The South Pole Epic
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The South Pole Epic
An expedition by bicycle to the South Pole. The expedition started at the edge of the Antarctic continent and travel about 750 miles to the South Pole. I had to battle prevailing headwinds, extreme cold, crevasses, and sastrugi while climbing from sea level to over 9,000 feet.
Nobody had ever traveled across Antarctica to the South Pole by bicycle.
Why
I love adventure, I love biking, and I love a great challenge. However I want to use this expedition to help promote active living through biking. I credit biking with saving my life. More details can be found here.
Help Me Promote Healthy Living
I want to use this expedition to help me help others to get out and be active and promote cycling. I have already invested about $1,000,000 of my own money for this cause. This expedition will allow me to continue this effort.
Obstacles
Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. The South Pole is at 9,300 feet so my trip to the pole was uphill, in the snow, as cold as -35ºF, with a headwind.
The South Pole Epic
Daniel Burton traveled by bicycle from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. I used a Borealis Yampa fat tired bike which has 5 inch wide tires and travels well on the top of snow.
Online Updates
On the expedition I carried two satellite phones allowing me to keep in contact with the rest of the world. I documented each day's travel and using the satellite phones to update my website with a travel log, GPS data, video, and photos.
Risks and Challenges
This was not an easy task. The South Pole is at an elevation of 2,835 metres (9,301 ft) above sea level, and the start was near sea level. Also the winds in Antarctica can be as high as 200 mph, and radiate out from the South Pole to the coast. This means I was traveling up hill and into the wind most of the way. Also the winds created 12 foot sastrugi or snow drifts. The fat tires with low air pressure worked great in Antarctica, but larger sastrugi were a challenge.
Links
Epic Biking http://epicbiking.com
Our blog http://epicsouthpole.blogspot.com
Our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/SouthPoleEpicOur YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/user/EpicBiking
News Story Links
Good Morning Utah
KSL
KUTV evening news
Daily Herald front page story
Fox 13 morning news Half Past Done
Before It's News
ExplorersWeb
Why GoFundMe
I want to be able to have the freedom to promote cycling; active living; and diabetes, heart, and other health charities. GoFundMe gives me the freedom to do this.
Budget
One cyclist (Daniel solo); Photos from expedition shared on blog and Facebook. Also some basic videos can be shared. $69,000 Airfare, emergency support, resupply caches, and logistical support, $15,000 Equipment (bike, tent, food, satellite phones, etc.), $84,000 total.
Organizer
Daniel Burton
Organizer
Saratoga Springs, UT