Antarctica 2023
Andrews – Stephenson Antarctica 2023 Expedition
Australian and New Zealand doctors, Gareth Andrews and Richard Stephenson complete major Antarctic expedition
After a grueling 1400km, 66 day journey through some of the toughest and most remote terrain in Antarctica, Gareth and Richard reached the South Pole at 6.30pm on the 18th January 2023.
Battling temperatures below -40 degrees with windchill, hundreds of kilometres of rock-hard ice ridges and extreme physical and psychological isolation the two doctors gathered crucial Antarctic climate science data to aid the global fight against climate change en route to the Pole.
As ambassadors for Scouts Australia Gareth and Richard’s epic journey has been followed by and inspired tens of thousands of young Scouts around Australia and New Zealand to reach for their goals and take positive action in the face of the global climate emergency.
“We have pushed as hard as our bodies could go. No rest days, late starts or early finishes – we gave it everything, everyday”
– Dr Gareth Andrews
The team started the expedition on the 14th November with 165kg sleds each on the very edge of the true coast Antarctic continent, amongst the Emperor Penguins and Icebergs of the Weddell Sea. Excellent progress was made across Berkner Island and the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf before 200 kilometers of soft powder snow through the Pensacola Mountains and more than 380 kilometers of solid, unbroken sastrugi (S84040 to S880) significantly slowed the team’s progress.
8 days from the South Pole Dr Andrews and Dr Stephenson made the difficult decision to end the expedition at the South Pole. It became clear that the Antarctic summer expedition season would prove too short for the team to complete the crossing attempt ending at the base of the Reedy Glacier on the Ross Ice Shelf.
Expedition achievements:
1404km Full Unsupported Ski Expedition (PECS* Classification), North Coast of Berkner Island to the Geographic South Pole
No rest days, no late starts, no early finishes
66 days of Climate and Meteorological data collected
As Ambassadors for Scouts Australia the Andrews-Stephenson Antarctica 2023 expedition was followed by and involved over 60,000 Scouts from Australia, New Zealand and World Scouting.
“Our motivations for attempting such an audacious journey come from our love of adventure and the polar regions and our deep desire to immerse ourselves in the wild and uncompromising Antarctic environment. The time we have spent together in the high Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard has instilled in us a passion for the polar regions and willingness to conserve these last true wilderness areas for future generations.”