About

Driven by curiosity and moonshot ideas, Matt Prior has lived and worked across the globe. After being awarded an RAF Pilot Scholarship, he served for six years in the UK Military which included flying Fast Jets, the Tri-Service Survival Evasion Resistance and Extraction HQ and as an Overseas Expedition Leader. He has over 4500hrs of experience on multiple types of aircraft, has travelled to over one hundred countries across six continents and ascended various famous peaks.

Over the years he has partnered with some of the top companies in the world on various projects and in his tech startup advisory role, he has worked with Founders from Google X, Google and Tesla. Matt has also conceived and led remote and complex international multidisciplinary expeditions, one of the most recent being The Explorers Club RCA Centennial Flag Expedition to the Gobi Desert.  Partnering with Mongolia’s Institute of Paleontology and Geology and Infiniti Motors, the expedition deployed the latest technology, (the same used by NASA to explore Mars) to help set up the next millennium for untold scientific discoveries, specifically uncovering new species of dinosaur fossils. They discovered and excavated 250 new dinosaur fossil locations, potentially three new species and identified five entirely new locations for prospecting in the future. The Expedition was awarded the prestigious Explorers Club Citation of Merit for Exploration and Scientific Accomplishments and also in recognition of the “collaboration over conquest” methodology.

A short film of the Expedition can be found HERE and a behind-the-scenes interview with Matt can be seen below. He had a chat with Red Bull about it here too.

Matt has also recently returned from Iceland after pioneering Experiential Research Expeditions (ERE) under a partnership between the Iceland Space Agency (ISA) and AdventureX. They conceived and led an international expedition to test an Artemis generation spacesuit simulator. The spacesuit simulator was designed by a team at the Rhode Island School of Design led by Professor Michael Lye with input from NASA and the Johnson Space Center and geometry based on the Artemis generation Z2 xEMU spacesuit. The suit was tested among diverse terrestrial analogs that included lava tubes, glaciers, glacial debris fields, basaltic black sands, volcanic craters, and remote areas that contain subsurface ice. The specific locations were selected to simulate human landing and habitation sites for future missions being planned to both the Moon and Mars. The suit was pushed beyond previous years by a factor of 4 with simulated EVAs lasting over 3 hours. A wealth of biometric data was recorded and the feedback in the extreme environments is informing the direction and development of future suit designs.

Matt is passionate about creating and leading unique and unparalleled high-impact experiences with amazing human beings, turning ideas into reality and having a positive impact on as many people as possible along the way. He has been featured by The Times, CNN, Red Bull, Condé Nast Traveler, Men’s Journal, WIRED, Outside Magazine, Business Insider, Expedition Portal, Overland Journal, The Explorers Club and has been approached by National Geographic, the Discovery Channel and the BBC for his overland expertise and willingness to push boundaries.

Matt previously served as the Director of The Explorers Club Hong Kong Chapter, an Adventure Specialist for Red Bull and was the Founder of The MP Adventure Academy. He is currently the Co-Founder of AdventureX and Project Wild Earth, Head of Partnerships and Innovation at the Iceland Space Agency, and is a qualified Commercial and Paramotor Pilot. He’s also a Wilderness First Responder, creator of The Life Tracker, and an Ambassador for Key Conservation.

Matt has embarked on numerous unsupported expeditions and holds the World Record for the Highest Altitude Reached by a Taxi – 17,143ft. Some highlights include:

• Ice Run – Lake Baikal, Siberia – A World First
  A pioneering expedition to see if it was possible to circumnavigate Lake Baikal, in winter, on the ice, on a wholly unsuitable WWII Russian motorbike for charity. Matt and his teammate endured temperatures down to -30 degrees and winds up to 80mph, remaining self-sufficient out on the lake for the duration. This expedition was sponsored by GoPro and Klim.
• It’s On The Meter – World Record-Breaking Circumnavigation of the globe in a London Taxi
  Advisor and participant in the Expedition which received global media coverage, covered 43,000 miles and raised over £20,000 for the British Red Cross. The journey covered 4 continents, 50 countries and an ascent to Everest Base Camp – in the taxi!
• Peru and Bolivia – Solo Motorbike Expedition During the Rainy Season
  Entered from Bolivia with a friend. On Day two, his friend broke his leg in an accident whilst riding at night. On recovering him to hospital Matt continued on his own spanning deserts, the Andes and the Amazon.
• Southern tip of India to the Himalayas in a Rickshaw
  Flew with two friends to the bottom of India with the idea of finding, purchasing and driving a local Rickshaw 2,900 miles through India to the Himalayas with only a weeks notice.
• London to Mongolia and Back in a 1.0L Car Purchased for £150
  Left the UK in a 1.0L car purchased for £150 with a friend and spent 3 months driving 16,000 miles crossing some of the world’s most untouched and so-called dangerous countries. They returned in a Fiat 126 and raised thousands for charity.

There’s more in the pipeline and he’s always open to suggestions, opportunities and pushing boundaries. 

The Steppe ends and the Desert begins…

This was once the bottom of the ancient Tethys Oce

After seeing the canyon from the top, it was time

On Top Of The World…

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