British duo in Scott expedition

A British team, including a man from Devon, is to head to Antarctica to try to complete Captain Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition.

Physically it sits on the very limits of human potential

Polar explorers Ben Saunders, 35, and Tarka L’Herpiniere, 31, hope to successfully complete Captain Scott’s ill-fated 1910/1912 expedition, taking them on an unsupported 1,800-mile return journey from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole.

If successful, they will be the first people to complete the return journey that Captain Scott died attempting more than 100 years ago.

No one has walked further unsupported than the 1,600 miles that Captain Scott and his team managed, before perishing 150 miles from their final destination.

The epic trip, set to begin in October, has the blessing of Captain Scott’s grandson, Falcon Scott.

Devon-raised Saunders said that because Captain Scott is a childhood hero, trying to complete his expedition is “a life-long dream”.

Saunders, who in 2004 became just one of three people and the youngest to have skied solo to the North Pole, believes the Scott Expedition will be “both the greatest and most meaningful challenge I’ve ever taken on”.

“Physically it sits on the very limits of human potential and will require every inch of resilience and determination we can summon to complete it,” he said. “Equally, it is an opportunity to recognise the remarkable work of Captain Scott and his men and use the benefits of modern technology to celebrate his story worldwide.”

Captain Robert Falcon Scott died along with the last of his South Pole team, Edward Wilson and Lieutenant Henry “Birdie” Bowers, in Antarctica on March 29, 1912.

Falcon Scott, who has taken up the role of expedition patron, said: “The Scott Expedition will be a truly exceptional and meaningful way to recognise and commemorate my grandfather’s expedition to the South Pole.

“It is extraordinary to think that nobody has since successfully replicated his expedition and I fully support Ben and Tarka in this bold venture.”

Saunders and L’Herpiniere will walk on average 9.5 hours each day and are expected to take 110 days to complete the expedition.

Departing from Scott’s wooden hut on the north shore of Cape Evans on Ross Island, Antarctica, they will traverse the Ross Ice Shelf, before climbing nearly 2,440 metres on the Beardmore Glacier on to the Antarctica Plateau. It is one of the world’s largest glaciers.

They then move on to the South Pole. From there, it is back the way they came so they finish the trek 900 miles later where they began – at Scott’s hut.

For nearly four months they will have to work through 24-hour daylight in what is known among polar explorers as some of the harshest conditions in the world.

Consuming almost 6,000 calories each day will be vital in helping them maintain the strength they will need to haul 200kg of kit and supplies for the journey.

The explorers also hope to set a new benchmark in the use of expedition technology. Videos will be uploaded, along with photos, blogs and key data recorded in near real-time as the trip progresses.

Enthusiasts can go online to catch up with the expedition – at www.youtube.com/scottexpedition – on You Tube.

Robert Swan, the first to reach both the North and South Poles on foot, is another expedition patron.