Miles Hilton-Barber

The first blind pilot to undertake a 55-day, 21,000 kilometre microlight flight from London to Sydney, Miles made history by relying on his co-pilot and the revolutionary speech-output technology on his navigation instruments.

His other fearless acts include: conquering ‘The Toughest Foot-race on Earth’ - 150 miles across the Sahara Desert; climbing to 17,500 feet in the Himalayas; taking on Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Blanc;...

Charming, erudite, captivating... a well-stocked oxygen supply is needed to list the achievements of world record-breaking adventurer Miles Hilton-Barber: from sledging 250 miles across Antarctica to tracking across huge expanses of desert on foot, Miles has undertaken the most extreme endurance events across the world, which he uses to inspire businesses and personnel. 
 
Oh, and did we mention he has been sightless since his early 20s? 

The first blind pilot to undertake a 55-day, 21,000 kilometre microlight flight from London to Sydney, Miles made history by relying on his co-pilot and the revolutionary speech-output technology on his navigation instruments.

His other fearless acts include: conquering ‘The Toughest Foot-race on Earth’ - 150 miles across the Sahara Desert; climbing to 17,500 feet in the Himalayas; taking on Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Blanc; running the 11-day Ultra-Marathon race across China; completing the ‘Coldest Marathon on Earth’- the Siberian Ice Marathon; and competing in the hottest ultra-marathon on earth across Death Valley California.

…and breathe.

While we were curled up in bed in our onesies, Miles was busy crossing the Qatar Desert non-stop in 78 hours without sleep. He has circumnavigated 38,000 miles around the world using 80 different forms of transport, set the Malaysian Grand Prix lap record for a blind driver, and set a high-altitude record for a tandem microlight.

Along with countless other eye-watering conquests, he has white-water rafted down the Zambezi River, completed more than 40 skydiving jumps, and cage-dived with Great White Sharks.

“The only limits in your life are those you accept yourself”, says Miles to his after-dinner or business audiences. He is well-qualified to state this. 

He became the first blind pilot to undertake a sortie of extreme aerobatics in a +600 MPH Hawker Hunter fighter jet; was the first blind person to do the solo kamikaze skeleton run down a 5G Olympic bob-sleigh track; piloted a 340 BHP performance rated Zap Cat power boat in ocean time trials; broke sound barrier at speeds of 1,060 MPH during vertical climb to 50,000 feet in just 90 seconds in an English Electric Lightning fighter jet; and became the first blind person to participate in a drag-racing event, driving a supercharged machine.

Unsurprisingly, Miles' experiences have attracted attention on the small screen, including a documentary 'Against All Odds' about his participation in the Sahara Ultra-Marathon, which won three international film festival Gold Awards. A second documentary, ‘Blind Faith’, covering Miles' Kilimanjaro climb, won the same award.

The National Geographic channel has broadcasted a two-part documentary on Miles and his sighted guide, Jon Cook's Antarctic expedition.

He was also featured in a documentary series covering the Around the World in 80 Ways, and has written about his adventures in numerous newspapers, radio and television programme, including a stint on the Richard and Judy programme. His audio book entitled ‘Living Your Dreams’, is now available in print.

Miles’ story certainly spurs individuals on to plant a victory flag in their own personal mountain peaks. 

His speaking topics include:

- Taking advantage of adversity
- Dream big to achieve big
- Expect the unexpected
- The importance of teamwork
- Don't let your past determine your future

For further information or to book Miles HIlton Barber, call us at Speakers Corner on +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk