Personal guidance on expedition
Guidance of
the highest
order
Professional
Personal
Never alone
Not touristic or recreational. Real expedition guidance.
Our guidance is built on years of experience in extreme conditions. During the preparation programme you get to know your expedition leader personally, and on expedition that same person walks beside you.
Meet the X Guides
The benchmark for
our guidance
Koen De Leeuw is a founder of Element X and a former paracommando. As expedition leader of De Expeditie he led eight well known Flemish personalities through Patagonia and Namibia. Koen is supported by some twenty X Guides, all certified Wilderness First Responders. That way most expeditions have two expedition leaders to support the group. We select our X Guides carefully, through a demanding programme that ends with a test expedition abroad.
Koen De LeeuwFounder and expedition leaderParacommando · Wilderness First Responder Meet KoenA network of
experienced expedition leaders
An X Guide is an Element X expedition leader: a specialist in wilderness, safety, leadership and human dynamics, with a Wilderness First Responder certificate. Element X has grown quickly in recent years, but the bar for our X Guides is as high as ever.
Wilderness First Responder
Every expedition leader holds a WFR certificate, topped up with additional training.
Extreme conditions
Experience in extreme cold, heat, altitude and complete isolation.
Years in the field
Years of field experience in rugged and remote areas.
Skill and empathy
They get you safely through conditions where the margin for error is small, and sense how you are really doing.
Meet the X Guides
Not names on a list, but the people walking beside you. Each with their own speciality, matched to the terrain, the conditions and the group.
Simon
Professional paramedic with the fire service and a former paracommando. The coolest head on the team when things get tense.
Marie-Louise T.H.
Elite adventure racer. Operates on her own for days in extreme conditions and leads from a place of calm.
Erik E.
Fifteen years as an army physiotherapist, at home and on operations. Builds a solid physical base.
Fred V.D.W.
A seasoned expedition leader with experience in the most remote corners of the world.
Landry A.
A background as an underwater welder. Combines top technical skills with tireless drive.
Wouter P.
Natural leadership. Moves a group effortlessly towards one shared goal.
Renske V.
A strong outdoor professional with a clear passion for nature, on rock, water and snow.
Finn T.
A dedicated survival expert with deep knowledge of plants and animals. Calm and patient in how he guides.
Sarah W.
Basecamp Manager and an expedition leader herself. Your point of contact from sign up to return, and on Sundays out on the trail running circuit.
Which expedition leader leads your expedition depends on the terrain, the conditions and the group.
About Element XYou do not
just become
an X Guide
Every candidate goes through a preparatory programme that ends with the ultimate test: a placement abroad where everything comes together and every mask falls. Can you still call on your technical skills in extreme conditions? Can you apply what you learned, even under stress? This is what we look for in an X Guide.
Test expedition abroad
In cold, heat or at altitude. Always in conditions where everything really counts. That is where we test three things.
Stress and behaviour analysis
How does someone react to lack of sleep, hunger, physical exhaustion, social pressure, setbacks and unpredictability?
Technical evaluation
Navigation, rope work, camp management, survival basics, safety and emergency scenarios.
Human assessment
Can this person be your safe anchor, and at the same time genuinely connect and sense what you need?
Adventurous rock,
warm person
Our guidance always rests on two pillars. Only those who have both become an X Guide.
Adventurous rock
Someone you trust when things get tough, chaos breaks out or safety is at stake.
Warm person
Someone who senses how you are doing before you realise it yourself. Who listens, motivates and respects your limits.
We train in extreme conditions, because that is where you find out what works and what does not. That craft is what you take with you into the wild.
Trust,
backed by experience
We work completely off grid, where trust, experience and safety make the difference. That is why we invest in being close, before, during and after the expedition.
- You meet your expedition leader in advance
- Professional guidance from start to finish
- Safety is our top priority
- You are never on your own
That keeps things calm, clear and trusted, even when conditions turn intense or unpredictable.
The preparation programmeWhat participants say
From A to Z everything was worked out and thought through down to the last detail. Our wish to be truly immersed in local culture and adventure was fully met. The guidance was professional and warm at the same time.Jan De ClerckAlinso Group
4.9 on Google
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of your life?
Together we take the time to listen, think along and guide you to an expedition that truly suits you.