How Low Can You Go?
On this day in 1909, explorer Ernest Shackleton and his expedition found the magnetic South Pole. To commemorate
this historic achievement, here are some other records involving going to the bottom of the globe:
Fastest overland journey to the South Pole
The fastest overland journey to the South Pole from Patriot Hills on the Antarctic coastline was a total of 69 hours
21 minutes from 9-12 December 2005, by a team of five drivers: Jason De Carteret, Andrew Regan, Richard Griffiths,
Andrew Moon (all UK) and Gunni Eglisson (Iceland) using a modified 6x6 vehicle.
Youngest person trek to the South Pole
The youngest person to trek overland to the South Pole without the use of dogs or motorised vehicles is Sarah Ann
McNair-Landry (Canada; b. 9 May 1986), who was 18 when she arrived at the Pole on 11 January 2005. Remarkably, she
had made the 1,100 km (684 mile) kite-assisted trip as part of an unsupported expedition led by her mother Matty
McNair, a professional polar trekking guide. The expedition also featured her brother Eric (USA/Canada), who was 20.
Least sunshine
At the South Pole there is no sunshine for 182 days every year and at the North Pole the same applies for 176 days
per year. This is due to their geographical locations, which means that for half of the year, the Sun never even
rises above the horizon.
Greatest display of solar halos
On 11 January 1999, at least 24 types of solar halo were witnessed by scientists at the geographic South Pole. Solar
halos are formed by sunlight being reflected and refracted by ice crystals in the atmosphere, causing rings around
the Sun and bright coloured patches in the sky. Atmospheric conditions at the South Pole are conducive to this type
of phenomenon.
Fastest solo unsupported trek to the South Pole
Hannah McKeand (UK) skied her way to the South Pole from the Hercules Inlet at the edge of the Antarctic continent in 39 days 10 hr 33 min between 19 November and 28 December 2006.
Earliest circumnavigation via both poles, surface
The first surface circumnavigation via both the geographical Poles was achieved by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Charles
Burton (both UK) of the British Trans-Globe Expedition. They travelled south from Greenwich, London, UK on 2
September 1979, crossed the South Pole on 15 December 1980, the North Pole on 10 April 1982, and returned to
Greenwich on 29 August 1982 after a 56,000 km (35,000 mile) journey.
16 January 2008