They've done it!

Durham-born explorer Robert

Swan completes epic South Pole expedition with
his son
Robert and Barney Swan completed the gruelling journey using only renewable
energy to keep them warm and dry

BYSONIA SHARMA 05:00, 20 JAN 2018

Barney and Robert Swan on their expedition to the South Pole

A dad and his son are celebrating after completing a world-first expedition to the South Pole fuelled
entirely by renewable energy.

Robert Swan, a Durham University graduate who grew up near Barnard Castle, took his son Barney
on the epic trip to Antarctica.

Robert, 61, who in 1989 became the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles, was
aiming to raise awareness of global warming and the need to preserve Antarctica, as well as passing
on the baton of exploration to Barney, 23.

On Monday, the father and son duo completed their gruelling trip, covering around 600 miles to
reach earth’s southernmost point, enduring temperatures as low as minus 40C.

During their South Pole Energy Challenge,

they relied on solar energy, advanced
biofuels provided by energy company
Shell and an ice melter designed by NASA to
keep warm and dry. The triumphant pair
are now expected to return to the UK this
week.

A spokesman for the team said: “Robert Swan has experienced some of the harshest environments
on the planet, becoming the first man in history to walk unaided to both poles in the 1980s. This
time he embarked on his last major expedition, an epic trek on foot to the South Pole, with his 23-
year-old son, Barney, and two trusted friends.

“After reaching the halfway point, a major

milestone in their expedition, Robert passed
on the baton of polar exploration to Barney
who walked the remaining 300 miles to the
geographic South Pole without his dad.”
“It’s Barney’s belief that it is up to all players in
society - including governments, industry,
entrepreneurs and corporations - to come together to develop a mixture of cleaner energy
solutions.”

“By only using renewable sources of energy, the explorers were able to power their cooking stove
and keep warm, dry and fed in temperatures as low as minus 40C, as they trekked through some of
the most inhospitable terrain on earth.”

Before setting out on the journey in December, Robert spoke about the preparations the team had
made.

He said: “We have planned for every scenario but our main plan for when we’re in an Antarctic
blizzard and I can’t see my hand in front of me is the advanced biofuels provided by Shell, which will
keep us warm, comfortable and most importantly safe.”

“The greatest exploration left is our ability as humans to learn how to live on the earth sustainably.”

Comprehension questions to answer in your exercise book:

1. Find and define these words:

a) Enduring:
b) Triumphant:
c) Embarked:
d) Inhospitable:
e) Terrain:
2. What is interesting and different about Barney and Robert’s expedition to the South Pole?
3. What did Barney achieve in 1989?
4. How many miles did the men cover?
5. What was the lowest temperature they endured?
6. What did the men rely on to survive on their expedition?
7. What does the spokesman mean by the metaphor that Robert ‘passed the baton’ to Barney.
Think about a relay race. What does Robert let Barney do?
8. How well were the men prepared for anything that might go wrong? Find evidence to prove
your answer.