South Pole

Indians walk, trek, climb, swim, navigate, pilot — all as to the manner born. But skiing is not a movement that comes naturally to our joints, nor sledge-driving to our aided propulsions.
Wrote Mr Gopal Krishna Gandhi in http://editorialsamarth.blogspot.in/2011/04/editorial-230411.html
It was against this backdrop of perception that eight young men led by Col Anand Swaroop completed a remarkable ski trek from Antarctica’s coast to its very centre, the South Pole- a distance of 1,170 Kms on skis. No Indian team has done anything quite like this before. This expedition also marked the 100th anniversary of the first humans to reach South Pole on Dec 15, 1911.
Ski trek to South Pole is considered as one of the most difficult and dangerous expeditions in the world. The expedition involved traversing the continent from Coast to Pole, covering a distance of 1170 kms, facing blizzards and skiing in temperatures between -300 C to - 400 C and hauling sledges with loads between 90-100 kgs.
On 26 Nov 2010, team was at last ready. A twin otter aircraft flew the team in two sorties to the start point of the expedition at Hercules Inlet, which is nothing but a frozen field of ice. There are two routes- Hercules Inlet is the longest and the other one is called ‘Messner Start’ which is about 200 kms short and slightly more steep and less preferred). The Indian team opted for the longest and the most challenging route. The team started skiing at 1300 hrs on 26 November 2010 from Hercules Inlet (79056’S). In the initial week the team skied for 4-6 hrs everyday. By the second week the team skied 8 hrs everyday averaging 25 kms per day. Covering 25-30 kms everyday, the team successfully skied for 1170 kms in 49 days and 10 hrs. They reached South Pole on 15 Jan 2010 to coincide with the Army Day. During the expedition, the team braved blizzards of varying intensity, strong winds upto 100 km/h, cold temp upto -50 deg Centigrade, long and deep crevasses, white out conditions and prolonged loneliness. During the entire expedition, the sun did not set and they could see the sun going around them during the day. It was a long haul and a tough one.
Skiing over the sastrugis (ice structures formed due to surface winds ) gliding over the firm ice and snow, consuming bland but nutritious food would have been daunting enough but that was not all the team had to worry about. There were still masses of ice debris forming insurmountable barriers and moraines and crevasses awaiting them. Often the temperatures dropped so low and the winds blew so hard, the members had no recourse but to retire to the safety of their tents. To keep themselves entertained, they listened to music and taught one another English. Although every step had been a battle, none of the members had major health problems apart from various aches and pains. And having endured discomfort and panic from fear of failure, the members tried as best as they could to sustain each other’s morale and willpower for the remainder of the journey ahead.
This was the most memorable expedition of my life and its memories will always prove fulfilling and nostalgic. We often thought of not coming back from this expedition due to likelihood of multiple eventualities for which we had no solution. My faith in God has definitely grown after this expedition.