Imperial Trans-Antarctic Centenary Expedition 2014

Washington, DC, May 31, 2012 --(PR.com)-- To honor the centenary of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, a team of five has been selected to traverse the Antarctic continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea via the South Pole. Led by experienced British adventurer Joanne “Jo” Davies, and backed by Alexandra Shackleton (Shackleton’s granddaughter), the other five members of the team have been selected after a grueling six-month process.

Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expedition, which departed London in 1914 in the Endurance, was the first attempted crossing. Knowing Shackleton would be partial to a subject of the British Empire, American William Bakewell, of Joliet, Ill., posed as a Canadian so he could join the ship in Buenos Aires. Before reaching its intended landing spot in Antarctica, Endurance was crushed by the ice and sank, but everyone onboard survived. The 2014 expedition will follow Shackleton’s intended land route, crossing by ski and kite ski.

Over 100 applications were received for the 85 to 90-day expedition, with an array of exceptional candidates. The final five include Alexander Kumar, the team doctor, who is currently working for the European Space Agency in Antarctica; Ian Prickett, a construction worker who worked in Antarctica building the new Halley Base 6; Stewart Stirling, a police officer and experienced mountain leader; Zac Poulton, an expedition guide and mountaineer, and Rohit “Ro” Sharma, an investment banker and ex-British Army officer. In addition, two reserve members have been chosen: outdoor education instructor Abigail “Abi” Evans and Robbie Britton, a British Schools Expedition Service (BSES) operations assistant. The reserves will train alongside the team and fully participate in the preparations for the expedition. These reserves are extremely important team members since anything can happen in the next 2 ½ years.

Of the applicants, 25 were invited for interviews at Shackleton’s old London school, Dulwich College, and 11 were then taken on a selection weekend in southwestern England, testing them to their limits – as they will be in Antarctica. The recruitment process looked for the physical fitness and mental endurance to cross, and tested teamwork. In Antarctica, each team member will be on skis and hauling a 330-pound (150 kilograms) sledge.

The selection weekend was run by Jo Davies and Army Warrant Officer Gary Black, and put the candidates through their paces. Activities included trekking for miles over wet and windy terrain, carrying various items of heavy equipment and tents, a raft building competition using the equipment they had carried across Dartmoor, followed by a night of very wild and wet camping. On the second day, Expedition Leader Jo Davies led the team to Slapton Sands in Devon, where she put members to task dragging sets of tires up the beach to test their fitness and endurance.