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Conrad & Richard aim to ski from Ward Hunt Island, (Canada’s northern most land point at 83° North) to the North Pole, a distance of 775 kilometres in approximately 55 days.
 

PURE STYLE

They aim to do this the hard way i.e. UNSUPPORTED. Being unsupported means they will have NO OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE and without any re-supply. Basically they will have to man haul all their own food, fuel and equipment. They will not use dogs or wind assisted kites, but instead will have to rely on their own endurance, stamina and strength to drag their sledges to the Pole.

With careful planning they aim to keep the sledge weight to 120kg per person. Despite these brutal weights they aim to reach the North Pole in less than 60 days, a very ambitious timescale which nobody has yet achieved.

HARDSHIP

All the way to the Pole, they will battle freezing temperatures (down to -60°C), unbelievably difficult terrain and the frustration of skiing on thin sea ice that is moving against them in the wrong direction, due to wind and currents.

They will be unable to travel in a straight line because of the contorted nature of the sea ice, that is distorted into a maze of 5 metre high-pressure ridges and open water leads that have to be negotiated.

To reach the North Pole in early May, before the ice melts and allow a plane to land, Conrad and Richard have no alternative but to set off in early March when the temperatures are at their lowest (-60°C) and only a few hours of daylight exist. Travelling in the early weeks will be a real challenge, with the darkness, cold and distorted ice. Normally the first third of the trip presents the most difficulties because the ice is at its most disturbed, as it has been forced up on Canada’s shoreline by the prevailing currents. To make any progress through this wilderness, Richard and Conrad aim to use 2 sledges and a rucksack each, to ferry their equipment during the first couple of weeks.


PICK UP
Depending on what specific date they reach the Pole they plan to be picked up by either a Russian or Canadian aircraft and then be flown back home via Canada or Norway.

Described as the “hardest expedition in the world” only 10 people have ever achieved this feat in the last 100
years, despite many trying.

CONRAD
For Conrad this expedition will conclude his personal goal of completing the 3 WORLDS GREATEST POLAR JOURNEYS: crossing Greenland unsupported (2003), skiing to the South Pole unsupported, then kiting back (2004/5) and finally skiing to the North Pole unsupported.

RICHARD
For Richard this trip will endorse his position as one of the greatest Polar travellers in the world and make him the only person who has ever skied to the North Pole unsupported TWICE.
To succeed against the elements and terrain, Richard and Conrad will need to draw on all their willpower, strength and experiences to achieve their goal.

NORTHUMBERLAND

Both Richard and Conrad are proud of their Northumberland heritage and hope to fly the flag at the North Pole.