South Pole

16 Stories

Arctic Adventurer Makes History, Is Still 'Gutted'

Preet Chandi sets record, though misses goal of crossing the continent in 75 days

(Newser) - Preet Chandi wanted to inspire others to push their boundaries and she's certainly done that, despite failing to complete her goal of becoming the first woman to cross Antarctica solo and unsupported . "I'm pretty gutted that I don't have the time to complete the crossing,”...

Trump's Plan for the Poles: an Icebreaker Fleet by 2029

Memo asks for review of possible locations, icebreaker capabilities

(Newser) - Countries including China and Russia are increasing their military presence in the high Arctic, and US President Trump is looking to follow suit. Trump has ordered an assessment of possible US bases at the North and South poles along with plans for a fleet of icebreakers to be ready by...

Barbara Hillary Reached Poles in Historic First
Barbara Hillary Made
History: 'It Was So Cold'
obituary
Nov 28, 2019 2:18 PM CST

Barbara Hillary Made History: 'It Was So Cold'

Nurse and community activist was the first black woman to get to the poles

(Newser) - "There were still so many things she wanted to do," a friend said of Barbara Hillary after her death in New York on Saturday at 88. But Hillary did plenty, CNN reports, as a nurse, community activist, editor, and adventurer. At age 75, she skied into the North...

Amid South Pole Feat, Teen Burns Trolls With a Sandwich
Trolls Demanded a Sandwich.
This Teen's Response Was Epic
in case you missed it
Feb 3, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Trolls Demanded a Sandwich. This Teen's Response Was Epic

Jade Hameister arrives at South Pole, poses with ham and cheese

(Newser) - How does it feel to get served by a 16-year-old? Ask the internet trolls who descended on Jade Hameister. The teen gave a TEDx talk in August 2016 following a major feat: skiing to the North Pole. In it, she asked the question, "What if young women ... were encouraged...

A Record-Setting Feat at South Pole?
A Record-Setting
Feat at South Pole?
Dec 27, 2017 12:32 PM CST

A Record-Setting Feat at South Pole?

Scott Sears, tennis star Andy Murray's brother-in-law, may be youngest ever to complete feat solo

(Newser) - While many people were unwrapping gifts on Christmas Day, the brother-in-law of tennis star Andy Murray was wrapping up a 700-mile, 38-day journey through brutally cold temps and blistering winds—and, he hopes, setting a world record. Scott Sears, 27, reached the South Pole on Monday, and he says he'...

'Ailing' Buzz Aldrin Being Evacuated From South Pole

Emergency flight will retrieve 86-year-old astronaut, 2nd man on the moon

(Newser) - Some troubling news about an American adventurer: 86-year-old Buzz Aldrin—the second man to walk on the moon—needs to be evacuated from the South Pole because of a medical issue. It's not clear what's wrong, but the National Science Foundation announced Thursday that it was sending a...

Daring Antarctic Rescue Is Complete

It took 2 hectic days of flying to get 2 US workers to Chile

(Newser) - A small plane with two sick US workers arrived safely in Chile late Wednesday after leaving Antarctica in a daring rescue mission from a remote South Pole research station, officials say. After making a stop for a few hours at a British station on the edge of Antarctica, the two...

14-Year-Old Adventurer Aims to Make History With Triple Trek

Jade Hameister departing for first leg of 'polar hat trick'

(Newser) - Jade Hameister might soon become the youngest person to travel to the ends of the Earth. The 14-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, is about to embark on a three-week trek to the North Pole that will see her skiing 140 miles across sea ice while pulling a sled that weighs as...

Harry Celebrated South Pole Trek With '2-Day Bender'

And drinking champagne out of a prosthetic leg

(Newser) - Prince Harry trekked to the South Pole last month, and he celebrated exactly as you'd expect: by going on "a two-day bender" with some Icelandic truck drivers and drinking champagne out of a prosthetic limb. That according to actor Dominic West, who was on the expedition with the...

Future Nobel? Neutrinos Discovery Heralds 'New Era for Astronomy'

They were found at the South Pole, and they're out of this world

(Newser) - Scientists at the South Pole have found visitors from outside our solar system, but instead of little green men, think "ghostly neutrino particles," in the words of Space.com . Twenty-eight of them to be exact, all detected by a special observatory called IceCube in Antarctica. Ars Technica has...

Take a Tour of Famous Explorer's Polar Cabin

Google Maps heads to Antarctica

(Newser) - At the turn of the 20th century, the intrepid explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott built extensive huts in Antarctica and used them as base camps for their journeys to the South Pole. Now you can peer inside their famous cabins—thanks to Google Maps. The web company...

Seriously Ill US Engineer Could Leave South Pole Soon

Cargo plane may rescue Renee Douceur if Antarctic weather allows

(Newser) - A sick American engineer who has been stranded at the South Pole since late August could be on her way home as soon as Friday. Renee Douceur—who suffered what she initially thought was a stroke but doctors now say may be a brain tumor—hopes to fly out on...

After Stroke, South Pole Worker Is Denied Evacuation

US officials say it's too risky to fly out Renee-Nicole Douceur

(Newser) - A compelling story out of the US South Pole station: Manager Renee-Nicole Douceur says she has suffered a stroke and needs to be evacuated for proper treatment, but the National Science Foundation says it won't be safe enough to send in a plane for at least a few more...

Antarctic Adventure Takes Deadly Turn

Support crew, boat missing after storm

(Newser) - Three members of an Antarctic expedition are missing and presumed dead and the two survivors will have some tough questions to answer when they return to their native Norway. The survivors were dropped off by a yacht and planned to ride quad bikes to the South Pole, but were forced...

South Pole Doc Who Treated Own Cancer Dead at 57

Disease returned after long remission

(Newser) - Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, who diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer before a dramatic rescue from the South Pole, has died at age 57, her husband said today, passing away yesterday at their home in Southwick, Mass. Her cancer had been in remission until it returned in August 2005.

'Christmas Punch-up' Rocks South Pole

Two Antarctic workers engage in Yuletide combat

(Newser) - The North Pole is usually abuzz with activity this time of year, but the South Pole was rocked by a "drunken Christmas punch-up," between two men in a remote research station at the bottom of the world. The Guardian reports both men—one with a broken jaw—were...

16 Stories