A 16-year-old girl has achieved her goal of becoming the youngest person to ski to the South Pole.
Schoolgirl Amelia Hempleman-Adams and her father, adventurer David Hempleman-Adams, reached their destination at 1.30am after skiing 97 miles.
The duo spent 17 nights on the ice, enduring sub-zero temperatures, whiteouts and 24-hour daylight to complete the challenge.
Speaking from the South Pole, Amelia called her adventure an “extraordinary experience”.
She said: “The biggest challenges were the freezing cold, dried food, pulling frozen poo in a sledge, and Dad’s snoring. The best bit has been experiencing what dad does on expeditions.”
Wiltshire-based Mr Hempleman-Adams, who was the first Briton to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported, led the Nimrod expedition.
Along with a small team, the pair started their trip from The Farthest Point South, where Ernest Shackleton had to turn back on January 9, 1909. Amelia carried a photograph of Shackleton and a commemorative coin – gifts from his granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton – with her to the South Pole.
The teenager, who is studying for four A-Levels at Prior Park College in Bath, admitted she did not do any homework on her trip despite her best intentions.
“I brought a lot of homework with me but Dad took most of the books out of my sledge to keep the weight down. We set up camp early evening and by the time we sorted our kit out and had dinner I was shattered and aching. I think I’ll have a lot of homework to do over the Christmas holidays.”
Mr Hempleman-Adams added: “Amelia has done amazingly well. I’m very proud of her. It’s one thing going off on an expedition on your own but another thing when you are looking after your own teenager daughter. Obviously, I wanted to make sure she returned to the UK with all her fingers and toes.”
After 17 nights on ice, sub-zero temperatures, whiteouts and 24-hour daylight, 16-year-old Amelia Hempleman-Adams made the record books when she became the youngest person to ski to the South Pole last week. Alongside her dad David, the schoolgirl skied 97 miles in total and described the adventure as an “extraordinary experience”.
She is reported as saying: “The biggest challenges were the freezing cold, dried food, pulling frozen poo in a sledge and Dad’s snoring. The best bit has been experiencing what dad does on expeditions.”
Last month, we reported on Amelia’s preparations for the trip. Dad David had already taken his place in the record books on numerous previous expeditions, including the first to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported in 1996.
Amelia and her dad started their trip from The Farthest Point South, where Ernest Shackleton had to turn back on January 9, 1909. David said: “Amelia has done amazingly well. I’m very proud of her. It’s one thing going off on an expedition on your own but another thing when you are looking after your own teenager daughter. Obviously, I wanted to make sure she returned to the UK with all her fingers and toes.”
