# Skiing to the South Pole **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793 "2009-03-25T21:30:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/21 "2009-03-28T02:20:58Z")
Michael Palin flew to the South Pole for his TV show Pole to Pole and when they were landing they were told they could not get any help from base, that is their standard policy. But Palin did go in and eat some food. They flew back out the same day. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/22 "2009-03-28T02:26:11Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > It was -30C and he got frostbite on the inside of his mouth because he wasn’t wearing a mask while schlepping his bags off the plane and into the base. I’ve never heard of such a thing before, and I’ve spent a lot of time outside at that temperature and colder. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/23 "2009-03-28T13:54:32Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Actually, it’s up hill and against the wind pretty much the whole way. Seriously. Yea, but that wind wooshes over your head the whole way up. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/24 "2009-03-28T15:18:22Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > I’ve never heard of such a thing before, and I’ve spent a lot of time outside at that temperature and colder. I’ve seen it, in temperatues in the minus 30’s. Mucous tissue, especially when wet, freezes very, very fast. Breathing with one’s mouth open in extreme temperatures can freeze the tongue. ---
**Author:** ![FORTRAN\_forever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@FORTRAN\_forever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FORTRAN_forever)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/25 "2009-03-28T20:30:56Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > Yea, but that wind wooshes over your head the whole way up. Dunno about the wind part, but the “uphill” part has some merit. According to [this web site/page](http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/stations/southpole.shtml) the elevation at the south pole station is roughly 9300 feet, and presumably you start out somewhere near sea level. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/26 "2009-03-28T21:40:45Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’ve seen it, in temperatues in the minus 30’s. Mucous tissue, especially when wet, freezes very, very fast. Breathing with one’s mouth open in extreme temperatures can freeze the tongue. At what temp does one have to worry about one’s eyballs? (Serious question.) ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/27 "2009-03-28T21:50:46Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > At what temp does one have to worry about one’s eyballs? (Serious question.) Or contact lens? ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793/28 "2009-03-28T23:19:56Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > My question is this: Is this a difficult or dangerous trip? Can a well equipped person, reasonably healthy, with a few months of training, ski to the South Pole with little or no risk? Or is this madness? Odd, the first thing I thought of was Amundsen’s expedition; the second thing I thought of was Scott’s. Amundsen used XC skis and dogsleds. Scott used a bit of everything. I won’t digress, other than to say that Amundsen had more experience with skis, dogsleds, and cold conditions; his part was much smaller; he had some good luck. If Scott hadn’t been hit by unusually harsh weather, he might well have made it. Note that I’m no apologist for Scott! Unless the women’s group plans to go without any emergency backup (radio, locator beacon, etc.), then their chances are pretty good. Little or no risk?! No such thing exists! You can be hit by a car crossing the street. If you look both ways, you lessen the risk substantially. Same for the women. Having Arctic/mountaineering/expedition experience might make the risks less than they are, but substantial risks will exist no matter what. I think they have a reasonable chance of making it, and a more reasonable chance of getting _somewhere_ without harm. As I dimly remember, the path from the sea to the South Pole includes a trek across the bordering ice sheet, a climb up through some mountains, and then a further trek across the enormous glacier cap that covers most of Antarctica. It is the last that may present challenges, since it is ridden with crevasses. Second challenge is cold. Third is possibility of bad weather. At least they don’t have to do a round-trip! Amundsen and Scott had to go _both ways_, and so did Peary (or whoever) to the North Pole. Based on my small knowledge, I’d say that Everest is more of a challenge, Denali even more than _that_, and K2 beyond all but a very talented few. IMHO, looking for a challenge? Bring economic and political stability to African countries, and improve their healthcare and lifestyle. Nobody is gonna give you a medal for it, and you may not get in any better shape (you may be _worse_, but the money will be better spend, not only for them, but for us. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skiing-to-the-south-pole/490793.md?page=1)