“Extreme crazy s**t” and cruising don’t generally go together, but adventurer, ex-marine and TV star Jason Fox isn’t letting that curb his imagination.
“My fantasy ship would have a helicopter, climbing walls and a 60ft ladder off the back you can try to climb up,” he enthuses. “You could go to dinner by abseiling!”
The SAS: Who Dares Wins star joined a Cunard cruise to Alaska this summer as an “Insight Speaker” – although his idea of a perfect sailing is slightly different to that of the traditional brand.
“I’d like to be climbing up and jumping off things,” he says.
You can forgive him for being ambitious. He once shimmied up the side of the Queen Mary 2 at night via rope ladders to test its security (the vessel was used as floating accommodation during the 2004 Athens Olympics), so his idea of visiting a ship is a bit more hands-on.
“I really got a feel for the absolute enormity of that massive chunk of metal,” he recalls. “It was pretty gnarly.”
The sumptuous Cunard ship, Queen Elizabeth, is slightly different. It underwent a makeover earlier this year and there’s now a wellness café, ballroom dancing, three-day spa packages and a special menu crafted by Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux. Gnarly, it is not.
The 10-night Alaskan sojourn still provided its kicks, though. “There's always a bit of adrenaline that comes from standing up in front of a room and talking,” he admits.
Read more: The five-day trek in the Guatemalan jungle that’s worth every blister
As part of his presentation, he told cruisers about his last trip to the US state in 2019, when he kayaked 1,980 miles down the Yukon River for charity.
“There was all sorts of chaos on that journey, from being chased by grizzly bears – and finding out that bear spray is absolutely useless – to being caught in storms.”
Fitness is always a priority on board, too. He trains “every day to keep sane,” he says.
Not that he has concerns about feeling “stuck” on a ship: “I rowed across the Atlantic for 50 days on a small boat with four other lads, and it was stinking – so it’ll never be as bad as that,” he quips.
Read more: I’ve hiked in some of the most extreme heat in the world – this is how I stay safe
That said, discomfort doesn’t bother him. “I like pushing myself into uncomfortable positions,” he insists, and he thrives off regular physical resets in the outdoors.
“I love it,” Fox says. “It’s the thing I need. I’ve done so many things where I think, ‘This is absolutely s**t,’ and then when you look back on it, you've got rose-tinted glasses.”
Reminiscing about his ultra-marathon training on skis in Arctic Sweden, he claims the benefits of endurance are manifold. “It can become mind-numbing; I'm not thinking about all the other stuff – home, bills, work – I’m just thinking about staying on my two feet and keeping a good rhythm going so I can get some miles done.
“It's quite a nice distraction.”
It offers more than that, though. “The only way you can really find out anything about yourself is to push yourself into dark places,” Fox says.
It’s also a huge part of his role on SAS: Who Dares Wins, which tests the mental, emotional and physical strength of civilian and celebrity recruits. Fox and a squad of ex-army officials recreate the SAS’s secret selection process (and its high-pressure fitness tests).
“The producers love to see us screaming and shouting because it makes it more dynamic,” Fox explains, “but ultimately, what you don't see is lots of mentoring, coaching and encouraging as well, because we genuinely want to see the people who come on the show prove to themselves they're probably made of tougher stuff.”
The rest of us don’t need to be quite so masochistic, fortunately.
Read more: Meet the women running remote mountain refuges in the wilds of the French Alps
“I don't advocate going out and doing extreme stuff,” he reassures. “My threshold is slightly different, but I think people just need to look at where they're at and be excited about the next thing that’s different, difficult or uncomfortable, and then looking at doing it in a smaller way.”
So, from hiking a mountain in Wales to exploring a new park in London, as long as you’re “pushing yourself, getting outdoors, exercising, breathing fresh air”, you’ll have Fox’s approval.
As for Cunard, they will be glad to hear that he’s happy to enjoy the slower, more comfortable pace of cruising (although it does take him a day and a half to switch off).
The ex-soldier still has plenty of adventures left to tick off: “I’ve always fancied Kilimanjaro, just for the experience more than anything.
“A friend and I are thinking of the South Pole, but that’s bloody expensive, and then maybe a few more remote rivers,” he muses.
Oh, but he does like the idea of a cruise TV show in which people water ski off the back of a ship. Cunard, you have been warned.
Will new EES rules leave me cruising for a bruising?
Doctors are now ‘prescribing’ Sweden – this is my experience of a Scandi wilderness
I’ve found the best Black Friday cruise deals to book now
I am spending my retirement at sea: What life is like living permanently on board a cruise ship
I’m a cruise editor and these are my favourite ports for sun, sea, sand and scenery
Royal Caribbean brings new private beach club to the Mediterranean for the first time
Cunard announces six new cruise destinations, including Canada, Iceland and Italy
New walking cruise itineraries launched with Fred Olsen for 2026
Havila Voyages reveals details of industry first biogas-powered cruise
