Radu Paltineanu

Radu Paltineanu is Balance's first official brand ambassador. He’s a distinguished Canadian-Romanian professional explorer and adventurer that advocates for global change. Radu is renowned for his daring expeditions into some of the world's most remote and challenging environments. At the core of his unyielding pursuit of adventure and commitment to push the boundary of the known into the unknown is the same ethos that drives Balance in its mission to revolutionize the digital asset industry.

Between 2015 and 2018, three months after graduating from McGill University, Radu cycled from the northmost point in Alaska to the southmost point in Tierra del Fuego, solo, in a 34,554 km long journey that covered every continental country across both North and South America. For this particular expedition he was named European Adventurer of the Year 2018.

Despite the extreme terrain he faced, Radu rates the human element as the greatest challenge he faced riding through South America. “In Central and South America the biggest challenge was basically keeping away from getting robbed. I was robbed at knifepoint in Panama and left with just the clothes I had on me,” Radu explains. “I still had the bike, but the guy managed to take away one of my panniers where I had all my clothes. In Venezuela, a country which was basically in complete turmoil, I went through a hotel robbery, and then once more in French Guyana three kids pointed a gun at me and asked me to give them everything.”

Between 2020 and 2023, Radu explored New Zealand and Australia by walking and cycling. After almost 3,000 km on foot and bike across New Zealand's North Island, South Island and Stewart Island, he decided to explore Australia's most isolated desert regions on a recumbent trike on which he rode 11,238 km, from Cape York to Torbay Head, across some of the roughest tracks of the Northern, Central and Western Australia.

Radu’s stories of overcoming obstacles, persevering, and ultimately achieving the extraordinary inspire and remind us that anything is possible with enough grit, passion, and hard work.

The Next Adventure: The 10 Islands

Radu is planning a first-of-its-kind 3-year project in which he will set out to cross 10 islands that are home to some of Earth's last truly wild areas: Tasmania (Australia), Island Grande de Tierra del Fuego (Chile), New Guinea (Papua New Guinea), Borneo (Indonesia), Terre Grande (New Caledonia), Madagascar, Vancouver Island (Canada), Iceland, Greenland and Baffin Island (Canada). Each crossing will be undertaken on foot, in a kayak, or on skis pulling a sled.

This is no ordinary journey. It's a monumental undertaking, spanning a distance of approximately 10,000 km, to be conquered solely by non-motorized means. The expedition will test Radu and his travel partner's mettle, subjecting them to temperatures ranging from +40 C in the tropics to a bone-chilling -40 C in the Arctic.

More than just a physical feat, this expedition is a call to action. By traversing these 10 islands, Radu and his team aim to capture the essence of these last untamed areas, using images to shed light on the loss of biodiversity, the impact of climate change, habitat destruction, and the financial struggles of the communities living in those remote areas dealing with poverty.

We're excited to support Radu in his next expedition with Balance as his first official sponsor and hope you will as well. For sponsorship and media, or any other kind of inquiries, contact Radu through one of the channels below: