Wellington teen adventures to the poles

9:01pm Tuesday 11th September 2007

Comments (1)   Have your say »

RECORD-breaking Wellington teenager James Hooper is on course to complete a pole-to-pole expedition in February 2008.

Just three months after James and co-adventurer Rob Gauntlett, both 19, became the youngest Britons to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the pair planned to ski, cycle and sail the entire distance and write their names in the record books for a second time The expedition, 180 Degrees: Pole to Pole Manpowered, will cover an incredible a 17,000-miles from the North Pole to the South Pole using only human and natural power.

Not only are the pair hoping to raise awareness of climate change, but they are maintaining the same idea they took to Everest, to inspire young people to follow their dreams.

The adventurers started the 22,000-mile journey at the Geomagnetic North Pole on April 8 and dog-sledded, skied, and walked across the ice pack in Northern Greenland.

During this time, they experienced the effects of climate change first hand as Rob fell through the ice, and hit his head on the way in, rendering him unconscious. He was in the sub-freezing water for several minutes before James and an Inuit hunter were able to pull him out. He was air lifted to hospital where he spent several days regaining strength and making a full recovery.

In the beginning of June, their yacht Ice Maiden arrived in Upernavik in Northern Greenland, which took them on a 2,800-mile voyage to New York.

Finally on dry land and in contact with civilisation, they began the 11,000 mile cycling leg of their journey which has taken them down the east side of the United States.

They have just crossed the border into Mexico and from there will cycle down to Panama, sail around the Darion Gap and don their bikes again and cycle down to Punta Arenas, Southern Chile. From there, they will sail to the Geomagnetic South Pole and complete their expedition in Sydney, Australia and hope to finish in February 2008.