Speaker: Kevin Valelly, Architect and Explorer,
Fellow of the National Geographic Society, Author
Kevin Vallely is a successful Vancouver architect—but he’s been invited to speak for his other life’s work: exploration and the lessons it offers.
An internationally recognized explorer and Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Kevin set a world record in 2009 for the fastest unsupported trek to the Geographic South Pole. In 2013, he completed a human-powered expedition through the Northwest Passage. Most recently, at age 61, he returned to Canada’s High Arctic to finish a long-deferred journey across Ellesmere Island.
Ellesmere Island—Canada’s northernmost landmass—lies at the edge of the known world. In 2022, Kevin and teammate, Ray Zahab, attempted to ski its length and failed. They vowed to come back.
After years of setbacks that would have ended most expeditions, they returned in March 2025—not to conquer the island, but to meet it on its terms.
His presentation is not about victory. It is about persistence, partnership and humility in one of the last truly remote places on Earth.