Reflections on Antarctica

“I wish they could be there, it’s not a road at all”. I’d have to disagree with Rudd’s comment. The South Pole Traverse (SPoT) road requires a great deal of work. It needs to be reflagged, bladed, and scanned for crevasses every year. Labor I’m familiar with, as I worked on SPoT for four seasons. The SPoT road is safer. An expeditioner no longer has to worry about navigation because they can simply follow our flags and tracks even in a whiteout. On our road, expeditioners don’t have to worry about crevasses–gaping, often hidden chasms that can swallow a person or vehicle–because we use Ground Penetrating Radar to locate and avoid them. We also blade the trail, knocking down the six-foot high snow-hummocks known as sastrugi. This greatly lessens the burden on a skier, who, without our trail, would have to pull their heavy sleds up and over each one of these icy hills or triple their distance finding a path around them. Once on the SPoT road, both O’Brady and Rudd’s daily mileage increased dramatically. This is because they were ‘aided’ by the SPoT teams and their hard work. During the last two days of O’Brady’s expedition, he was able to ski for a total of 79-miles, nearly four times his usual daily mileage. When asked in a telephone interview how he was able to accomplish this, he said, “I don’t know, something overcame me.” He never once mentioned the trail, the flags, or how he is able to avoid the many crevasses with ease.

I do not understand how, if they were solo, they have some of the pictures, particularly of Colin, that certainly appear to be taken further away than a selfie.

So exciting to read their adventure. Modern explorers and past have always incited in me such visions of wild extremes and utter isolation. I can almost feel the absolute solitude of that great open space. All that is there is you, your skies moving and your thoughts and feelings of your bodies performance. Thanks for taking me along with you.

I’m sitting her in Camp Hill Pa, the wind is blowing 20 mph and the temp is about 25 F. I’m trying to get myself up to take my 3 mile walk with the Camp Hill Men’s Walking Society tonight. You guys were GREAT! Thank you!

I'm glad you guys did it so the rest of us don't have to.

Too bad this adventure is touted as a “crossing” of Antarctica, it was not. They hit the pole, and then made a sharp right turn; all in all about a quarter trip.

Both these men are explorers much like Columbus, Magellan and the others. I have great admiration for their achievement. That said, you have to be crazy to do this.

Notice that women don't do these kind of insane journeys (or maybe I should say...yet). It's a good way to prove...what? I'm glad they both lived.

I haven't read all the comments, but this is described as a "solo" trek.....how can it be "solo" if there were 2 of them? I am not denying that this is an unimaginable event, but still....solo?

Congratulations and thank you!

I followed this story off and on. I'm glad the NYT does these kind of coverage. It's why I pay the digital rate since there are no other general interest newspaper in America that does stories like this. It's interesting in C's comment he/she said that O'Brady waited for Rudd at the end saying he didn't have to do that. I just the read the article once but it seems that he had to do just that since the transport plane was fogged in. The fact that they shared their food indicated there was no animosity between these two competing men. During the 80's there was an explosion of men and women who felt a need to show off their physical prowess and they went to climb Mt. Everest. Of course there were guides who through travel agency took them up for a fee. Some of these macho tourists along with sherpas and guides died due to inclement weather and poor planning. The mountain due to many years of climbers not packing their trash out has an accumulated dump of oxygen bottles, debris from past expeditions. I've read that now its tougher to despoil the mountain. While this seems a much tougher trek I hope people who pay to have their adventure belt notched don't make this a must do trip. I'd hate to hear 20 years from now there is mounds of trash and frozen bodies 10 miles in. 35 or 40 years ago I had the honor of going to dinner with Jim Whittaker, who was the first American to summit Everest. He showed me a ring he wore that had a chip of the mountain he climbed.

Congratulations to these two men. What they have accomplished is truly remarkable. When I'm out walking the dogs at 445 am and it's 10 degrees I'll close my eyes and pretend to be on this great adventure

Amazing feat of endurance, fortitude and mental discipline. We hear the word awesome so often now that it looses meaning . These two men bring the word into true context: AWSOME!!

I heard O'Brady on Fresh Air program and he said was severely burned as a child or young adult on 70% of his arms and legs and was told by the doctors he would never walk again. This helped me to appreciate his personal journey at a deeper, more human level. Congrats to both adventurers, who have done what few humans have done before. And thankfully survived to tell us about the experience.

The spirit of Ernest Shackleton exists in these to incredible adventurers. Congratulations to them both.

Two impressively insane souls. Congratulations to both of these nuts.

I followed their journey since day 3. O'brady on his twitter and instagram accounts and "impossible first" page for the map, Rudd on the "shackleton" page (hitting the button of expedition and reading his journal ). I found the briton more literary, since his journal choice ( it was an audio file transcribed by an helpful friend), he did have a "shoutout" final section on every daily report, he never failed to fill in (with family members, colleagues in the army- he is a captain- friends, ALE and NP station staff). I liked that full immersion into the aloneness and how he coped with that. Also his entries were always very descriptive and colorful ( from his morning and evening routine, to his wild encounters along the way). O'Brady was a more younger fellow, cheerful to the teeth, emotional, more centered on his person (mainly he wrote about his journey progress always in exclamation points. He did a spectacular picture on the Pole (i won't spoil it, go to his instagram to see it ) and talked a lot about his mental routine ( meditation, sleep, and the kind of). what i didn't like it. Their reports were heavily delayed ( several hours between them). The gps maps to follow their progress were a day late for Rudd,with a ridiculous oversized figure of O'Brady. And overall Rudd used nautical miles, O'Brady statute miles. That tricked me into thinking O'Brady was faster and he was that only by a small margin. He won the race essentially because he skied for longer hours. Good both

Simply incredible. Kudos to these two explorers. I thank NYT for this great reporting, excellent photos and now, this interview. I can't get enough. I hope NYT has a more in depth article in the Magazine. Watching those video clips of COB in the wind - reminded me of my own trio to Antarctica - well, nothing like theirs. And I do not mean to brag as I was simply a passenger on a ship. But I remember those winds. We were to go ashore on Elephant island - famous for the British explorer' Shackleton. Winds were so fierce that of course we had to abandon - but you felt the wind inside - the noise and cold temperatures. I had stepped on deck - fully protected for photos. I almost got a frost bite. Simply unbelievable. Once again, thanks for a great report.

Neither Rudd or O'Brady looked like they were in fantastic shape in the "before" photographs. Wondering what a real endurance athlete might have accomplished as far as speed, seeing as how this was some kind of "race."

Great effort and fascinating story. However, it is a surprising aspect of your account that in all the NYT articles and comments about this trek only the following men are mentioned: Borge Ouseland (first person to succeed in a solo crossing using a kite for wind assistance in 1996/97), Henry Worsley (first solo unsupported and unassisted attempt in 2016), Colin O'Brady and Louis Rudd (first successful solo and unsupported crossing). For completeness you should also mention Felicity Aston who in 2012 completed the first successful solo and unassisted crossing (using muscle power and supported only in that she had two resupply drops). She is part of the history of this journey and it is inexplicable that you don't mention her. The Financial Times report on the O'Brady/Rudd crossing had an extensive and fascinating interview with her - a much more comprehensive and accurate approach to this story.

At risk of exposing my ignorance of the state of photographic technology, I confess to being mystified by the fact that some photos and videos of O’Brien seem to have been taken at some distance from him — as if there were a cameraman along to record the adventure. Can someone explain? Thanks

What an incredible story of courage and brotherhood. Without taking anything anyway from Mr. Brady's feat, certainly being 16 years younger didn't hurt.

Perhaps there is hope for human beings after all ... well done gentlemen ...

I followed this incredible journey and was amazed that they both made it! Well done, fellows! Just reading this got my heart pumping for you.

I have been out a winter day (literally, I mean :)) and the feat of these two is undeniable. But: "Rudd and O’Brady say they have the utmost respect for Ousland, who skied with the assistance of a kite that helped him cover 1,864 miles." According to Ousland's story, well described here https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/opinion/antarctica-obrady-rudd-solo-crossing.html, yes, he took advantage of string wind in the back by improvising a kite, using a sheet of some sort. It was hardly "a kite". Secondly, and as was also pointed out in same piece, he skied at a time when none of today's advanced communications technologies were available, either because they didn't yet exist, or were to expensive for Ousland to use, thus in practice I would opine that he was much less supported than the two 2019 adventurers. (It should also be noted that there has been other, also like Ousland Norwegian expeditions, including one where three men, one with one leg, did a similar feat. As a reader commented to that piece, the lack of respect given to Ousland by the current Brit and American mirrors the fate of Roald Amundsen, who never got the attention and fame that Scott did, despite Amundsen being successful at crossing the continent, and Scott's failure and death. (May they both RIP.)

I spent some of my younger years in the 1950s, in Glens Falls/Lake George NY and I loved the cold and snow. It was soo beautiful up there and also brutally cold. The coldest night was 32 below zero. I think it was the winter of 1957/58. Too long ago to accurately recall. When we first moved there it took me a year to acclimate to the dry, cold air. But, it was fun...at least back then. I'm 71 now and I don't think I could make through a winter like those again. Not easily anyway. These are guys are either incredibly brave or stupid or both. There's no way that even as a twenty year old would I have tried what they accomplished. An upstate New York winter is brutal enough and Antarctica would be that times 10. Even if just for a couple of days. I wish them good luck and many more successful journeys. Maybe they'll inspire some more brave souls to attempt and succeed at the impossible. I'll be happy to sit in the sun in Florida and enjoy reading about their adventures. Brrrrr! Oh, its going be in the upper 70s today! Yum!

There is an interesting debate taking place that compares what Colin O'Brady and Louis Rudd accomplished with the solo crossing that Børge Ousland made in 1996/97: https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2181199/colin-obradys-solo-crossing-antarctic-first-unsupported As an arm-chair explorer, I can only admire the courage and fortitude of all three men. To get caught up in who did what first is an exercise I'm more than happy to skip.

A job well done by both men

I respect Louis Rudd's achievement and his reasons for doing it - congratulations Lou! Seems like O'Brady, ever the egoist and self promoter, stepped in at the last minute for his own self-aggrandizing motivations to build on the planning, timing and idea conceived by Lou, low class move in my opinion. After reading this, clearly Borge Ousland's 1996-97 accomplishment far outweighs this current effort. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/opinion/antarctica-obrady-rudd-solo-crossing.html?module=inline

I just got done reading a book about the last two guys to travel on foot, unsupported, across the ice to the North Pole, and my biggest thought about that is the same one here: Can we really call this "exploration?" Seriously -- this is not about finding new territory, doing new science, or discovering new lands. It's about personal challenge, and personal physical conquests with -- as others note -- rescue a simple phone call away. I think "Adventuring" is a far more accurate term. I don't take anything away from either of these guys, but to call what they are doing "exploring" is not accurate.

I get chills just reading this. So rare do we get true exploration stories anymore and I find them so compelling. I would love to see more, and more in-depth, coverage of these types of events.

Fabulous piece on an incredible journey. Congratulations to these two men. Congratulations to the Times for great work.

An inspirational and uplifting story, illustrating some noble human qualities, that comes at a time when we really need something positive to restore some measure of faith in humanity.

This article, and the others about COB and LR, are so inspirational! I also read the article about the man who attempted in 2016 but didn't make it, so it provides some really good context for these two explorers and what they went through. I am thrilled these two made it - and lived to tell about it in good health. I cannot imagine doing this trek myself, but I sure appreciate the efforts after reading the stories, and also in this article, seeing the brief videos of the extreme elements. I will never complain about 30 degree weather again. I have to say that tent looks very inviting. Nice work COB and LR! And thanks to the NYT for covering this inspirational event!

Thank you gentleman for attempting and completing the journey. Thank you NYT (and others) for providing feeds and updates. I followed with great interest throughout. Thank you NYT for the detailed follow-up - while the other media are likely ensconced on the next new shiny object in front of them and would otherwise miss reporting this aspect of the story.

Both of them are great men. I followed O'Brady closely on Instagram (Rudd not being on social media) and what struck me most is that after he won the race, he insisted on staying at the so-called finish line until Rudd completed the race two days later. O'Brady was cold, exhausted and very low on food but he waited for his competitor, and then praised him profusely once he arrived. He didn't have to do that. He could have left but he chose to wait. He could have not saluted him so gracefully but he did. That's true sportsmanship and the marks of a man who is a mensch.

Fantastic effort and a wonderful piece. Anyone who hasn’t read the story of ‘the guy’ who tried a similar cross Antartica trip and didn’t make it, needs to find it and read it. Equally fascinating it is. I would leave a link or something but lack the time at this moment.

Many readers have commented on the 'why' of the journey/race....I completed the Antarctica Marathon in 2005, which is also an unsupported race. The 'why' is the competitive nature of man and beast....some of us love to compete, even if it is against ourselves. Some call it the 'X' gene. There is a thrill to it that produces the endorphin rush at the time and the warmth of the memory when recalled. And, interestingly, at least to me, the marathon was part of my quest to join the Seven Continents Club w/a marathon on each continent of the world., which I did. But half way through the process I realized it was more about the people and the places than racing. And that made it infinitely more enjoyable and memorable. Cheers.

Except for the herculean physical effort and the -80F temperatures, it's like a solo sail around the world - small and alone except when you are in a fogged in battling and using nature. I have enough trouble setting up a tent in zero wind, let alone with 50mph wind and snow blowing in my face and subzero temperatures after a long exhausting trek. I might have made it two steps - one off the plane and the other back on the plane. Congratulations to both Supermen.

An amazing journey for them both. But unsupported? I think not. GPS, phone calls, texts, weather updates...

Is it just me, or do the first photos of Brady and Rudd in this article look like the same man at different ages?! Kudos to them both for an incredible accomplishment.

Thank you NYT for following this, for the photos and interviews. Amazing journey by both men; I've enjoyed following along with my five year old daughter.

I recently read the New Yorker “White Darkness” article in early 2018. I find extreme human adventure fascinating. Thanks for this post-trek coverage (and during the trek as well).

Great read, and tremendous effort. I missed earlier articles but wondered why these explorers set up their adventure as a race and not a team effort (better motivator?). It also seemed they weren't relying on each other as a safety net. When Rudd nearly lost his tent/bag, O'Brady would have been the best option for help; but apparently they decided to have no radio contact with each other.

I followed both treks on social media in real-time and neither mentioned the other much until the very end. This recap made it clear that the race was a big part of the mental game being played. I wonder if the difference between the story they were telling along the way and the mental reality was conscious. I also wonder if the race was a one of the reasons that two people suddenly completed this feat nearly simutaneously.

Following this story has been amazing. I've spent a lot of time thinking about the "great white queen" as Lou called it. It's amazing to see what humans are capable of doing. It's inspiring.

I am always fascinated about why humans challenge themselves to the extreme so I followed closely the Times coverage. Thank you for the more personal interviews, which brought us even deeper into the motivations and emotions of these two amazing athletes.

Beautiful photos and good to see both men got out alive and with all their digits, looking more handsome post-trek; apparently trudging across frozen wasteland is good for the looks. However. In a trek that is really a battle with the self and the elements, why turn it into a race with another human being? It is that aspect of the story that leaves me uncomprehending and cold and makes me think that perhaps this is precisely at the bottom of why the male way of doing things is so senseless, why our planet is in such peril. Life (and Antartica) is hard enough; why don't we make it our explicit ethic to get through it together?