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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday December 27 2018, @06:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the because-he-could dept.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

US adventurer completes first unaided solo trek across Antarctica

A 33-year-old man from the United States has become the first person to complete a solo trek across Antarctica without any assistance.

Colin O'Brady finished the 1,500km journey across the frozen continent in 54 days, lugging his supplies on a sledge as he skied in bone-chilling temperatures from north to south.

"I accomplished my goal: to become the first person in history to traverse the continent of Antarctica coast to coast solo, unsupported and unaided," O'Brady wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, after covering the final 124km in one big push that lasted 32 hours.

"While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced," he wrote.

"I was locked in a deep flow state the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey. I'm delirious writing this as I haven't slept yet."


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  • (Score: 2) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Thursday December 27 2018, @07:25PM (4 children)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Thursday December 27 2018, @07:25PM (#779080)

    Colin O'Brady finished the 1,500km journey across the frozen continent in 54 days, lugging his supplies on a sledge as he skied in bone-chilling temperatures from north to south.

    Shouldn't it be from north to north? [squarespace.com]

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:12PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:12PM (#779091)

      Surely more meaningful to quote from which long to long. Although the guy did share hi garmin track so it is quoted there somewhere.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:17PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:17PM (#779095)

      There is only one point that is north and it is in the middle of the continent (roughly) so any trek across the continent will start by heading north and then going south. About the closest to reality that "uphill in the snow both ways" ever gets.

      • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:41PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:41PM (#779103)

        Captain, we must reverse the polarity on that last comment immediately!

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:52PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:52PM (#779131)

          Woops!

          But if you're talking polarity then "Its current distance from the actual Geographic South Pole is approximately 2,860 km (1,780 mi)"
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Magnetic_South_Pole_locations.png [wikipedia.org]

          So it looks like if anything he went SE - S, but after getting Antarctica mixed up don't take my word for it.

  • (Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:17PM (5 children)

    by fyngyrz (6567) on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:17PM (#779094) Journal

    As of right now, I can't get to the Soylent IRC server at irc.soylentnews.org — has it gone nipples-north? I would have asked this question on IRC, but... 😊

    --
    Cats have 32 muscles in each ear to ignore you with

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:51PM (4 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday December 27 2018, @08:51PM (#779110) Journal

      It's apparently down for the moment. My client keeps trying, and trying, without success.

      • (Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:49PM

        by fyngyrz (6567) on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:49PM (#779130) Journal

        Yup. It's been that way since early morning here.

        --
        If cats could text back, they probably wouldn't.

      • (Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday December 27 2018, @11:41PM (2 children)

        by edIII (791) on Thursday December 27 2018, @11:41PM (#779165)

        Just tried it via the web interface and I'm logged on. Guess it's back up.

        --
        Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
        • (Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Friday December 28 2018, @02:43AM

          by fyngyrz (6567) on Friday December 28 2018, @02:43AM (#779206) Journal

          Just tried it via the web interface and I'm logged on. Guess it's back up.

          Didn't even think to try that — yes, I'm also in via the web now, but irc.soylentnews.org is still down for my actual IRC client.

          --
          On the Canary Islands, there isn't even one canary.
          On the Virgin Islands... still no canaries.

        • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday December 28 2018, @05:33AM

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday December 28 2018, @05:33AM (#779260) Journal

          I tried the client again, and what I'm getting is,

          Connection failed. Error: SSL handshake timed out

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:11PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @09:11PM (#779117)

    I mean, Inuits used to trek the north occasionally for shit and giggles... Reminds me of that Married with Children episode:

    Al, grunting with effort, climbs up some rocks and reaches the mountain top, where Ironhead Haynes is standing. Al straightens up and faces him.

    AL You must be Ironhead Haynes!

    I.H. Yep. And you must be some idiot who don't know there's a road on the other side of this mountain.

    http://www.albundy.net/marriedaniac/ate/script/0821t.html [albundy.net]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @10:29PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @10:29PM (#779138)

    The aliens helped him.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @11:08PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 27 2018, @11:08PM (#779158)

      WTF would Mexicans be doing in Antarctica?

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by SvenErik on Friday December 28 2018, @07:13AM

    by SvenErik (2857) on Friday December 28 2018, @07:13AM (#779276) Homepage

    The Norwegian Børge Ousland [wikipedia.org] did this back in 1996-97, he started 1996-11-15 on Berkner Island in the Weddell Sea and arrived at the McMurdo Station by Ross Sea 1997-01-17, a distance of 2845 km (1768 miles).

    The only difference is he did the ski journey with kite assistance (snowkiting [wikipedia.org]); that trip also holds the record for the fastest unsupported journey to the South Pole taking just 34 days.

    --
    "Every demand is a prison, and wisdom is only free when it asks nothing." Sir Bertrand Russell
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