Orkney-born adventurer succeeds in South Pole expedition

An Orkney-born adventurer has reached the South Pole after an epic 58-day, 700-mile solo trek across the Antarctic ice and snow.

During his mammoth challenge, Ben Weber encountered -40C wind chill, white-out conditions, driving snowstorms and miles of strength sapping ragged ice fields and crevasses.

Shaking off a potential expedition-ending neck injury, Ben remorselessly progressed towards the Pole, pulling a 110kg sled crammed with life-saving supplies, food, fuel and emergency equipment.

The challenge was in memory of his mum, Marian, who passed away from cancer in 2018, and is raising money for Cancer Research UK.

The youngest of seven siblings to Marian and Sven, Ben, 41, lived in Stronsay until he was three years old, before the family moved to Stromness.

The Webers later moved to England in 1988, when Ben was ten years old, after 13 years in the islands.

Ben, who now lives in Carrbridge, said: “To get to the Pole… it’s difficult to express how delighted I am. To get through everything, all those daily challenges, to get through the pain and the frustration… it’s hard to believe. Seeing the research base at the Pole slowly becoming larger and larger and now I am here!! So surreal! It really is fulfilling a dream.“

Donations can be made through his JustGiving page.