| Antarctica Facts | - The continent covers an area of 13.2 million square kilometres
- It's the fifth largest continent but it has the smallest population (around 1000)
- The first known landing on the continent was in 1821 by a Russian expedition.
- Temperatures can reach -90 degrees celsius, it's the coldest place on earth
- An ice sheet 2.5 kilometres thick covers most of the continent
- Antarctica is technically a desert, it hardly ever rains at the Pole
- The international dialing code is +672
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James Daly set off for the South Pole with his team mates Ed Farquhar, Simon Daglish, Geoff Somers and Roger Weatherby. They left their base camp at Patriot Hills on 30 December, hoping to reach the Pole in 20 days. They dragged a wooden sled with their equipment, travelling across the ice on the heavy skis available back in 1911. All their clothes and kit was made from fabrics available in 1911, including sleeping bags lined with reindeer fur and beaver fur mittens - no Goretex... The only shelter on their trip was from a traditional canvas tent supported by bamboo poles, apart from that they were at the mercy of the elements. Food on the original trip featured fat, meat, sugar, butter and cocoa. James and his colleagues started off with modern rations, but once they got used to the conditions they moved onto the 1911 diet, complete with Huntley & Palmer biscuits. Scott and his team were heading into uncharted territory, so James and his colleagues didn't have maps - they navigated with a theodolite. They arrived on 13 January in relatively mild conditions of around -35 degrees celsius.
 | | The team hauling their sled |
The aim of the trip was to raise money for two children's charities; Tommy's and The Winnicott Foundation, and Racing Welfare.
 | | The team's traditional tent, no mod cons |
If you'd like to donate or find out about more about the expedition, you can visit their website:
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