Exploration

George Kourounis

Episode 6

The stormchaser and Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society spins tales of his extreme adventures

  • Published May 23, 2019
  • Updated Apr 13, 2022
George Kourounis spins tales of his adventures in the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Reading Room at 50 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. (Photo: Javier Frutos/Canadian Geographic)
Expand Image
Advertisement

“I’ve had lightning strikes so close, I could feel the heat on my face … The shockwave just hits you in the chest.” 

When stormchaser and extreme adventurer George Kourounis talks about his scrapes with Mother Nature, his excitement is almost palpable. The host of award winning television series like Angry Planet and Stormhunters, Kourounis has built a career out of running toward the things most people run away from, all in the name of science and public education. On any given day, you’re likely to find Kourounis in the crater of an active volcano, snapping photos of a tornado, or hiking in North Korea.

Born and raised in Gatineau, Que., Kourounis credits a childhood spent biking around the hills and lakes of Gatineau Park as the inspiration for his unconventional career.

“It was nice to grow up in that zone … where you could just disappear for the day,” he says. “I remember when I was a kid riding my bike around in a hailstorm, thinking this was the coolest thing and being pelted with hailstones. Because I had access to nature so easily, it was easy to be influenced by it.”

Kourounis is clear-eyed about the dangers of his chosen profession. In 2013, he witnessed the record-breaking El Reno, Oklahoma tornado. It was the kind of tornado chasers dream about, staying mostly over open, unpopulated terrain — yet when it suddenly intensified and made a left turn, three experienced chasers were killed. 

“You can do everything right and still fail,” Kourounis says. Still, Tornado Alley beckons each spring. 

“Just to see that tremendous power of nature — this huge storm that can be twice the height of Mt. Everest … is really something special to see.”

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Robin Dumas, and hosted by David McGuffin (@mcguffindavid). 

Advertisement

Are you passionate about Canadian geography?

You can support Canadian Geographic in 3 ways:

Related Content

Exploration

Sleeping giant: Inside the Mount Meager volcano

Something melted a hole through the glacier above the Mount Meager Volcano in 2016. A perilous expedition ventured deep inside the cave to find out, did the volcano wake up? 

  • 3894 words
  • 16 minutes

People & Culture

Explorer-in-Residence George Kourounis – On top of icebergs and into volcanoes

Episode 57

Set off on some incredible adventures with George Kourounis as we explore icebergs in the North Atlantic, Africa’s most active volcano and more 

  • 36 minutes
George Kourounis inside the Marum crater of Ambrym volcano, Vanuatu

Exploration

George Kourounis: Going to extremes

Whether outrunning a tornado, dodging lava bombs or hunkering down in a hurricane, explorer George Kourounis is most comfortable living on the edge

  • 1058 words
  • 5 minutes

Travel

Explorer-in-Residence George Kourounis discusses his career as a storm chaser

The global explorer, adventurer, and TV host highlights his most dangerous experiences, regrets, what he has learned, and more

  • 1822 words
  • 8 minutes