Frostbite ends Sir Ranulph adventure
SIR Ranulph Fiennes has pulled out of an expedition across Antarctica in winter because of frostbite.
The 68-year-old was injured after a fall while skiing during training at a base camp and developed frostbite after using his bare hands to fix a ski binding in temperatures of around minus 30ºC.
Sir Ranulph will now leave the expedition but organisers said his evacuation was being hampered by blizzard conditions. His teammates will continue with the 2000-mile trek. A spokesman said: “We regret to announce that Sir Ranulph Fiennes has developed a case of frostbite. He has very reluctantly decided to withdraw from Antarctica.
“This decision has not been taken lightly and it is, naturally, a huge disappointment to Fiennes and his colleagues.”
The team is attempting to evacuate Sir Ranulph by skidoo to the Princess Elisabeth Station, about 43 miles away. From there he will be flown to Novo to get a connecting flight to Cape Town.
“The remaining expedition members, under the experienced leadership of Brian Newham, have unanimously elected to continue with the winter crossing of Antarctica,” the spokesman said.
The trek, which is expected to take six months, is known as The Coldest Journey on Earth. No human has managed to walk across Antarctica in winter. The team will face near permanent darkness and temperatures dropping close to minus 90ºC.