Summit President Scott Kress is always looking for his next adventure. As you may know, Scott has summited Mount Everest, climbed the 7 Summits (the highest point on each continent), skied to the magnetic North Pole, and guided ill and injured Canadian soldiers on various expeditions through the charity True Patriot Love.
After climbing Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, for the second time this past January, Scott decided he wanted to see more of Antarctica.
Scott and three other adventurers have set a plan in motion to ski to the South Pole and to do it as what is referred to as an unassisted and unsupported expedition style. What this means is the team will have no assistance beyond their own power (no sled dogs, kites, or machines of any kind) and will not access any outside support once the expedition begins. This means all the equipment, food, fuel and supplies the team will need for the entire expedition will be with them from the start. No re-supply part way.
You may be thinking this is not that big a deal, but what the team is attempting to do has been done by fewer than 40 people in history. This epic journey begins at the Ronne Ice Shelf on the edge of the frozen Antarctic continent and travels through remote, challenging and unexplored terrain, for almost 1000km to reach the South Pole. This scenic, but committing route skirts the western flank of the massive Foundation Ice Stream and the Transantarctic Mountains, then turns south toward the Pole.
The team will use cross-country skis and pull their supplies in sleds weighing in excess of 200 pounds as they travel for 45-50 days in temperatures ranging from -20c to -40c without the wind-chill added by the constant Antarctic katabatic winds.
Only 1 previous Canadian has ever skied to the South Pole via the route the team will travel and when successful Kress will become one of less than 45 people in the world to complete what is referred to as the Adventure Grand Slam – people who have climbed the 7 Summits and skied to the North Pole and the South Pole.
This adventure will begin in mid-November and stay tuned for more details as the expedition preparation progresses.
Sponsorship opportunities are available if you see a way to use this expedition to build performance within your organization.