National Geographic Names 2014 Adventurers of the Year

JP Auclair - National Geographic Adventurers of the Year — Canadian skier JP Auclair is best known for his special style of urban skiing. Auclair was chosen as one of National Geographic's 2014 Adventurers of the Year. (Image credit: Chris O'Connell)

What could be more adventurous than running up glaciers, swimming from Cuba to the United States, or summiting one of the most treacherous peaks in the world? National Geographic recently named 13 intrepid individuals as their 2014 Adventurers of the Year, and now, fans are invited to choose their favorite honoree.

The Adventurers of the Year were chosen to celebrate special achievements in exploration, adventure sports, conservation or humanitarianism over the past year, according to National Geographic.

"This is the ninth year that National Geographic has combed the globe to find people who embody the spirit of adventure in diverse ways," Mary Anne Potts, editor of National Geographic Adventure online, said in a statement. "The 2014 Adventurers of the Year are truly inspiring and remind us of the importance to pursue our own passions every day." [7 Extreme Female Explorers]

The public is now invited to vote online for the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. The voting period will run through Jan. 31, 2014, and the winner will be announced in February. Fans can vote once a day on National Geographic Adventure's website.

American big-wave surfer Greg Long was selected as one of National Geographic's 2014 Adventurers of the Year. (Image credit: Fred Pompermayer)

The 2014 Adventurers of the Year are:

Stacy Bare and Nick Watson— American adventurers and military veterans who launched an organization that links vets to the outdoors and the outdoors community.

Greg Long— American big-wave surfer who won the 2012/13 Big-Wave World Tour, despite nearly losing his life in a massive wipeout a few months earlier.

Amy and Dave Freeman — American adventurers and educators who completed a three-year, 11,647-mile (18,750 kilometers) journey across North America by kayak, canoe, dogsled and foot, connecting with students and teachers along the way.

Diana Nyad — Sixty-four-year-old American long-distance swimmer who recently completed a swim between Cuba and the United States on her fifth attempt.

Kevin Pearce — American snowboarder who, after surviving a traumatic brain injury, launched the "Love Your Brain" campaign to encourage the use of helmets for kids.

Kilian Jornet Burgada — Spanish "skyrunning" ultrarunner whose new brand of running involves blazing up technical terrain, such as glaciers, rock ridges and steep snowfields.

Raphael Slawinski and Ian Welsted — Canadian alpinists who were the first to summit Pakistan's K6 West, one of the last great unclimbed peaks in the world, despite danger and political turmoil in the region.

Adam Ondra — Czech rock climber and two-time world climbing champion.

JP Auclair — Canadian skier who is best known for his special style of urban skiing.

Sarah Marquis — Swiss hiker who has just completed a three-year trek from Siberia to Australia.

Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow OurAmazingPlanet @OAPlanet, Facebook and Google+. Original article at LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.

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Denise Chow was the assistant managing editor at Live Science before moving to NBC News as a science reporter, where she focuses on general science and climate change. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, writing about rocket launches and covering NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.