LOVE LOVE National Geographic’s Crossing the Ice – AMMMMMAAAAZING!

Was it the snow, the location or just the impossibility of the challenge itself?  Yep, probably the latter.

Best film of the year.  Highly recommended!

Next time you’re in the gym & they call you crazy for thinking you can finish an Ironman, without EVER competing & completing a triathlon (never mind age) – watch these 2 Aussies first learn to ski, then reach the South Pole unassisted.

Absolutely anything is possible.

After the crossing the Tasman the boys took on an even more audacious challenge – the first ever unsupported trek from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back. Starting with very limited experience they spent months researching, consulting with experts from all round the globe, training in the Arctic and NZ, rehearsing the skills they would need to survive in the highest, driest, windiest and coldest place on Earth.

 

Pulling loads that started at 160kg and temperatures as cold as -40 C, they battled frostbite, injury, whiteouts, crevasses, gear failure and slow starvation. During the 89 days it took them to ski 2275km without any outside support or assistance they lost a combined 55kg of body weight. Their adventure set a new benchmark and raised the bar of polar exploration globally. 

Facts about Crossing the Ice:

• Crossing the Ice was the first EVER unsupported return journey to the South Pole.
• Cas and Jonesy are the youngest team to ever reach the South Pole.
• Previous attempts: Jon Muir, Peter Hillary and Eric Phillips attempted the return journey in 1998. They reached the South Pole after 84 days on the ice but didn’t complete the return. Kiwi adventurers: Kevin Biggar and Jamie Fitzgerald also attempted the return journey in 2007, their attempt was also unsuccessful.
• Less people have man hauled to the South Pole (58 people) than have stood on the summit of Mt Everest (4600).

‘Crossing the Ice’