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Parked at the Pole!
08:03 a.m. EST Jan 14, 2004
Park Young-seok and a crew of 4 just reached the South Pole today! Park now has climbed all the world’s 8000m peaks, 14 of them (these peaks are the tallest in the world and are not to confuse with the much lower "seven summits" which include only one 8000m peak), and has skied unsupported to the South Pole. Now all he has left to do is make the North Pole! If he completes that, he’ll have what is called the ‘Grand Slam’ – short of going to space, he’s climbed and skied on some of the toughest expeditions in the world.
Park doesn’t always make it on the first try though. He has failed previously on both the North and South Pole’s. He just picks up where he left off and tries again. His message after making the Pole, "I hope our success acts as a sign of hope for other Korean people facing frustration," Park said. "This expedition made me realize again that success is for those who endeavor hard and face challenges."
The team of 5 skied from Hercules Inlet to the Pole in 44 days. Park and his crew had their share of hardships along the way – this included hypothermia and snow blindness. Parks’ team says that they now have the record for the fastest unsupported South Pole expedition.
The Korean Times writes, “Fiona Thornewill, who started a solo expedition on the same day as Park and his team did, broke the record by reaching the South Pole in 42 days with no support in the middle. But Park denied the authenticity of her record.”
Park is quoted as saying in the Korean Times article, "Thornewill, unlike us who started from Hercules Inlet, moved inland about 30 kilometers by plane," Park said. "The distance can cost at least two or three days, considering there is a mountain on the way."
ExplorersWeb and AdventureStats have studied Fiona Thornewill's Argos positions and found no evidence of an air-lift. Read more
Korean adventurer Park Young-seok was the 8th person in the world to ascend all 14, 8000m mountains in 2001 when he reached the summit of K2. He has since gone on to attempt both the South Pole and North Pole. After initially failing at both, he just now reached the South Pole, unsupported. Next on his list is the NP!
Image of Park taking a break courtesy of Damien Gildea.
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