Are you an Individual, Corporate or Charity interested in having your own private group departure?
If yes, please email info@charitychallenge.com and one of our team will be in touch to help with your enquiry.

No departures found for 2014

Thu 04 Dec - Mon 22 Dec 2014

OVERVIEW

What to expect

ITINERARY

What you will do

COSTS

Ways to pay

The challenge

  • Reach one of the planets last great untouched wildernesses
  • Join the ultimate journey to the bottom of the world!
  • Ski the last degree (111 kilometres / 60 miles) to the South Pole
  • Extreme and remote conditions that can drop to -40 degrees centigrade
  • Patience, determination & untapped physical & mental strength required

One of the planet’s last great untouched wildernesses, the South Pole has long been the crowning jewel of polar exploration. Since Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen first attempted to find a route to the southernmost point on earth, its haunting landscapes and serene beauty have been a constant challenge to man’s unquenchable quest for adventure.

This incredible journey takes you across the last degree of the planet’s surface, skiing the final 111 kilometres (60 miles) under your own power, in conditions that can drop to as low as -40C. Following in the wake of the first pioneering polar explorers, you’ll face challenges that will require patience, determination and untapped resources of physical and mental strength as you take on one of the harshest and most breathtaking landscapes on earth.

Beginning your journey at 89°, you will ski for between 8-12 hours per day, hauling your sledge and gear across terrain that in parts may require dragging it and yourself over steep ridges of wind-blown snow and ice. You will be expected to participate in all aspects of the expedition including setting up camp and cooking. The end result though is the geographical South Pole, one of the most remote, extreme and untouched places on earth.

Only a select few make it each year and this is your chance to add your name to the short list of true adventurers who have made the ultimate journey to the bottom of the world!

Important additional information

For over a decade Charity Challenge has been successfully running challenges across more than 30 countries worldwide in some incredibly wild and remote locations. As such, we have identified and put in place a number of measures to best manage our Polar challenges and the many potential issues that have an immediate knock-on effect for the day-to-day logistics involved.  

The following information is intended to better inform you of the environment in which the challenge will take place, and some of the extra measures that we have put in place to manage any unforeseen changes that need to be made to the itinerary. The information also gives an indication of the costs to you in the unlikely event of an extended delay or change to your South Pole expedition.

Please read the following information in full and ask any questions that you may have. If you are not 100% prepared to accept the nature of the challenge environment and the points clearly detailed below, please do not book on to the challenge.

background

 1. The South Pole trek takes place in one of the last true wildernesses in the world.

 2. Treks take place during the Antarctic summer (November to January). Average mid-season temperatures at Union Glacier Camp range from -12C to -4C, but can drop as low as -30C. At the South Pole these conditions can get as low as -40C in the wind.  

3. The whole challenge takes place on the frozen ice of Antarctica, over 3,000kms from mainland Chile, the nearest accessible land-form. Whilst medical staff at the Union Glacier Camp specialise in emergency and remote medicine, it is important that you follow instructions and stay well within your limits.

4. Technical skill, a high level of strength and aerobic fitness and a commitment to a dedicated pre-trip training program are required.

5. Union Glacier Camp is only accessible by air, so weather conditions can have a significant effect on flights into and out of Antarctica.

Implications

All of the above means that even before the ski challenge itself begins, there can be major delays and changes to the programme. We will make the reasonably necessary changes to the programme and will at our discretion incur the expense involved for the first two nights of any additional accommodation and meals in Punta Arenas that need to be arranged. (Punta Arenas is the town from where you catch the flight that takes you on to the ice; and it is to Punta Arenas that you return to after your expedition to the South Pole.) If delays mean that you have to stay in Punta Arenas for more than two additional nights, this will be at your expense (food and accommodation). 

Once on the ice, your progress will depend on the weather conditions and the physical state of the group. There are so many variables that you absolutely must be prepared for any changes and delays that might occur. Weather can also delay the flight home, or your return from the glacier may have been delayed. Again any additional hotel and meal costs over and above the two extra days, we have agreed to fund, will have to be to your own account.   We strongly advise you to ensure your diary is free of any important meetings or events for at least seven days after the planned return to the UK in case we do have to delay your return flights. If you are on the ice and we need to amend the return date by up to seven days, we will do so to enable the challenge to continue without checking with each individual (as this may be difficult to do once the challenge has begun).

The journey

Gallery

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ATOL protected

We hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 6546. Many of the flight-inclusive challenges on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This ATOL protection only covers challenges that include flights booked by Charity Challenge and that originate in the UK. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLcertificate

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