Wigan explorer aims to become only second person to ever complete mammoth journey across north America

Oli France, who lives in Standish, is a keen explorer who has visited more than 75 countries and led expeditions around the world.

He is taking on a record-breaking challenge – named the Ultimate Seven – to become the first person to travel from the lowest geographical point to the highest on all seven continents.

The 33-year-old started in Africa, where he travelled from Lac Assal, in Djibouti, to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

And this weekend he will head to the USA to begin a 3,500-mile journey from Death Valley to Denali – taking him from the lowest point on the north American continent at 86m below sea level to the highest at 6,194m.

The challenge will involve a solo bike ride through deserts, mountain ranges and frozen roads, before Oli joins a four-man mountaineering team for a four-week, unsupported climb to the summit of Denali.

It will take 10 weeks to complete and see him face many challenges along the way.

Oli said: “This time I will be starting in Death Valley, which is the hottest point in north America.

"But the main challenge will be the cold. Once I head north, I will be in northern Canada and Alaska, where the temperature could be -30 degrees. I will have lots of cold weather gear with me.

"There will also be lots of stretches in northern Canada with very little civilisation so I might go days on end without encountering any people, any provisions and camping in the wild.

"I need to be mindful of bears and other wildlife. I have been preparing and have bear spray and I’m consulting with a bear expert.”

But it is being away from his two sons – aged one and three – which Oli describes as his “biggest challenge”

If he completes the journey, Oli will become only the second person in the world to accomplish this feat and the first Brit. The last time the challenge was completed was 25 years ago.

And it is just the second step of his Ultimate Seven challenge.

Oli said: “I have now devoted pretty much all of my adult life to this world of adventure and exploration. My sense is that if you commit to anything in life, then you want to be good at it. This, I feel, is my opportunity to do something which no other human being has done before. The Ultimate Seven project is something of an opportunity to use all the skills and knowledge I have gained over the years and really test myself to see how far I can push things. I’m looking forward to that.

"Another motivation is my two young children. I want to show them that you can do big things and you can follow your dreams and really challenge yourself. I hope to inspire them.”

Oli also hopes to inspire other people and will share updates from the challenge on his Instagram page @oli_france.