make-up. During their various expeditions, the medical research conducted on the twins has focused on a number of key areas, including the

gut microbiome Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the g ...

cortisol Cortisol is a steroid hormone in the glucocorticoid class of hormones and a stress hormone. When used as medication, it is known as hydrocortisone. Cortisol is produced in many animals, mainly by the ''zona fasciculata'' of the adrenal corte ...

levels and daily fasting

blood glucose The blood sugar level, blood sugar concentration, blood glucose level, or glycemia is the measure of glucose concentrated in the blood. The body tightly blood sugar regulation, regulates blood glucose levels as a part of metabolic homeostasis ...

levels.

Vegan versus meat diets

The twins embarked on a trial of a vegan diet versus a typical omnivorous one, with their body composition monitored and their biomarkers tested by

's Department of Twin Research. Hugo's

cholesterol level Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural a ...

went down on the vegan diet, while Ross's cholesterol level remained high. Hugo also reported that his energy levels whilst training were better and maintained for longer on the vegan diet, along with higher fat loss and more consistent glucose levels. Both Twins wore continuous glucose monitors to test this finding.

Filmography

;Television

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner Twins 1988 births Living people British explorers People from Teignbridge (district) English twins Twin studies People educated at King's College, Taunton Alumni of Loughborough University British motivational speakers Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society