Pete Goss plants the flag

Charity walk to the North Pole for the intrepid sailor

Pete Goss has given another boost to the profile of the Cornwall Playing for Success Charity, which he is promoting through his entry in the two-handed Round Britain and Ireland yacht race with Paul Larsen. But the latest hair-raising venture wasn’t on water, it was just a quick trip to the North Pole!

Pete planted the Playing for Success flag at the North Pole yesterday at 13:05 hours BST, when he and team mate Alan Chambers MBE led a team of enthusiastic amateurs to the top of the world.

It has been an exciting adventure with many challenges. Having acclimatised at Longyearbyen (where Mum’s carry rifles to the supermarket in case of inquisitive Polar Bears!) they flew to Camp Barneo, the Russian base camp, starting the walk towards the Pole on 10th April. The team have battled against very strong and freezing-cold winds (minus 27 degrees), which caused occasional ‘white-outs’ and made the going very slow through the soft snow – at one point the team covered just 0.7 miles in two hours. Drifting currents also saw them lose much of what they had gained as they floated away from their goal each night, but some good days’ sledge-pulling later saw them make good progress towards the Pole.

Unfortunately, one of the walkers, David Farley, came down with a chest infection, which although not serious back home, has to be treated with extreme care in the Arctic. As such, he was airlifted out by helicopter on 14th April. Building ice bridges to cross several ‘leads’ (gaps in the ice), the rest of the team pushed on, taking comfort from some Cognac-filled Easter Eggs which fuelled their progress!

Finally arriving at the North Pole on 17th April, the 9-strong team planted the Union Jack and flags of each of the charities they are supporting, before settling down to a bacon sandwich and admiring a view others seldom get to see.

Pete Goss said, “I am really proud of the team and what they have achieved. It has been an exhausting and exciting adventure, but well worth the effort. I am especially pleased to see Cornwall Playing for Success on top of the world and look forward to taking the Charity around Britain and Ireland when I get back.”

Pete and Alan are now on their way back to the Pole with a second group of intrepid explorers. You can follow their progress via the website at: http://www.landmarkadventures.co.uk