<p>The world’s greatest living explorer is undertaking his toughest challenge yet…the coldest journey on earth.<br />
Sir Ranulph Fiennes will attempt to cross the Antarctic during the Polar winter – a feat never before accomplished.<br />
The 68-year-old heads a five-man team on a journey that will see temperatures plummet to as low as minus 92 °c, travelling through terrain that he himself once described as ‘impossible’ to conquer.<br />
This will be the first expedition ever to try to cross the continent on foot during a punishing southern winter, in what has been hailed as the last great Polar challenge and where conditions will be more taxing that anything known to man.<br />
Sir Ranulph admits he is facing his own greatest ever test – and this from a man whose feats of endurance are legendary. The first man to reach both the north and south poles, and the first to navigate Antarctica on foot, he has conquered Everest – at the third attempt –run seven marathons in seven consecutive days…oh, and has had a double heart bypass into the bargain,<br />
<strong>Bone-Chilling</strong><strong> Territory</strong><br />
The coldest journey on earth will involve 2,000 miles of bone-chilling Antarctic territory, mostly during complete darkness, starting on the spring equinox of March 21st and expected to last for a gruelling six months.<br />
The furthest distance anyone has ever achieved before during a Polar winter is just 60 miles.<br />
Sir Ranulph admits the journey will seriously stretch the limits of human endurance, with his team facing ‘unpredictable’ challenges – including the very real danger of bursting lungs.<br />
There will be no rescue services for 10,000 miles, &#8211; aircraft will not be able to reach inland due to the threat of freezing fuel &#8211; turning the prospect of any misadventure into a life-threatening hazard.<br />
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<strong>Royal Send-Off</strong><br />
The expedition is now en route to its official starting point in Novolazareskaya in Russia, having been given a royal send-off by patron Prince Charles on board SA Agulhas on the Thames in London.<br />
The epic trip will give scientists the opportunity to gather and analyse data from a mass of scientific equipment, while at the same time raising – it is hoped – millions of pounds for charity.<br />
Sir Ranulf, the very embodiment of all-action hero even with his 70th birthday on the not-too-distant horizon, will be one of two men undertaking the journey on skis, leading two giant sledge-borne bulldozers which will carry two portacabins for use as living quarters, plus a fully-equipped, purpose-built laboratory.<br />
The leading pair will be responsible for seeking out potential dangers, including any crevasses which would spell disaster and stop the entire expedition in its tracks.<br />
Described as an epoch-making attempt on the record books which will pave the way for a new dawn in year-round Antarctic exploration, the Coldest Journey on Earth is aiming to raise ten million dollars for the Seeing is Believing Charity, which tackles preventable blindness across the globe.</p>
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<li>One child every minute goes blind somewhere in the world…visit http://www.thecoldestjourney.org/home/charity to find out more about Sir Ranulf’s Antarctic challenge and donate to this worthy cause – every dollar pledged will be matched by Standard Chartered Bank to double the total raised.</li>
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<p><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4043/4544020874_1924ffef2b.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /><br />
<em>Nicki Williams writes for Gear-Zone, stockists of all the major outdoor clothing and equipment brands including Rab, Berghaus and The North Face.</em><br />
<em>Click here for more information</em><br />
<em>Picture source: Compfight</em></p>

The Coldest Journey On Earth
