Solo to the South Pole
Carrbridge Hotel
Thursday 23rd February 7.30-9.00
Illustrated talk by Ben Weber who recently returned to Carrbridge after succeeding in a 58-day, 700 mile solo expedition to the South Pole.
This will be Ben’s first talk on his epic solo expedition to the South Pole. Ben will share his thoughts and reflections of the challenge of a life-time.
The talk will include the preparations, logistics and practicalities of planning such an undertaking. The audience will then be taken to the starting point at Hercules Inlet where Ben is left totally alone on the Antarctic ice facing 700 miles of unrelenting conditions ahead.
Ben’s grinding daily routine revolved around hauling his fully laden 135kg sled, eating 6,000+ calories and pitching his tent for overnight protection from the elements. All the while preventing frostbite form temperatures as low as -40c.
The account shares the agony and ecstasy of a chronic agonising neck injury that nearly ends the dream, the never-ending hurdles of sastrugi ice fields, careful food rationing through to the last few meters to the South Pole.
Ben, originally from Orkney undertook the challenge to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in memory of his late mother. “This has been such an incredible and challenging expedition. I thought at the start – from day five, when my neck started to become painful-that I might have to give up, and it was so hard. The pain just wouldn’t go away, and I was getting slower and slower. While I was able to get that under control, then there were the daily challenges. The extreme cold, the whiteouts, the sastrugi and the wind; soft snow slowing things down; the climbing… going from sea level to eventually get to 2,800m.”
carrbridge hotel
The Carrbridge Hotel is hosting the evening. Doors open at 7.00, there will be an open bar and whilst there is not entrance charge, we suggest a £5 donation to Ben’s chosen charity Cancer Research UK.