Ben Saunders
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Ben Saunders is an adventurer, endurance athlete, and motivational speaker. He is best known for solo skiing to the North Pole in 2004, when he became the fourth in history and the youngest by ten years to reach the North Pole alone. He made three separate attempts to reach the North Pole between the ages of 23 and 26, skiing over 1200 miles (2000 kilometers) in the Arctic. He is the youngest person ever to ski solo to the North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by someone of British nationality.
[edit] Personal life
Ben Saunders was born in Plymouth, England, on August 5, 1977, and grew up in Devon. At age 19 he spent four months hiking in the Nepalese Himalayan mountains. He went on to be an instructor at the John Ridgway School of Adventure. His favourite marathon is New York, and his current best time is 2:55. He is an Honorary Vice-President of the Geographical Association, supports the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Orchid Cancer Appeal, and contributed to a number of publications including Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century and the foreword for 'The Middle of Nowhere' published by Lonely Planet. He also recently spoke at the TED convention. He currently lives in London.
[edit] SOUTH
Ben Saunders is currently preparing for SOUTH, which will be the first return journey to the South Pole on foot, beginning in October 2007. If completed, it will be the longest unsupported polar journey in human history, taking 16 weeks and traversing 1800 miles (2900 kilometers).