he's the man who's reached the tops of kilimanjaro, led treks to mount everest and completed the kokoda trail now sydney based joe bonington is training ordinary aussies to do exactly the same and cross these expeditions off their adventure bucket list the 47 year old adventure trainer shares how his father, british mountaineering legend sir chris bonington, helped turn his troubled life around and experience the unforgettable feeling of achieving what he once thought was impossible joe bonington (right) and his father, british mountaineering legend sir chris bonington (left), at kala patthar in the himalayas in 2008, with mount everest seen in the background  the sydney based man is training ordinary aussies conquer the world's toughest mountains and walking trails  mr bonington, who runs joe's basecamp in brookvale on sydney's northern beaches, says he saw the change in himself the moment he reached the peak of mount kilimanjaro, tanzania 'i had quite a troubled childhood   my father was quite famous at the time,' mr bonington told daily mail australia 'i went off the rails a bit and got into a bit of trouble because i was sick of people asking me if i was going to follow in my father's footsteps 'i guess when i was young, i kind of wanted to make my own mark and also couldn't really understand why my dad spent days away on these trips 'i was always scared that he was going to get killed   like all his friends did it was quite hard for a young kid to digest' at the age of 24,  he embarked on his very first expedition with the help of his father 'that year i decided to go on my first expedition and it absolutely changed my life,' mr bonington said joe bonington pictured on a glacier while climbing mount kilimanjaro in 1992  mr bonington pictured crossing a glacier on the mountain danga ii in nepal in 2000  mr bonington pictured walking across a snowfield high up on  danga ii in nepal in 2000  'i remember being 500m from the top of kilimanjaro and telling my dad i needed to go up there by myself i remember seeing my dad crying his eyes out as i went off on my own 'when i reached the top, i just burst into tears i just stood there crying because i finally understood why my dad did what he does 'i learnt that yes there are risks but what you get from these experiences just outweighs everything else 'that first experience taught me that i need to get out of my comfort zone and i've been doing that ever since i'm now teaching others to do the same' having completed the kokoda trail in 2004, climbed to everest base camp in 2008 and 2010   with plans to go again next year with his clients   mr bonington says his most memorable adventure was in 2000 mr bonington conducting training in the blue mountains for a group planning to walk to the kokoda trail  one of joe's clients, shivani uppal (bottom right), on the everest high passes trek  'that's when i went up an unclimbed peak with my dad in a remote part of nepal,' he said 'to stand at the top of a peak that nobody has ever stood before   and to be there with my dad   it was truly an emotional moment' and while mr bonington is all about expanding people's horizons by training them for mountain climbing, desert marathons and long distance treks   he also hopes this helps others to 'get more out of life' 'what we often forget is that we live in a stunning world and we need to get out there to see it,' he said 'my clients are not professional athletes they are ordinary people with extraordinary goals matt crehan (right) who was trained by joe bonington in sydney for the kokoda trail  dr gareth andrews, who was trained by joe, during his expedition in the north pole  tamzine doherty and nikki gordon running the safari new zealand  'they're bored with what they're doing every day and living controlled lives' mr bonington says his clients, who vary in ages from 20 to 60, can train for three months up to two years the personal trainer says witnessing how he can transform people's perspective on their lives is simply priceless 'for me, i love seeing the look on people's faces when they come to understand what they're capable of achieving,' he said 'seeing people doing things that they never thought they could do and seeing their smile when they reach the end   it's really amazing 'i know that from these adventures they're lives have been changed forever   like it changed mine' the personal trainer says he trains his clients for mountain climbing, desert marathons and long distance treks  mr bonington says his clients, who vary in ages from 20 to 60, can train for three months up to two years 
joe bonington aussies mount kilimanjaro tanzania british chris bonington
joe bonington, 47, has been training aussies to complete expeditions . he embarked on his first adventure   mount kilimanjaro, tanzania   in 1992 . he climbed the mountain with his father and british mountaineering legend sir chris bonington . the personal trainer says this moment changed his life forever as he had previously had a trouble childhood . he says he was able to understand why his father took these risks . now he's hoping to encourage others to 'get out of their comfort zone' and see the stunning world we live in 