British teenager sets new record for the youngest person to reach the south pole, a quest only 300 people did in 100 years. His name is Lewis Clarke, a 16 year-old student from Bristol (UK). Accompanied by the experienced polar guide Carl Alvey, Lewis reached Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station last Saturday at 6 pm GMT (1 pm EST), after a 48 day odissey, unassisted by dogs or vehicles.
Lewis had left from the Antarctic coast on Dec.2, two weeks after his birthday. Then he covered a 702-mile journey skiing eight hours a day while towing a sledge containing all his supplies.
During the quest, that allowed him to collect £2,000 (roughly $3,300) for The Prince's Trust charity, he faced -58 F temperatures, winds of up to 120 mph, blisters, high-altitude cough, frost nip and had to cope with a supposed-to-be-unbreakable broken ski. A tough trial even for a guy who uses to wear shorts in the middle of winter.
On his arrival, Lewis said: "I'm mostly relieved that for the first time in 48 days I don't have to get up tomorrow and drag my sled".
Lewis is not new to setting records, infact in 2010 he led five other 12 year-old Bristol school children to become the youngest relay team ever to swim the English Channel.
It took him three years to plan his polar expedition. One year ago, Lewis began following a tough workout regime with a two week polar training course in Norways Hardanger Plateau, where legendary Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who beat Captain Scott to the Pole in 1911, trained for his Antarctic expedition (and nearly died).
Now he's gonna submit evidence to Guinness World Record to have his claim officially verified: he hopes he has beaten the Canadian Sarah McNair Landry's time, who set the actual record for the same coast-to-pole route in 2005, when she was 18 (she did it unsupported by having food drops, while Lewis had three).
Luckily Lewis won't have to go back home skiing: there's a plane waiting for him, that will bring him back in the UK by Jan.24. Lewis is on time to start preparing for GCSE revision, i.e. the national school exams that the "polar schoolboy" will have to take in May and June.
Find out more on Lewis' blog: https://youngesttosouthpole.wordpress.com
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
