3 days ago
Welsh explorer becomes world's first to scale Andes through seven countries
Ollie Treviso telling his story.
A Welsh explorer has become the first person in history to cross the Andes mountain range through seven countries.
Ollie Treviso from Swansea began his solo expedition in Argentina in September 2023, and has since trekked 14,000 kilometres, crossing into Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, before finishing in Venezuela this week.
The 29-year-old from Port Tennant has walked every day for the past 20 months and says he has gotten through nine pairs of trainers.
'It feels surreal, I can't believe that I've done it', Ollie told ITV News.
'I love thinking about the original idea, sitting at the dinner table, and it flashing in my mind. I never thought I would actually do it, but with time, it happened.
"To have my dad and brother at the end was an emotional finish for sure.
'I don't know if I'll ever be able to process it, so many things have happened, it's a dream come true.'
Ollie, who has walked the length of Britain and sailed across the Atlantic, came close to failing the expedition on a number of occasions.
In February 2024, he fell down a gorge while 2,000 meters high crossing from Argentina into Chile. Miles from civilisation and suffering from concussion, Ollie began walking dangerously off course. Ollie says a chance meeting with a stray dog, whom he would later call Sandy, saved his life after the dog led him back to the nearest village.
Last month, while travelling through Colombia, Ollie was mugged by a machete-wielding gang, who took his money, clothes and supplies. It was only the kindness of locals, who supplied him with a new phone, which meant he was able to complete his trek.
Ollie said: 'I've walked through deserts, jungles, rainforests, and climbed mountains with 6 thousand feet of elevation. That is what drew me to the Andes, just how diverse it was. It's been brutal at times, altitude sickness, minus 20 degrees at night.'
'I need a new pair of knees, that's for sure, my knees are finished….and nine pairs of trainers I went through in the end!'
While scaling the Andes, Ollie has been raising money for mental health charity Mind Ystradgynlais. The explorer says it was his own personal struggles with mental health that spurred him to raise the money.
Ollie is due to return to Wales in the next two weeks and says he hopes to visit schools as well as write a book about his adventure and achievement.
'I need to enjoy this'', Ollie said.
'That's the most important thing, get back home and enjoy being with my family and enjoy being in Wales. I need to share my story and stay in the present and not be thinking too far ahead all the time, I think that's really important for me.'
'I'm definitely going to miss it, as hard as it was, I loved it. I've had the highest highs of my life and always felt like I was learning something new.'
'But this is the start of the next chapter now, I'm really on a mission to share my story. I've been obsessed with walking every day, but now it's all about what's next.'
