Wilderness survivalist Bear Grylls will be the keynote speaker for the 46th annual Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association convention.

The STAFDA convention is slated October 30-November 1, 2022, in San Diego.

Grylls will speak on”Resilience & Overcoming Obstacles.”

Grylls first drew attention for outdoor adventures that became his wilderness survival TV shows in the UK and America: “The Island with Bear Grylls” and “Running Wild with Bear Grylls.”  For the latter, Grylls takes celebrities and professional athletes on a two-day wilderness trip where he pushes the boundaries on their physical capabilities and mental toughness.

The son of a British politician, Edward “Bear” Grylls got the nickname “Bear” from his sister a week after his birth.  He started climbing and sailing with his father, then got into skydiving and karate.  After college, Grylls hiked in the Himalayan mountains of Sikkim and West Bengal. 

From 1994 to 1997, he served in the Territorial Army with 21 SAS as a trooper trained in unarmed combat, desert and winter warfare, survival, climbing, parachuting and explosives.  He was twice posted to North Africa.  His time in the SAS ended as a result of a free fall parachuting accident in Kenya in 1996.

His adventures include circumnavigating the British Isles on jet skis; climbing one of the most remote unclimbed peaks in Antarctica; setting a Parajet paramotor record in the Himalayas near Mount Everest where he looked down on the summit while coping with temperatures of -60 degree Celsius (-76 Fahrenheit) in addition to summiting Mount Everest at age 23.  His adventures are attached to a charity, such as Global Angels or Prince’s Trust.

For STAFDA information: Catherine Usher.  Tel: 262 784-4774  Web: STAFDA.org