Anja Blacha, a German athlete sponsored by Intersport, reached the South Pole on Thursday, Jan. 9, after a trek of 57 days, 18 hours and 50 minutes – a record time. The 29-year-old athlete is the first person to cover the 1,400 km solo, unassisted and unsupported. At the geographic South Pole, Blacha planted a flag that reads: “Not bad for a girl – almost impossible for everyone else.” Another woman made it to the South Pole just one day later. It took the Mollie Hughes of the U.K. 58 days, or 650 hours, to get there solo on skis by Jan. 10. She had started on Nov. 13 at the Hercules Inlet in West Antarctica, 1,300 km away. The 29-year-old Hughes, who was sponsored by Gore-Tex, Mountain Equipment and Atag Heating Technology, is the youngest woman ever to reach earth’s southernmost point from the Antarctic coast on skis.

Topics