Andrews and Stephenson Antarctica 2023

With 8 days to do the last 211km to the Pole we’ve got to do some big distances now but at least we’re hopefully out of the sastrugi.

The surface isn’t exactly perfect, still lumpy and relatively soft but it’s the best we’ve had for well over 500km! We started the day in a whiteout staring at our compass. We’ve increased the length of each of our skiing sessions to make sure we make our minimum distance each day. Low cloud always makes us feel a bit more glum but by the time we made camp the sun had come out and we were feeling good after a very long day but one in which we’d done a great distance. We’ve just got to keep it up for another week until we arrive at our goal.

We have received some lovely messages of support from our family, friends, sponsors and supporters after announcing the change to our expedition. Richard,  Myself and the entire Antarctica 2023 team appreciate everyone that has reached out and reassured us that it is the journey not the final destination that counts. We want to inspire everyone to set huge goals and give it their best, but also step back and know their limits.

To quote Ernest Shackleton “I thought you’d rather have a live donkey than a dead lion.”

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 11hrs 45mins

Distance 26.6km

Gareth

Average HR 116

Max HR 168

Calories burned 8243

Richard

Average HR 117

Max HR 169

Calories burned 8189

We had a really good day today. We made it passed 88S and conditions have really improved. We are on a flat plateau with almost no sastrugi! The start of the day was hard, uphill through sastrugi but then once we passed 88S it all got better. We are sitting in our tent now high on the polar plateau. We still have 200 hard kilometres to go to reach the South Pole and hope to be there by the 18th January.

To our family, friends, sponsors and supporters,

We have made the difficult decision to end our expedition at the South Pole. After losing a crucial week to weather delays at the start of the expedition our objective became that much harder – covering 2023kms across Antarctica in 66 days, a formidable but not impossible challenge. We needed everything to go right to be in with a chance of making it to the Ross Ice Shelf. It has been been an extremely challenging Antarctic season for all expeditions on the continent. For us, 200kms of soft powder snow through the Pensacola Mountains and 386kms (and counting) of solid sastrugi has significantly slowed our progress. We find ourselves now with not enough time or supplies to go more than a few days beyond the South Pole and feel the correct decision is to finish there.

We started this journey on the very edge of the Antarctic continent, the only expedition to start at this further point at the north end of Berkner Island amongst the Emperor Penguins and Icebergs of the Weddell Sea. Although disappointed that we will not make the crossing we will be extremely proud to complete the 1400km trek from the coast to the South Pole.

Thank you all so much for your support and kind messages, they have kept us going through some hard times. We hope you will continue to cheer us on to the end of this epic journey.

Sincerely, Gareth and Rich

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 10hr 10mins

Distance 23kms

Gareth

Average HR 115

Max HR 171

Calories burned 7480

Richard

Average HR 118

Max HR 175

Calories burned 7648

The sastrugi continued as fiercely as ever but we’re very close to 88deg South now, where previous people that have been this way say the sastrugi finally ease. Only 12km until 88 South so fingers crossed we finally hit some smoother terrain soon. It’ll be great to get some bigger distances for the huge amount of effort we’re putting in as we come to our push to the pole.

It’s much colder now, around -26degC with a moderate wind so we have to be careful. Our gear is keeping us warm but this evening I found my face mask had frozen solid to my beard and I had to sit with my face over the stove for 10mins before I could finally take it off, the glamorous side of polar exploration!

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 10hr 15mins

Distance 21.08km

Gareth

Average HR 118

Max HR 163

Calories burned 7280

Richard

Average HR 115

Max HR 170

Calories burned 7154

*now temperatures are colder as we g et towards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

Another day of big sastrugi and uphill climbs but we’re 20km closer to 88S and hopefully some better terrain.

It’s -26degC today with an south-easterly wind making it feel a lot colder. When we leave the safety of our tent each morning we are at the mercy of the elements – the freezing cold and biting winds. We are most concerned about cold injuries to our faces, fingers and toes which can become frostbitten in minutes in these sorts of conditions. So we dress for battle in the mornings and here’s what we wear to keep us safe –

On our heads and faces

-Balaclava

-Neck buff

-Polartec Facemask

-Goggles

-Beanie

-Jacket hood up with ruff to keep the wind off

Clothing

-Top and bottom baselayers

-Insulated Mid-layer

-Arc’teryx x Nuclei synthetic insulated jacket –  an extra layer for super cold days on the plateau

-Shell Jacket – Arc’teryx Alpha SV

-Arc’teryx Shell bib pants – the bib is important to protect the midsection, trousers fall down when you get skinny!

-Arc’teryx Alpha Parka Down Jacket, the absolute best, like wearing a sleeping bag

Feet

-Inner Liner socks

-Thick woollen outer socks

-Alfa APS Polar Expedition boots

Hands

-Arc’teryx Rivet liner gloves

-Arc’teryx heavy insulated gloves

-Down mits – like sleeping bags for your hands.

A massive thank you to Arc’teryx for sponsoring us and supplying us with the world’s best outdoor clothing!

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 9h 40mins

Distance 21.11

Gareth

Average HR 116

Max HR 159

Calories burned 7138

Richard

Average HR 113

Max HR 164

Calories burned 7023

*now temperatures are colder as we get t owards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

I think we might be running out of ways to describe endless sastrugi! Today’s were the ‘storm-tossed ocean’ variety, relentless and never ending throughout the day. We know it’s unlikely we’ll see the back of the sastrugi until 88deg South so we know we just have to keep pushing until we get there. The challenge is to stay positive as we grind our way over the endless ridges, constantly jerked backwards or sent stumbling forwards, each step an effort. We were staggering with weariness when we made it to camp tonight but at least we’re a day closer to the pole, and (touch wood) before then, a day closer to the mythical flat ice beyond 88deg South.

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 10hrs

Distance 21.11

Gareth

Average HR 115

Max HR 172

Calories burned 7385

Richard

Average HR 114

Max HR 168

Calories burned 7265

*now temperatures are colder as we get towards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

Our coldest day of the expedition so far, -27 with clear skies and a light Easterly wind. The day started crisp and bright with sastrugi as far as the eye could see in all directions. The sastrugi theme continued all day, nothing like the behemoths we have sometimes encountered but still big enough to have to work around or haul our sleds over.

Very much starting to feel like we’re on the polar plateau now, very cold, the stove doesn’t roar as fiercely as at lower altitudes, there is a sense of height and vast space.

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 10hrs

Distance 20.25kms

Gareth

Average H R 112

Max HR 165

Calories burned 7236

Richard

Average HR 115

Max HR 1 72

Calories burned 7387

*now temperatures are colder as we get towards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

Antarctica is certainly throwing the challenges at us. After the sastrugi eased off yesterday they returned with a vengeance today. To add to this overnight last night the wind dropped and a steady snow began to fall. By morning a thick layer of soft sticky new snow covered everything so today has been an incredibly tough grind though the worst of both, bad sastrugi and soft snow. Safe to say it’s been a difficult day and it’s taken us a long time to cover the distance we want.

Such a relief to finally get into the tent and get some much needed calories and rest. We’re going to have to dig deep and stay strong over the next few days, wish us luck.

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 10hrs 40mins

Distance 19km

Gareth

Average HR 110

Max HR 158

Calories burned 7153

Richard

Average HR 109

Max H R 171

Calories burned 7238

*now temperatures are colder as we get  towards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

Gareth and Richard have been away from home since late October, we are regularly asked how often they communicate with loved ones and how they cope with being away for so long. Due to modern technology and the incredibly awesome Satellite Phones we have, we can communicate regularly. They try to send messages as often as possible and the kids love chatting about their daily activities. One disadvantage is that we are not able to share photos or videos, we cannot see how much they have grown or what they have been up to over the last couple of months.

Andrea surprised us with a collection of photos of our loved ones and pictures drawn by the kids on the inside of our pulk. We regularly get to see these images and are reminded of all the love and support from home.

We finally broke free of the monster sastrugi this morning and the plateau flattened out before us. We made some great progress across the first flat ground for almost two weeks. The snow is still soft and we spent the day winding in and out of small clumps of sastrugi. This afternoon the cloud descended and sent us into a whiteout. The wind has picked up too so we are glad to finally be on our tent with the stove on. We are listening to the wind and to the snow falling on the tent hoping it will pass before tomorrow. We passed 87S today, a big milestone!

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 10hrs

Distance 22km

Gareth

Average HR 1 08

Max HR 155

Calories burned 6584

Richard

Average HR 110

Max HR 169

Calories burned 6753

*now temperatures are colder as we get towards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

Just when we thought we’d seen it all when it comes to sastrugi! After 250km of nearly solid sastrugi we thought we must have seen sastrugi in all their various forms, large and small but today proved us wrong. We spent nearly the whole day in large, seemingly endless sastrugi, each blending into the next, like the waves of a storm tossed ocean frozen solid. This afternoon though we crossed a field of truely enormous beasts, like nothing we’ve seen before. The size of small houses, the depressions that form on their lee sides big enough to park cars in, they were huge! Luckily these monsters where short lived, they’re actually very beautiful and amazing natural phenomena but it can be a little hard to appreciate that when you’re trying to drag a sled through them!

Fingers crossed for a day with fewer leviathans tomorrow!

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 10hrs 30mins

Distance 21km

Gareth

Average HR 111

Max HR 171

Calories burned 6861

Richard

Average HR 112

Max H R 175

Calories burned 6984

*now temperatures are colder as we get towards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

Day 50 on the ice!

A huge milestone and only 16 days to go!

Another tough day of sastrugi, soft snow and uphill. The cloud descended and the light flattened for our final session of the day slowing our progress significantly. In the flat light it is very difficult to pick out any features at all so we had to take it slow so we didn’t break a ski or any other gear. Looking forward to a better day tomorrow.

Suunto Stats

Skiing Time 9h 30mins

Distance 20kms

Gareth

Average HR 110

Max HR 167

Calories burned 6870

Richard

Average HR 108

Max HR 172

Calories burned 6750

*now temperatures are colder as we get towards the South Pole we’ll be burning additional calories just to keep ourselves warm!

In 2013 Gareth and Richard skied 600km to reach the 1996 Magnetic North Pole. Battling polar storms with temperatures down to minus 60 deg centigrade and dodging hunting polar bears, they skied for over three weeks across the frozen Arctic Ocean. This remarkable location marks the point of confluence of the Earth’s magnetic field out on the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean. This was their first polar expedition and also the beginning of the amazing team that is now Antarctica2023.

Our current Antarctic adventure took ten years to plan with rigorous training schedules, securing sponsorship and funding, juggling young families, careers, completing arduous medical degrees, becoming consultants in our fields of Emergency Medicine and Anaesthetics and then having to be on the frontline of the pandemic.

Going on such an expedition is not easy, being away for such a long time, we have made huge sacrifices, have had a lot of expedition commitments and met a lot of naysayers, but being on the ice and having the privilege of being in such a majestic location, knowing that every step is unique and will get us closer to our goal is totally worth it.

Seek adventure this 2023, surround yourselves by positive people, remain true to yourselves and give it a go!