Nearly 20 years after my obsession with the South Pole began, my dream was finally realised on the afternoon of 28 December 2002 when I walked the final few paces to the red and white polar marker side by side with my 3 team mates (Andrew Gerber, Pat Woodhead and Paul Landry).

45 and a bit cold, breathtaking, tough and downright exhausting days after setting off from Hercules Inlet, our ramshackle team of polar novices (Paul excluded) had metamorphosed into an efficient and successful unit. Our journey south was the toughest thing I have ever had to do, but it was also one of the most enjoyable - an adventure in the truest sense.