Pen Hadow (45) is the first - and only - person in history to have trekked alone, without assistance by aircraft, from Canada to the North Geographic Pole. He is also the first - and only - Briton to have trekked to both the North and South Geographic Poles without air support – feats which he achieved within a 12-month period.
Completed the Tetley South Pole Mission, a 680-mile (1,200km) trek to the South Geographic Pole, making Pen the first (and only) Briton to trek, without resupply, to both the North and South Poles.
On 2 December 2003 Pen and British businessman Simon Murray set off to test the viability of a new route (a variation to the classic ‘Hercules Inlet' route which lies 50 miles to the west), from sea level up to the South Geographic Pole at 9,301ft, hauling sledges initially weighing 28 stone (180kg) including filming equipment, in temperatures which reduced from -10 ° C at the outset to -40°C at the Pole.
On 28 January 2004, at 63 years old, Simon became the oldest person by a decade to have trekked from the continental edge of Antarctica to the South Pole.
The 58-day ice odyssey raised over £280,000 to help restore and digitally catalogue the most important items within the Royal Geographical Society's internationally significant polar heritage collection. Selected items from the collection are now accessible to the public via the internet or can be visited at the Society's new public-access facilities at its headquarters in London.
The Omega Foundation Arctic Ocean Research Expedition (17 March-19 May 2003)
Pen became the first (and only) person to trek the 478 miles (770km) from the northern coast of Canada, across the moving, melting, crumpled sea ice surface of the Arctic Ocean, to the North Geographic Pole, alone, without the assistance of aircraft support. On his final day, Pen completed 20 miles in 15 hours before, with only one hour's rest, he set off to cover the final 5 miles.
He began what explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has described as ‘one of the last great endurance challenges on Earth' at midday on 17 March, and reached his goal, the North Geographic Pole at 09.54 GMT on Monday, 19 May. Others have likened the feat to climbing Everest – solo and without oxygen.
Along the way he saw no living thing, save a couple of ringed seals, a seal carcass left by a polar bear, and a small bird – a snow bunting.
The expedition was funded by an American educational trust - The Omega Foundation. This is a private charitable foundation dedicated to promoting scientific research, education, and environmental protection, primarily in the world's high altitude and high latitude regions.
At the start of the expedition, Pen was hauling a sledge weighing 19 1/2 stone (125kg), filled with all his supplies and equipment, on average for 11 hours a day over chaotic jumbles of ice up to 20' high. Sometimes, in the opening 20 days, the most he could achieve was just one mile in a day.
Three-quarters of the way to the Pole, he lost a ski when he broke through thin ice and fell up to his neck into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean , and he was forced to trek the rest of the way on foot.
Pen accomplished his feat in just 64 days - more quickly than most of the few teams that have preceded him, who were able to share the weight of some of their equipment between their sledges, and had further heavy resupplies of food, fuel, replacement equipment and medical provisions flown in as required. He arrived at the Pole one day ahead of his published 65-day projected finish date. Sir Ranulph Fiennes commented, "The man has a constitution of iron".
The only solo journey, without resupply, to the North Geographic Pole previously had been from the Russian coast, on the opposite side of the Arctic Ocean , going with the flow of ice and wind, made by Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland (1994).
Previously, only solo journeys by the Canadian route had been achieved – each relying on being resupplied. The first, by the legendary Japanese explorer Naomi Uemura (1978), involved a dog-team to pull the sledge, and seven re-supplies were provided. The second, by France 's best-known explorer, Dr Jean-Louis Etienne (1986), was a sledge-hauling expedition requiring five re-supplies. The third expedition was undertaken in 2001 by another Japanese explorer Hyoichi Kono, who managed to reduce the assistance down to one resupply.
Other polar expeditions by Pen include:
Polar Orchid Challenge (2001)
Pen guided Ben Saunders, the youngest person ever to attempt an All The Way to the North Geographic Pole, without resupply. The team sledge-hauled 110kg sledges from Cape Arktichevskiy (northernmost Siberia) 620km across the Arctic Ocean towards the North Pole in possibly the coldest season since 1987, reaching 86º43'North, some 15 days short of the Pole.
The Last Degree - North Geographic Pole (2001)
The Polar Travel Company organised an expedition to the North Pole out of the Russian floating ice-airport (‘Barneo') at 89 degrees North with clients arriving both via Russia and Spitsbergen, led by polar guide, Ann Daniels. In addition training was provided on the Arctic Ocean to two private teams planning All The Way journeys to the North and South Poles in 2002.
The Last Degree - North Geographic Pole (2000)
Pen guided two expeditions, on skis hauling supplies, the last 110 kilometres across the Arctic Ocean sea ice to the North Pole, with the first expedition approaching from the Canadian side using Twin Otter aircraft for the drop-off and pick-up, and the second from the Russian side via Khatanga in Siberia using MI-8 helicopters ex Barneo.
The first 10-day expedition was undertaken by a specially trained team because of the particularly severe weather conditions anticipated (continually -38 ° C to -47 ° C). No sledging expedition had ever been to the Pole so early in the season, indeed the team experienced the last place on Earth to witness the dawn of the new Millennium as the sun rose at the North Pole in late March.
Expeditions in 2000: The second expedition was a made-for-TV documentary about the journey to the Pole.
The Last 50 Kilometres - North Geographic Pole (2000)
Guided a private client on a bespoke, shortened expedition to the North Pole from the Russian side via ‘Barneo'.
M&G ISA Challenge 2000
Technical consultant in the UK, Chile and Antarctica to the first British all-women expedition to the South Geographic Pole undertaken by Caroline Hamilton, Ann Daniels, Pom Oliver, Rosie Stancer, and Zoe Hudson - all originally participants on The Polar Travel Company's ‘McVitie's Penguin Polar Relay' in 1997 - the first all-women team of any nationality to the North Geographic Pole
All The Way - South Geographic Pole (2000)
Promoted the first British guided expedition from the coast of Antarctica (Hercules Inlet) to the South Geographic Pole (1,200 kilometres) enabling Catherine Hartley (the first of two women to ever make such a journey) and Justin Speake (also British) to reach their goal 61 days later, led by Geoff Somers.
The Last Degree - North Geographic Pole (1999)
Guided two separate expeditions, each of five-men, on skis hauling supplies, the last 110 kilometres across the Arctic Ocean sea ice to the North Pole, following a training and acclimatisation phase at Resolute Bay, Canada.
National Polar Express (1998)
Ground-breaking, ultra-lightweight solo North Pole attempt sponsored by National Express - reaching 87°18' North - faster than any previous solo or team expedition - following a resupply at 86° North. Medical condition forced withdrawal.
Organiser of the first all-women's relay expedition (22 women) to the North Geographic Pole from Ward Hunt Island, Canada - including its promotion, fund-raising, selection process, contracting of professional women guides (who trekked the entire distance), physical training, polar base management and media relations.
Oyez Polar Expedition (1997)
Guide to a seven-man expedition attempting to reach the North Magnetic Pole from Resolute Bay in the Northwest Territories, Canada, using a combination of sledge-hauling and snowmobiles – the use of a Twin Otter closed the remaining miles.
‘That Last Degree' (1997)
Guide to a five-man British expedition on foot from the penultimate degree of latitude (89 degrees North) almost to the North Geographic Pole. The expedition raised over £100,000 for the British charity Whizz Kidz, and enabled a wheelchair-bound 12 year-old boy supported by Whizz Kidz to fly in to lift the team on to the Pole.
North Magnetic Pole (1995)
Guide to a successful (200 kilometre) sledging expedition across the frozen McLean Strait from northern Bathurst Island to the King Christian Island in the vicinity of the North Magnetic Pole in the Canadian high Arctic.
‘Search for Kruger' (1995)
Guide to a reconnaissance expedition for television, to Faye Island in the Queen Elizabeth Islands of northern Canada in search of evidence of Hans Kruger who disappeared without trace in the locality in 1932.
Sector North Pole Challenge (1994)
Pen's first attempt to reach the North Geographic Pole on foot, without air support, from Ward Hunt Island, in northernmost Canada. His sponsorship by Sector Sport Watches involved him becoming part of Sector's ‘No Limits Team' – an international team of extreme athletes and explorers.
Trans Spitsbergen Exhibition (1991)
Guide to a two-way crossing by snowmobile of the high Arctic Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.
Project Polar Night (1991)
Guide to a 30-day sledge-hauling crossing of the high Arctic Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, part of which was undertaken during the 24-hour polar night.
Greenland by Foot (1990)
Guide to a series of extended tours by foot in the Ammassalik region of Greenland 's east coast.
Arctic Voyager (1989)
Co-partner of a voyage, sponsored by Shell Unleaded Fuel, by rigid-hull inflatable from British shores - Tower Bridge, London to the sea ice belt off-lying Ammassalik, East Greenland - covering 3,500 kilometres.
Polar Bears in the Wild (1989)
A 65-day, two-man sledge-hauling journey, across the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard photographing polar bears - sponsored by Scandinavian Airlines.
To contact Pen's office for bookings and general enquiries:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
l+44 (0)1364 631 270
Wydemeet, Hexworthy, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6SF, UK
