e-Travel Blackboard: You are both constantly pushing the envelope when it comes to exploration and endurance, what sparked this adventure-driven lifestyle and when did it begin?
As kids we both always loved the outdoors, but it was high school in Sydney that really got us out there having adventures in the bush. We both went to the same high school and started heading to the bush as part of cadets. From there we started organising our own trips and they just started to get bigger and bigger!

e-Travel Blackboard: Could you both give a little background on where you grew up in Australia and some details, such as your ages and family background?
Cas 
            - Grew up on Sydney's North Shore, currently lives in the Blue Mountains with Wife Mia.
            - Age 30
            - Family Background: Greek Australian
Jonesy
            - Born in Australia but spent the first 11 years of life in Indonesia. Currently resides in Kensington, Sydney
            - Age 29
            - Family background: Australian and Indonesian Chinese

e-Travel Blackboard: You recently travelled from Australia to New Zealand by kayak... an epic journey. What was the inspiration behind this voyage?
In 2001/02 Cas and I paddled the length of the Murray river...a Huckleberry Finn style adventure at the end of our first year of university. On this expedition we paddled the first kayak traverse of the river spanning 2560km and 49 days. It was on this expedition that we discussed the idea of paddling a similar distance but across the open ocean...what about the Tasman. At first we laughed it off but the seed had been planted and 3 years later we started to work on this idea and just see if it was possible.
 
e-Travel Blackboard: What were some of the most inspirational and detrimental moments during this adventure?
Best:
            - Arriving into NZ to a crowd of 25,000 people on the beach
            - The first sight of land 113km away from Mt Taranaki in NZ.
            - Paddling out of Forster...and starting what had been close to 4 years of planning.

Worst:
            - Being stuck in our kayak for 4 days whilst 10 metre seas raged around us.
            - Paddling 12 hours in a day to find that that you were going backwards and this keep on happening over the next week. We ended up doing a 1000km, 14 day detour in the centre of the Tasman Sea.
            - The rudder of our kayak threatening to tear off and leave a hole in the kayak.
 
e-Travel Blackboard: You recently released a book and DVD detailing your ‘Crossing The Ice’ expedition. Tell me a little about this audacious challenge?
We were the first people to ski unsupported from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back completely unsupported. 2275km over 89days. Over the course of the expedition we lost 56kg of weight between us and battled, frostnbite, hypothermia, crevasses and starvation. It was also the longest unsupported polar journey of all time some 500 more than anyone had previously done.
 
e-Travel Blackboard: You’ve both been charged with corporate and public speaking duties? Do you enjoy being behind the microphone, offering advice to others wishing to follow your lead?
At school we couldn't string two words together in front of a crowd but now we really enjoy it. Being able to share our expeditions and advice with other people is a real honour.
 
e-Travel Blackboard: If you had to pack up and move from Australia tomorrow, where would it be and why?
Jonesy - Hard to pick because we're such a lucky country and Oz will always be home. NZ though is pretty high up there. Whenever I land, I always say that "I could very easily live there". 
 
e-Travel Blackboard: What’s the most harrowing experience you’ve both had to suffer throughout your amassed travels?
See question 4 but also the starvation and hopelessness that we felt down in Antarctica. We pushed our bodies harder than ever out there and it felt like they were dying out there. Over the course of that expedition I lost 30kg and Cas lost 26kg. Our bodies were running rampant with infections and we felt like walking corpses.

e-Travel Blackboard: What have been your greatest individual travelling achievements and what made them so rewarding?
Both the big expeditions were amazing experiences and to have completed them against our own doubts and the doubts of others made them all the more worthwhile! Especially considering we couldn't ski 15 months before Antarctica!
 
e-Travel Blackboard: You’ve been backed by charities, such as the Sony Foundation, allowing people to sponsor you while you complete your adventures and challenges. How important is giving back to the community and those less fortunate?
To be able to use our journey to promote a cause is something that we view as our civic duty. That said we also take alot from it personally...when we were battling down in Antarctica it was inspiring to think of some of the patients from YouCan who were battling Cancer with such grace and spirit, that it fired us up on our own journey. We had notes written inside the tent walls from some patients that always made us reflect that we chose to be down there, whilst they had such a harsh journey thrust upon them...it was extremely inspiring.
 
e-Travel Blackboard: What’s can fans expect next from Cas and Jonesy?
We have some pretty gnarly ideas...3 months in a tent in Antarctica is a long time to think a long bucket list of expeditions that we want to complete but for now we're still recovering from our expedition (yep we're still knackered from the expedition), and working on some of the plans. We'll be releasing details on future trips through our website: www.casandjonesy.com.au next year though...