What is Chessell Adventures?
Chessell Adventures, formerly DCXP - Duncan Chessell Expeditions, is a world-class specialist adventure company catering to individuals and groups. We are acknowledged in the industry as a provider of high quality, good value expeditions with an edge.
We operate personalised adventurous expeditions to international wilderness destinations. Our particular strengths are in the Himalayas of Nepal and Tibet, and on the tracks of Papua New Guinea.
Our team of specialist leaders is backed by superior logistics and support, and partnerships with like-minded organisations. We pride ourselves on high levels of safety and support for our participants that give genuinely small groups of participants pathways to success, fun and camaraderie in a dynamic outdoor environment. We are delighted to say that many of our clients to date are advocates for Chessell Adventures.
Among our goals are:
• We aim to challenge and develop the confidence, understanding and skills of our clients through adventurous activities
• We value our customers and staff as individuals
• We enable our staff to share their appreciation and understanding of the outdoors, to develop and showcase their strengths
• Our clients are our best advocates, returning for more adventures and bringing their friends
The company’s office is in Adelaide, South Australia and is staffed by a team of six. Our leaders are mostly Australian, New Zealander or American outdoor professionals and we have operational bases in Papua New Guinea and Nepal.
PeopleDuncan Chessell, Director
Duncan is the founder of DCXP. He is a modern-day adventurer who lives for the next challenge. He is company director of DCXP, a mountain guide, geologist, father, outdoor educator and talented photographer. Duncan’s interests and talents have allowed him to lead a stimulating and full life. His diverse skills come together to make him an inspiring, well-informed and charismatic speaker. Contact us for more information about Duncan’s presentations for corporate groups, conferences and dinners.
Duncan was born in 1970 and educated in Adelaide (B.Sc. (geology) Adelaide University) before living interstate for some years. He returned home in 2002 and he now lives in the Adelaide foot hills with his wife Jo Arnold, and baby daughter, Zara.
In recent years Duncan is spending less time in the hills and enjoying the business challenges of managing his own growing company.
He still manages to get into the field a few times a year and fights hard to maintain the balance between work, family and personal goals.
Katie Sarah, Himalayas and worldwide adventures
Katie manages our customer service team and takes great care of participants on our Himalayan and African expeditions. Katie had her first experience at altitude in 2006 with a successful summit of Bolivia’s highest peak, Navado Sajama, 6542m, and her interest in climbing has taken her from the gym to our excellent local crags of Arapiles and Moonarie. Prior to that Katie's outdoor experience was mainly in triathlon, running marathons and a couple of 100km events in the Adelaide Hills. Katie was an over-achieving team member (her understated goal was to reach the North Col to ‘see how she went!’) of Chessell Adventures's 2007 Everest Team and we are very proud that she reached 8450m on the highest mountain in the world.
Dr David Tingay
David is an experienced (we'd say 'expert') high altitude and adventure travel doctor (and he is also a climber). He is the medical advisor at the other end of the satellite phone for our overseas expeditions. He has extensive wilderness medicine experience, in the Himalayas, Patagonia, Africa, the middle East, Europe and Antarctica. He also advises Chessell Adventures in preparing our medical kits and leaders for field operations.
Jo Arnold
Dr Jo Arnold has been mountaineering and exploring the outdoors since the early 1990s when she was studying geology at uni. As Duncan’s wife and climbing companion she has been with Chessell Adventures since its beginning. Her guiding resume includes the 7045m high Lhakpa Ri in Tibet and Mera Peak in Nepal. She has also guided on the highest peaks in the Americas – Aconcagua in Argentina, and Africa – Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and she has climbed crags and mountains in New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, North America and Antarctica. Many of our earlier customers benefited directly from Duncan and Jo’s experiences together in the hills, and her expertise is now captured in our client documentation. Jo has taken a step back from Chessell Adventures since the birth of baby Zara, but still maintains an active interest in the company and its clients.