Ollie Stoten South Pole Expedition
Race Team Ultra-Runner
has opted for a different off-season away from running, and has just embarked on an attempt to ski across Antarctica.
Ollie is part of a 6 man team that are undertaking a hugely ambitious expedition that only 6 people have ever completed. The team have been dropped by ski plane on the coastline of Antarctica on the Ronne Ice Shelf, and are making their way unsupported and unassisted towards the Geographic South Pole. Each man is hauling an individual pulk weighing around 160kg which contains everything they need to survive. The expedition has been intricately planned to the very last detail, using the newest and lightest technology and materials, and every last calorie planned and accounted for by Ollie.
Once the team hit the South Pole in late December or early January, they intend to pick up a resupply then will attempt to cross the highest point on the polar plateaux, the Titan Dome, before descending down the Shackleton Glacier, which has never been descended before, onto the Ross Ice Shelf. On arrival on the Ross Ice Shelf the team will need to find good enough ice to use as a runway to land a ski plane.
Ollie training on the cliffs of the Algarve
Ollie, a Doctor when not running or adventuring, started the selection process back in May 2015, and focussed his training from running to the polar expedition earlier this year
after a successful race season
.
The team have faced huge challenges en route form the harsh polar weather with temperatures down to -50, 100mph winds, crevasses, whiteout conditions, a climb from sea-level to 10,000ft, isolation from the outside world and the constant mental and physical battle of manhauling their pulls over the ice.
The team on a training expedition in Norway
The team are hoping to raise £100,000 for the ABF, The Soldier’s Charity, as a consequence of the expedition. You can follow it here on the website
, Facebook (@SPEAR17org), Twitter (@SPEAR17org), or Instagram (teamSPEAR17).