Two Australian explorers set out more than two months ago to ski from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back. As of January 18, the two men have spent 81 days skiing over 1,800 km, setting a new world record for an unassisted crossing of the Antarctic continent.
The 29-year-old accountant Castresen and the 28-year-old scientist Jones are attempting to trek to the South Pole from the Antarctic coast and back. They reached the South Pole on December 31 last year and are now on their way back to the coast, hoping to reach the endpoint by January 27 to catch the last flight out of Antarctica. In addition to making history, the pair also aim to raise funds for a youth cancer charity. Norwegian adventurer Skog and American adventurer Waters completed an unsupported, unresupplied crossing of 1,800 km across Antarctica in 70 days in 2009.
The grueling journey currently undertaken by Castresen and Jones has opened a new chapter in Antarctic exploration history. The pair still have 400 km to go, and if they successfully reach the end point, they will be the first explorers to complete this arduous journey on foot. Jones said, “It feels great to have made it this far and set a world record, but our ultimate mission is to finish the entire journey. We still have many kilometers to go before we can catch the last flight out of Antarctica. Only when we’re on that flight will we feel we’ve accomplished something truly remarkable.”
Castresen and Jones have been adventure companions since high school. They previously set a record for the longest kayak crossing from Australia to New Zealand between 2008 and 2009, covering a distance of 3,300 km.
