Last Great Challenge

From 09.10.2010 to 15.01.2011 - Status: postponed

The classical return trek Hercules Inlet - South Pole

In November 2010, adventurers John Wilton-Davies and Justin Miles of Great Britain will attempt to become the first people to not only reach the South Pole, but to return, completely unsupported.

If Wilton-Davies is already known in polar adventure (see his cv here in our 'Polar Expolorers Section"), Justin Mile is not. And yet he has quite an original fate. Being a trainer of fitness trainers and a management consultant, he had on 2 March 1999 a near fatal car accident that had left him with broken bones and a serious head injury ; after this he was unable to walk or talk. Justin then began the long road back to health. With grit and determination, he set out to teach himself to function again, and within nine months, he was back to being seriously fit, confounding medical opinion that even a partial recovery would take years. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of his accident, he decided to go for a major antarctic expedition. As part of his research he met John, a relative veteran with one major expedition behind him and, with little to unite them other than a common desire, the two have joined forces to complete the Last Great Challenge.

John and Justin have decided to try the return trek Hercules Inlet - South Pole, completely unsupported. They will make this tryn this coming antarctic season. And like the most of other people going for an antarctic adventure, they will fly in November from Punta Arenas to Patriot Hills.

Here is how they have planned their itinerary and time : "Previous expeditions have averaged 55 days to reach the pole. Given that the fastest-ever journey was 36 days, with a sled weighing about 85 kg, Justin and John have an immense task ahead. With 180+ kg sleds they need to reach the Pole in around 41 days, and then make it back again in just 36. Whilst the sleds will be lighter on the return journey, the team will be weaker, yet will still need to average some 17 miles a day on the outward journey and 20 on the return. Ideally, the expedition would run over some 95-100 days, but this would push the start and /or finish into a period of much colder weather and massively increase the overall cost by having to pay for individual flights to and from South America. The limitation of time and the extreme distance involved make this perhaps the longest foot race ever...."

Latest : Expedition has just been postponed for 12 months.