Antarctica
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Day 14 Another whiteout and Cottage Pie for diner
18km It started off okay, with stiff winds and a bit cloudy. However within an hour, the Antarctic clouds descended and it was just skiing through a whiteout from then on. Tough…
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Day 12 Whiteouts, new sleeping attire and record 17.5km
Oh, wow today was hard!! Really hard! It started off with very strong winds to greet me as I had to pack up the tent, just to bid me good morning! It…
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Day 11 Storms, Sastrugi, Three Sails Mountains and stunning views!
14.5km/ 9miles Last night… wow! That was a terrific storm. As expected, it reached its strongest from around 3-5am and it really was strong. Very happy with the tent – always felt…
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Day 10 Wind like an express train
Nothing much happened today: just an Antarctic storm that started blowing up from around midnight last night. It was all so calm as I setup the tent yesterday evening but the storm…
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Day 8 Another tent day
It’s definitely frustrating. Another day in the tent. It’s difficult not to think of the time lost and the distance that would have liked to have covered today. The weather has been…
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Day 7 Up on my skis again and again… not
15k/9.3miles So, it was a mixed day today. 15km covered and I felt pretty decent after the rest day yesterday. The pain in neck had subsided; uncomfortable but not bad. Great conditions…
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Day 6 Rest Day
Not something I wanted to take quite so quickly but it was needed as the pain in my neck was in all honesty, pretty bad. It hurt as I was skiing yesterday,…
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Day 5 A pain in the neck!
10k/6.2miles Today (day 5, but the fourth full day!) was tough. The pain in my neck from yesterday had only been temporarily alleviated by the painkillers, and while it was still much…
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Day 4 First steep climb to 900m
Today was a day of -25 degrees, blue skies, some light headwinds and 16k/10miles travelled. Slowly does it! It has been great to get up the first steep climb up from Hercules…
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Day 2 First full day on the ice
Distance travelled 12km/7.5miles 17th November. Today has been all uphill and slow, but steady! Could see the wall of the glacier I had to ski up ahead of me as I packed…
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Day 1 Arrival by plane and first night under canvas
Distance travelled 5km/3miles It was strange yesterday being dropped off – a spectacular 30min flight in over the mountains. Could see all the main initial nunataks that will be using to help…
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Thoughts, doubts and staying positive
The countdown has been on hold. I was meant to fly to Union Glacier on the 10th, then on the 12th… then possibly today but now hopefully tomorrow. As I mentioned in…
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Antarctica: Preparations and delays
The journey to Punta Arenas It has been a long couple of weeks or so. On the 28th October, I started the journey south from Inverness, making sure to have a couple…
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Hard Yards
The clock ticks towards my departure to Antarctica. There have been some fun hours spent in the local woods here in Carrbridge in the Cairngorms National Park. Dragging my four friends around…