Now descendents of that original expedition are setting out to complete the journey – and with them will be Dronfield researcher Andrew Ledger.

Andrew, 24, has undergone a gruelling selection process and beaten off competition from around 3,000 would-be explorers to win a place on the expedition and a chance to make Polar history.

It will be a tremendous challenge for the former Dronfield School student, who has skiied only once and has never attempted ice-climbing.

He believes it was potential, rather than skills, that the selectors were looking for.

"I think they wanted someone with the physical capabilities in terms of stamina and willingness to learn; who could function well within a group, with the sheer bloodymindedness not to give up – and who you could share a tin of beans with at the end of a hard day…"

Andrew is that man.

He has always had an adventurous spirit – at 18 he set off alone to go walking in France. While studying he walked the 200 miles from Sheffield back to university in Newcastle 'just to see what it was like'; and it was on another solo trip, cycling across America and China, that he spotted an advertisement for the Place at the Pole competition, run by the Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition.

"I was in an internet café in Laos and the clock was ticking so I filled in the form quickly. I really thought I'd be rejected out of hand," he says.

But a month ago he heard he had made the shortlist of 20.

He was then questioned about his health and motivation, given a series of psychometric tests, put through his paces in an altitude chamber and interviewed by a panel.

"I was up against surgeons who had been skiing since they were three and other people far more suitable on paper, so I marked myself out as somebody different. I had nothing to lose."

Even so he was astonished to discover he had made the final five – and would have a chance to win the place during a weekend in Wales.

This time he drove to his uncle's home in Chester, then cycled to Snowdonia. "I thought it would create an impression if I turned up on my bike."

The following day he joined team members including expedition leader Henry Worsley and the other finalists on a 15-hour trek through the Snowdonia peaks, tackling gale-force winds, driving rain and wading through water.

This week he learned the prize was his.

"I'd always dreamed of getting to some really exotic and far-flung places but this is a fantastic opportunity," he says.

Preparations start next month with a training exercise in Norway.

Andrew flies to the Antarctic to meet the main body of the expedition on January 6 at 97 Mile Point – the exact date and spot where, 100 years earlier, Sir Ernest turned back, putting the lives of his team ahead of glory.

He will be accompanied by the great-grandson of original expedition member Jamesson Boyd-Adams and the great-great-nephew of Frank Wild.

Three days later they will meet the rest of the Ice Team, who will already have covered more than 800 miles. They will undertake the final 97 miles together, pulling 300lb sledges up to ten hours a day in temperatures of -35C and headwinds of 50mph.

"The bit I'm most looking forward to is just slogging it out against the winds and experiencing the temperatures," says Andrew. "In the longer term I'd like to think that through the Shackleton Foundation that's being set up, I can help his spirit to percolate down to younger people."

Parents Nick and Jan are behind him all the way: "I think they're used to me by now."

Andrew adds: "I think I'll do all right. I'm confident that mentally I won't give up and physically I don't think I'll crumble. I'm not apprehensive really – it's just excitement and real eagerness to get on with it.

"I think they were looking for someone who exemplified the spirit of Shackleton and I suppose I ticked a few boxes in that respect. I just hope I'll live up to his name."



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