Get your postcard from the Pole
SANTA may have the monopoly on North Pole communication but if you want a postcard from the South Pole, Dronfield explorer Andrew Ledger's your man.
Policy researcher Andy, aged 24, sets off three days after Christmas, following in the footsteps of his hero Sir Ernest Shackleton.
And as part of his bid to raise funds for the Shackleton Foundation, he is offering to send a personal postcard, stamped at the South Pole, to anyone who makes a 20 donation.
Andy has just returned from training in the Arctic Circle, spending four days rehearsing navigation, skiing and safety skills he will need for his epic journey next month.
"It was a real challenge – we were so far north that there were just three hours of sunlight a day and temperatures were about -25C. But I learnt a lot about surviving in such a difficult climate," he said.
"The experience will be totally different when we get to the South Pole, as there'll be permanent daylight. And given that the wind-chill can drag the temperature down to as low as -50C, Norway will look positively tropical…
"Now I just can't wait to get started."
Andy beat 3,000 other hopefuls to win a place on the Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition, comprising descendants of the original Nimrod expedition.
He will fly 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.
Then the six-strong team, led by Liet Col Henry Worsley, will undertake the final 97 miles to the Pole, pulling 300lb sledges up to ten hours a day in temperatures of -35C and headwinds of 50mph.
Friends and followers of the adventurers will be able to keep track of their progress through journal entries posted via satellite link to their website www.shackletocentenary.org
- Anyone who wants a postcard from the Pole, or who simply wishes to support the Shackleton Foundation, can make a donation at www.justgiving.com/andrewledger
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
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