The Quest For The South Pole Begins!!

This year’s expeditions to the South Pole are starting to get underway.  I have already made a post concerning Todd Carmichael, who is attempting to become the first American to go solo and unsupported to the South Pole, but there are others beginning their journey as well.  Most of this year’s South Pole adventurers are beginning to arrive in Chile for their final layover before Antarctica.

The Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition is currently reporting in from Puntas Arenas, Chile.  From there, they will fly to Patriot Hills, Antarctica, then over to the famous Shackleton hut–one of the first stops on their expedition.  The Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition is taking place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton’s famed Nimrod expedition of 1909.  This expedition features relatives of that first voyage, and plans to trace the original course to the South Pole.  You can read more about this historic journey by reading a couple of articles I have written focused on this expedition.  The first article is an overview of the expedition, and the second is an interview I recently conducted with Henry Worsley, the leader of the Matrix Shackleton Expedition.  I will be following them along on their journey and providing updates as I get them.

In related news, thepoles.com is reporting that Dieter and Armin, of the Aloha Antarctic Expedition, have arrived in Antarctica.  These two adventurers are planning to ski to the South Pole this year.  They will be taking a few days to train in the elements before heading out on their journey-The two are hoping to become the first successful South Pole expedition to begin from Neumayer Station.

The expedition, consisting of Germans Armin Wirth and Lars Bastian, along with Austrian Dieter Staudinger, will be skiing from the German research station Neumayer to the South Pole, where they will then continue on to Patriot Hills, completing a trans-Antarctic journey, one that is expected to take them 3 months to complete, covering more than 3400 km (2,112 miles) in the process.

This information is coming from The Adventure Blog, which has posted a nice piece with more information on this expedition.

As the South Pole expeditions begin to arrive at their takeoff destination and things begin to heat up in the Antarctic, all eyes will be on them over the next few weeks (and even months).  Let’s wish them all a safe journey.

Be sure to stop back by for the latest South Pole updates.  You can read them directly from this site (bookmark it or RSS), or by subscribing to my free email newsletter.

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From The Adventurist Vault:

• New Ernest Shackleton Poem Discovered By Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition In Chile (0)
• Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition Reaches The South Pole (0)
• Must Read Interview: Henry Worsley of the 2008 Shackleton Centenary Expedition (3)
• Todd Carmichael: “When you begin thinking about time – the place begins to crush down on you.” Solo and Unsupported, The Adventurist Interview (2)
• Bear Grylls Injury Update (2)
• Todd Carmichael Expedition Earth 2008 Update: Going To The Pole On Foot (0)
• Todd Carmichael Expedition Earth 2008: “I’m On The Ice!!!” (0)
• The Adventurist: As Featured On….. (1)
• For the Pole! Preserving Antarctica’s Past and More… (1)
• Everest 2009: The Logistics of Everest (0)