SOUTH POLE
VIRTUAL CHALLENGE
Follow in the spirit of Scott & Amundsen...
The Ultimate Winter Challenge!
Get to South Pole by Easter
5 DISTANCE OPTIONS
WALK, JOG, OR RUN
ANYWHERE, ANYTIME
Start - from now or asap!
Sign up before 31 Jan
Registration Closed
In the early 20th century, the race was on to reach the South Pole – with Britain’s Captain Scott & Norway’s Roald Amundsen launching expeditions. It ended in victory for Amundsen, who relied on traditional sledges & dogs, and reached the Pole on 14 December 1911. Scott’s ended in tragedy; reaching the Pole 33 days later, but perished on the return journey.
Your New Year Virtual Challenge is to get to the ‘South Pole’ before Easter Sunday (31 March). There are 5 Challenge options – from the tough 800 mile route mirroring Amundsen’s – down the sharp 100 mile East Antarctica Route. Choose your distance – Walk, Jog, or Run ANYWHERE, ANYTIME from as soon as you sign up – log your progress and move along our Virtual Antarctica Map. Share your expedition stories & photos online, and you can Fundraise for a charity if you wish.
Just £10 to join & an OPTIONAL medal & neck buff . Get your dog involved – as like Amundsen, yours’ may help you with your challenge! Treat them to a ‘South Pole Doggy Bandana’!
Join in - Get in shape for '24
How it works...
Track your progress online
Once signed up to your chosen route, you can ‘link’ up to our Antartica Map with STRAVA / GARMIN / or FITBIT within your Ultra Britain Account – (so your activities automatically feed on to our map) OR you can add activity distances manually. Each time an activity is logged you’ll progress along your route along with other participants.
You have up to Easter Sunday (31 March) to complete your Challenge – and we’ll send you a special POST CARD once you safely arrive! Start from Boxing Day onwards, and anyone can join up to 31 January.
Choose Your Challenge...
5 ROUTE Options
Walk, Jog, or Run. Anywhere - Anytime!
Ask your dog to join you – and treat them to a South Pole doggy bandana!
1
Amundsen Route
800 miles
Roald Amundsen Antarctic base was in the Bay of Whales – and after depot-laying, he with 5 men, 4 sledges, and 52 dogs set out in October 1911. They discovered the Axel Heiberg Glacier which provided their route to the polar plateau and then onto the South Pole. The expedition’s success was, in the UK, overshadowed by Scott’s heroic failure.
2
The Messner Route
600 miles
In 1989, Reinold Messner became the first to cross Antarctica without dogs or motorized support. Since then, people have followed his tracks by taking a shorter version, which skims along the edge of the Foundation Ice Stream and the Transantarctic Mountains for roughly 600 miles. Crevasse fields ripple out for many miles – so tread carefully!
3
The Novo Route
400 miles
Novo is one of seven Russian bases in Antarctica. Expedition teams often depart from airstrips further down the original full route – and ours is 400 miles from the Pole. In this obscure northern corner of Antarctica, the failure rate is the highest of any route, and features a long climb that brings teams above the altitude of the Pole.
4
Leverett Glacier Route
200 miles
Only four expeditions have gone from the Leverett Glacier to the South Pole. More people finish ‘partial’ Antarctic traverses here than use it as a starting point. It is one of the shortest official routes to the South Pole and follows the flagged McMurdo-South Pole Highway. It is the only route that has seen not only skis but wheelchairs & tricycles!
5
East Antarctica Route
100 miles
Perfect if you want a leisurely start to your New Year! An ‘unofficial’ route – bespoke to this virtual challenge! The 100 miles is recognition of how close Ernest Shackleton’s 1909 Expedition got to reaching the South Pole – ending just 97 miles short! He returned on Endurance in 1914 aiming to be the first to cross Antarctica from sea to sea via the Pole.
Prize Draws...
Fantastic prizes to be won
To keep you focused as we head into the colder months, we have x3 £100 kit vouchers from Cotswold Outdoors to give away for anyone who has met their halfway distance by the 14th February – and x5 kit vouchers for all at the South Pole by the end of Easter Sunday (31 March).
+ BEST EXPEDITION ‘SELFIE’ – get your winter gear on and post a photo in your Ultra Britain Account. Special PRIZE to be won – winner announced at the same time as the ‘Halfway’ draw.
What you'll get...
Below is the cost of entry, inclusions & OPTIONAL EXTRAS (we can only send Medals, Buffs, Bandanas to a UK address). Registration is open until 31 JANUARY ’24 & Challenge ends 31 MARCH ’24 at the latest.
Polar Package
+ Optional Extras Available
Paid online when registering.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
MAKE YOUR CHALLENGE SPECIAL!
Order yours' on the event registration form.
* Medals (with distance ribbon) will be dispatched after 31 March '24.
Neck Buffs & Doggy Bandanas from 31January.
Fundraise for Charity
Our Virtual Challenges have raised over £250,000 for UK Charities, and we’re hoping the South Pole Virtual Challenge will raise another £30,000 for the Ultra Challenge Charity Partners. SCROLL DOWN to set up a JUST GIVING page.
Series Partners
Challenge Partners
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Set up your Just Giving fundraising page...
If you’ve joined and want to fundraise for a charity of your choice – you need to set up a Just Giving sponsorship page using the button below. There’s no specific target – raise whatever you can!
The Virtual Map
Check out some FAQs
Terms & Conditions
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