Ben Saunders skis to the North Pole
About this talk
Arctic explorer Ben Saunders recounts his harrowing solo ski trek to the North Pole, complete with engaging anecdotes, gorgeous photos and never-before-seen video.
Summary:
The video I want to introduce to you today is about the presentation given by Ben Saunders, who is the youngest person ever skis solo to the North Pole in 2004. According to Ben, the purpose of this expedition is to discover humans’ limit because it was a journey that he had to spent most the time skiing on the floating ice on the Arctic Ocean. However, the expedition to the North Pole that Ben made in 2004 was not the first time he tried to go to the pole. In fact, in 2003, he and a friend together went on a expedition to the North Pole. Nevertheless, they could not complete it because of the lack of equipment and time. The ice was melting due to upcoming summer so they had to give it up. Ben Saunders ended up returning with the failure. After that, he felt dispirited and spent many days just to watch TV on the sofa. Nonetheless, he did not give up his dream and 3 years later, he got agreement with a company to sponsor for his trip to North pole again. This time, he decided to ski alone to the North. His voyage began at Russia where he took a flight to Khatanga, a town in Siberia of Russia. At Khatanga, one of the most desolated area in the world, he stuck there for 10 days. Finally, on the 11th day morning, the problem was solved when helicopters came to pick him up. After that, the helicopters dropped him and his equipment at a pack ice and his expedition officially began. The difficulties he had to deal during were extremely harsh when he had to pull over 2 sledges weighing 180 kilograms and containing his tent, equipment and food for 95 days. If the ice was flat he could pull both but if not, he had to pull one at a time and returned to pull the remaining. However, the problems with the ice were easier than the problems with the lack of ice. As a result, Ben used a specialized dry suit that enabled him to swim across the open water while dragging the sledges. He also blogged from his tent and uploaded information. Finally, on May 11th, he put his step at the North Pole. In conclusion, Ben Saunders hoped that other people would get the inspiration from his job to try harder to reach their true potential.
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Ben Saunders’ representation is very interesting and inspiring. No one can deny his wonderful achievement. Skiing solo to the North Pole is not an easy task since it requires lots of effort and willpower. Moreover, that is more amazing to know that Ben did not give up after having had his first trip to the north ending up failing. During his expedition, he had had to face many extreme situations but he had overcame them. I cannot imagine how hard it was when he was skiing on the floating ice and dragging 180 kilograms equipment and the way he managed to go across the open water. I also would like to make an adventurous trip to test my ability but not sure if I could survive or have enough courage to do it. Ben Saunders said in the video that we usually used only 5-6% percent of our potential in life. Therefore, hopefully, his expedition can inspire other people to stand up and do something to find out their true potential. Finally, not only Ben Saunders but also other people who had climbed the Everest or swam across the ocean are truly appreciated as they had tried their best to test their own potential. No one can have the rights to decide what own true potential is. We are the one who can decide and bring it into play.
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Fascinating lecture - good choice!
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