SOUTH POLE ADVENTUREFor most of us there's nothing better than a trip to a wilderness location. But spending over two months skiing across the wastes of Antarctica sounds a little extreme. North East couple the Dickinsons have a passion for adventure. They've just completed an intrepid, record breaking trip to the South Pole. Inside Out met them at the South Pole and caught up with their epic journey, which took them from Hexham in Northumberland to the frosty ice caps of Antarctica.
"Physically it's very demanding - it's like doing the Great North Run, pulling a cast iron bath full of water for 70 continuous days." Conrad Dickinson, South Pole adventurer. Polar express The Dickinsons are an average family - they have two grown up children, they enjoy a quiet night in watching television, and their dream night out is at their local Indian restaurant in Hexham. But they also have a passion for extreme adventure. Conrad Dickinson, 49, is an ex-Army captain and an expert in Arctic warfare.  | | A sense of adventure - Hilary sets off for the South Pole |
Wife Hilary, 51, is a fitness fanatic with an active involvement in telemark skiing, fell running, cycling and triathlons. On November 1, 2004 they embarked on a demanding and dangerous project involving endurance, physical fitness and mental strength. The pair set off from the Hercules Inlet on the edge of Antarctica on a 1,380 mile trip to the South Pole and back. Their plan was to ski their way into the record books by trekking to the Pole without any back-up support. Their goal? To be the first British team to undertake the trip without relying on motorised vehicles. It was a tough challenge, and one that required the Dickinsons to be supremely fit. To prepare for the trip they underwent extensive training in the Arctic, Greenland, Baffin Island and Norway. Record breakers The marathon journey was some 50 miles longer than any completed previously by British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud in Antarctica. The Dickinsons completed the journey in a record 70 days, using kite power for the return journey - a remarkable achievement.  | | Carrying supplies over ice is exhausting |
By using kites, they completed the second leg in just 17 days at speeds of up to 25 mph. Weather on the route was reported to be the worst for the last 15 years with ferocious winds and temperatures plunging to -45C. Conrad Dickinson's extensive experience of cold environments proved to be invaluable. "All of a sudden the temperature can drop by about minus 20C and it hits you like a hammer," says Hilary. And as the trip was unsupported, the duo had no re-supplying network en route. They had to carry all food, equipment and supplies on sledges. Their only companions were Canadian polar explorer Matty McNair and her grown-up children. Dangerous moments The trip was extremely hazardous mentally and physically. Both of the Dickinsons lost a huge amount of weight on the trip. "I was amazed by how quickly my body deteriorated. By the time I got the South Pole, I jumped on some scales and I'd lost three stones - I was actually eating into my muscle," says Conrad.  | | Conrad suffered from frost nip on his face and eyes |
Conrad developed frost nip on his eye lid, whilst the end of one of Hilary's fingers became frozen, resulting in blistering. The couple found themselves in danger on several occasions. At one point they ended up in a maze of ice cliffs, ravines and snow bridges. Conrad Dickinson remembers the moment well, "Basically there are lots of crevasses which are cracks in the ice hundreds of feet deep and these were bridged by snow. "We had no alternative but to take our hearts in our mouths, and cross the snow bridges to get out of this mess." As well as the extreme terrain, the conditions were very uncomfortable. Conrad Dickinson admits to wearing the same pair of underpants for 70 days during the excursion! Kite power It took the Dickinsons 52 days to ski to the South Pole - their next challenge was to get back to base camp.  | | Flying high - kite power in the Antarctic |
Their solution was innovative - the Dickinsons used kite power to propel them across the ice. The kites were designed to use the power of the Antarctic's katabatic winds, and enabled them to reach speeds of up to 20mph. The strong winds on the trip did sometimes prove difficult, with tangled kite lines and even some tumbles and falls. At one point they covered 104 nautical miles in one day, an incredible achievement for two 50-year-olds with no support team or major funding behind them. There were no luxuries on this trip and home seemed just a distant memory for the couple. They could only dream of being back in the North East of England:
"I'm looking forward to getting back and sitting on a toilet seat, wearing a clean pair of underpants and having a pint of beer at the Tap and Spile in Hexham."
Conrad Dickinson. "I'm looking forward to a glass of Chardonnay and a visit to the hairdressers - and seeing my children again."
Hilary Dickinson. History booksThe Dickinsons' achievement has given them a place in the history books alongside the names of great explorers like Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton. | The South Pole | |
Facts and figures about the Pole: - The South Pole is a naturally dangerous place with the danger of dehydration, frostbite, sun blindness, snow drifts, and altitude sickness.
- The South Pole is 90 degrees south.
- During winter the sun never rises, and in summer it never sets.
- The sunlight at the South Pole is very intense. It is virtually impossible to go outside without sunglasses.
- The average annual temperature is -50 degrees C. This drops to -78 degrees C in winter.
- There is generally less than 4mm precipitation monthly, the same as the Sahara Desert.
- The severe katabatic coastal winds come from cold air flowing down off the interior ice sheet.
- The average thickness of the Antarctic ice sheet is 2,200 metres.
- Wilkes Land has the thickest ice, as deep as the height of the Alps.
- The South Pole is 2,835 metres high (9,300 feet).
- There are three South Poles - the ceremonial pole (with flags), the geographic pole and the geomagnetic dip pole (in the Antarctic Ocean).
- Planes land on skis not wheels, and land on skiways.
Source - Center for Astrophysical Research |
The South Pole has long been a huge goal for Antarctic explorers. The first explorers to Antarctic seas came for largely commercial reasons, with whaling and sealing in mind. The "Heroic Era" of exploration began in 1897 with Adrien Gerlache's Belgian Antarctic Expedition. But it was to be another decade before anybody reached the South Pole on foot. The first person to reach the Pole was Roald Amundsen with a team of three fellow Norwegians in 1911. A month later the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole with four companions. Conditions were so atrocious that Scott and his team spent 22 out of 24 hours in their sleeping bags for a whole week as a result of blizzards. It was an epic journey that ended in tragedy when several of the group died from exposure and hunger on the return leg to McMurdo Sound. Today the South Pole boasts a summer population of around 125, dropping to about 30 in winter.
Many people come and live at the so-called "summer camp", and intrepid explorers continue to walk to the Pole. Mission accomplished Much of the Dickinsons' success was about trying to think about the trip in bite-sized sections. "It was impossible to see the bigger picture - it was just too immense. You just had to think about it on a day to day basis," says Conrad. When the Dickinsons finally arrived back at Hercules Inlet they were exhausted and overwhelmed. It was hard to believe that they'd overcome some many obstacles on their polar adventure. - Back home
Back home in Hexham, the Dickinsons are only just taking in the magnitude of what they've achieved on the other side of the world. "I thought I'd never see a pint again," says Conrad in the comfort of the Tap and Spile pub in Hexham.
One of the first people to congratulate the couple was former record holder and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.  | | Early explorers found Antarctica an inhospitable place |
"I'm ringing to congratulate you on a magnificent trip - it's an incredible achievement", said Ranulph. The Dickinsons were thrilled but a little take back, "We were just going for a plodge in the snow", says Conrad modestly. For Conrad Dickinson, though, the biggest thrill was simply being in the Antarctic. "It was an honour to be in a huge continent with no one for hundreds of miles. You get a tremendous sense of solitude on a scale that you just can't comprehend in this country," he enthuses. Read the Web chat
"We set ourselves a bold and ambitious challenge. We perhaps didn't realise how bold it was. We did have this sense of tradition and history when we planted the flag."
Hilary Dickinson.  | | High-profile campaigns have highlighted access issues |
Find out more about the Dickinsons' remarkable trip to the South Pole. A selection of questions from the Q & A web chat is available on the Inside Out website. Read the web chat with the Dickinsons. | 
听听Inside Out - North East: Monday January 31, 2004
