|
Dubai: British adventurer Adrian Hayes who set off for the South Pole last month has reached the halfway point of his challenge with 560 kilometres to go in minus 40 degree temperatures.
Hayes trek to the South Pole is an unaided expedition that makes up the third and final episode of a Three Poles trilogy.
In a satellite link phone call Dubai-based Hayes confirmed he has reached 85 degrees south, marking the halfway point on his epic journey to the South Pole. Hayes will raise money for the Children’s Hope Foundation and Friends of Cancer Patients charities.
“It’s impossible to forecast an exact arrival date but we are making good progress at around 25 to 30 kilometres a day. It’s not exactly a walk in the park and conditions are very severe, but the snow and ice are a little easier to deal with than they were at the North Pole,” said Hayes.
Battle
“We have battled blizzards, temperatures of minus 23 degrees celsius and a storm force of 100 kilometre winds, but the expedition remains on track to arrive at the South Pole within weeks,” he added. Assuming success, he will become only the fifteenth person, and second Briton to reach the three pinnacles of extreme adventures on earth — the top of the World, bottom of the World and roof of the World.
The 1,130 kilometre expedition set off 25 days ago from Hercules Inlet on the northern shores of Antarctica. Hayes aims to arrive at the South Pole’s desolate Amundsen-Scott Base by the end of December or early January. He will also be the fastest person in history, in approximately 19 months to complete the three Poles.
Only 117 people have walked to the South Pole the entire way in the 96 years since Norwegian Roald Amunsden reached the Pole using dogs on 20 October, 1911.
Hayes climbed Mount Everest on 25 May 2006, and reached the North Pole on 25 April 2007, after a 775 kilometre walk from the top of Canada. The final expedition involves walking 1,130 kilometres to the South Pole from the Antarctic coastline between November 2007 and January 2008 as part of a small five person team.
|
