Teenage polar explorer Parker Liautaud has entered the final stage of his Willis Resilience Expedition world record attempt – to complete the fastest unsupported walk from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole.
Following his departure from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf on December 6, 19-year-old Parker has spent more than 13 days battling extreme temperatures while fighting his way across arctic terrain. Accompanied by expedition partner Doug Stoup, Parker has now passed the halfway mark and with less than 116 miles left to cover, the duo are on track to reach their 22-day target. If successful, Parker will become the youngest person ever to reach both the North and South Poles on foot.
Of the expedition Parker said: “We started off with great conditions but it soon started to snow and we had a complete whiteout. This was very, very difficult to navigate, with high winds between 10 and 30 knots. Every day presents a new challenge and we are having to work hard as a team to make the daily distance required to reach the South Pole in our predicted time frame of 22 days.”
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