Suomela, South Pole

Two men put their determination and stamina to the test during 44 days of icy temperatures, freezing winds and physical exhaustion. As the first Finnish expedition to the South Pole, they skied unsupported and unassisted more than 1000 kilometres to the South Pole, their courage challenged every day. They had to believe in success. A century ago, the Amundsen and Scott expeditions fought their way through the white desert. Now, a century later, the same stormy goal still draws explorers. Reaching the South Pole, Kari Poppis Suomela joined the elite of polar explorers. Before him, only eleven others have skied to both the North and the South Pole without outside support.