Ben Fogel will recreate the Antarctic expeditions of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen using only Edwardian trekking gear.
The presenter is producing a new three-part series for Channel 5, Enduro: Towards the Pole, which he describes as a “dream project”.
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Adventurer Fogle, 49, will have just the Edwardian equipment, food and shelter the three adventurers used on their grueling polar missions.
He said: “This is a dream project for me. I have been fascinated by this heroic period of polar exploration my whole life and now I have the opportunity to wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and experience first-hand an immersive, A living history, pulling the same sled and sleeping in the same canvas tent.
“It will give me a better understanding of the heroism and sacrifice made by these brave men more than a hundred years ago in one of the harshest and unforgiving places on earth.
“I myself ran to the pole in modern gear in 2008, and now I can experience the harsh Antarctic wilderness like them.”
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In 2009, Vogel skied more than 750 kilometers to reach the South Pole and was defeated by the Norwegian team.
Fogle and polar explorer Dwayne Fields explore why Amundsen prevailed on his trek while Scott and Shackleton failed, exploring their bitter rivalry and the key decisions they made.
On December 14, 1911, Norwegian Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole – 35 days before Scott, whose body was with the rest of his team 13 months after their disappearance on mission bodies were found together.
Shackleton made several trips to Antarctica, first reaching within 400 miles of the South Pole in 1902, and seven years later he came even closer—just 97 miles from his goal—but had to turn back due to lack of food.
In 1915, his crew set out aboard the Endurance, but were unable to reach land and became trapped in dense ice floes, forcing the ship’s 28 crew to eventually abandon ship.
They were trapped in the ice for about 10 months before escaping in a lifeboat and on foot.
