Hannah McKeand (UK) skied her way to the South Pole from the Hercules Inlet at the edge of the Antarctic continent in 39 days 9 hr 33 min between 19 November and 28 December 2006.

The former marketing manager made the journey – in 24 hours of sunshine – without resupplies. She ate noodles for breakfast and a freeze-dried meal for dinner, and snacked throughout the day on chocolate, salami, and the explorer’s favourite, Kendal mint cake – a total of around 6,000 calories day.

The pole is situated at an altitude of 2,834 m (9,301 ft), which means that the entire journey is uphill, and the atmospheric pressure in this part of the world makes it feel more like 3,500 m (11,000 ft).