Posted on 11/12/2018 12:38:46 PM PST by ETL
American adventure-athlete Colin O'Brady, 33, and British Army Captain Louis Rudd, 49, embarked on the perilous, 921-mile trek on Oct. 31 both carrying sleeping bags, freeze-dried food, cross-country skis, hand-held satellite phones and modems, a GPS tracker and portable solar panels.
In order for the journey to be considered unsupported, the competitors cannot accept any help from the few people they might encounter, not even a cup of hot tea. They have, however, raised north of $200,000 each from corporate sponsors and private donors in an effort to help with their trip.
According to the New York Times, the last person to attempt a solo unsupported crossing was Ben Saunders, who gave in after covering 805 miles in 2017; prior to that, British explorer Henry Worsley covered 900 miles before dying from an infection only days after being rescued and a mere 30 miles from the finish line. ..."
Both men trained and prepared intensely for the journey. Rudd put in hours of powerlifting and O'Brady gained 15 pounds of muscle, the newspaper reports.
The weather in Antarctica, which according to the Times is considered relatively "balmy" at minus 25 Fahrenheit, could also see temperatures drop to minus 50, with high winds and storms possible. Each man has five days' of reserve food in case the weather keeps them inside their tents.
That's not even considering the chance of hypothermia, frostbite and a chafing condition known as "polar thigh."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
$100 says neither of them die but both quit.
Well, duh, anywhere he starts he will be going from north to south.
from the starting point to the South Pole and then continue South.
What, in tinier and tinier circles around the pole?
At least they’ll be well-preserved for future discovery.
“...but OBrady traversed Greenland fairly recently.”
Thanks. Duh - of course they would have been working their way up to doing this sort of thing. And it isn’t their first foray into this type of adventure.
I’ll have to take some time and read the entire article and maybe follow the guy. I recall reading about other solo attempts (maybe the north pole?) where the guy flew up and stashed supplies along his route so he could resupply himself. I don’t know if that would still be considered as no outside assistance.
I guess that will leave room for other adventurers.
Surely there's a McDonald's or two along the route?
Not to worry - global warming drove them to extinction.
No, they can’t have any food or other supplies stashed in advance.
They can’t even go inside or accept any food or drink at the South Pole. That would void their attempt.
Bricks of lard?
Buckets of bacon grease?
The one who started later can snack on some long pig along the way...
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