Quebec cross-country skier reaches the South Pole solo in record time

Quebec cross-country skier Caroline Côté has achieved her goal: she has broken the world record for reaching the South Pole unassisted in the fastest time.

The 36-year-old adventurer covered the 1,100 kilometres between Hercules Inlet and the South Pole in 34 days, faster than the past record of 38 days, 23 hours and 5 minutes set by Sweden's Johanna Davidson between November and December 2016.

Côté, who is also an award-winning filmmaker, becomes only the second Canadian woman to achieve this feat, after Meagan McGrath, between late 2009 and early 2010.
 

 

 

 

 

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She would be only the eighth or ninth woman to achieve the feat, according to the various sites consulted.

Côté, whose most recent documentary, 'The Last Glaciers', just won the Gemini for best direction, set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, in mid-November, from where her journey to one of the world's most hostile sites was officially launched.

She had spent the previous months putting the finishing touches to her preparation, from a physical, mental and logistical point of view.

Alone on the ice, she had a team behind her to help her achieve the feat, including a Norwegian meteorologist who kept her informed of the conditions ahead. At the Union Glacier base camp, there were also doctors and an emergency team on standby to help her if anything went wrong.

Each day, Côté had to inform them of her exact location.

The adventure cost about $160,000, most of which came from her personal stash and donations. Her main sponsors were Helly Hansen, a Quebec-based company that makes freeze-dried meals in compostable bags, and Tel-Loc, which provided her with a satellite phone.
 

 

 

 

 

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Côté wasn't the only one trying to beat Davidson's mark. Wendy Searle of Britain, who had completed the distance in 42 days a few years ago, also tried to challenge the record. However, health problems forced her to give up after two weeks of effort.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 11, 2023