Another South Pole skier had to be airlifted off the ice a few days back due to poor health. Norwegian explorer Steffen Dahl, who was attempting a speed record to the South Pole, began experiencing health issues a few days back, and as a result, he decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and thought it best to pull the plug on his expedition.Steffen first began to experience problems back on the first of December, when he took ill and was very weak. The explorer was puzzled by the problem as he had been getting plenty to eat and drink, was well rested, and didn't feel like conditions were all that difficult at the time. In an effort to knock out what ever the problem was, he started taking antibiotics, but after a few more days of ongoing issues, he elected to call for an evacuation instead.
ALE scrambled a Twin Otter plane to pick him up, and on Sunday, Steffen arrived at the South Pole, albeit not the way that he had hoped. As of today, he is now back at the Union Glacier camp, where he has seen the last team of skiers arrive and set out for the Pole. He'll remain there for a few more days until a supply plane can complete the journey back to Punta Arenas, where he can receive proper medical attention.
I had been following Steffen's journey, although I hadn't posted an update on his progress in awhile. Its a shame that he was doing so well but couldn't continue thanks to physical problems. He's already planning a return to the Antarctic however, so I'm sure we'll be hearing from him again in the future.
Get well Steffen!
