BEN SAUNDERS

Long distance skier and polar expeditionist

Ben Saunders is a record-breaking long-distance

skier; he is the youngest person to have skied solo

to the North Pole and he also holds the record for

the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton.

With three North Pole expeditions under his belt, Ben

has skied more than 2,500km (1,500 miles) in the high

Arctic, since 2001, which he recently worked out

equates to two percent of his entire life living in a tent!

Ben is currently preparing for two groundbreaking polar

expeditions: the first is an expedition to the geographic

North Pole with the aim of setting a speed record. Ben

aims to achieve this alone, unsupported and on foot.

The second project, SOUTH  will be the first return journey to the South Pole on foot; from Berkner

Island at the edge of Antarctica, to the South Pole, and back to the coast. At 1,800 miles (2,900km)

and four months, SOUTH will be the longest unsupported polar journey in history.

When he's not pulling a sledge, Ben divides his time between planning and training for his next expedition,

and earning a crust as one of the UK's leading motivational speakers. He is an Ambassador for The Prince's Trust, an Honorary Vice-President of the Geographical Association, and supports the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Orchid Cancer Appeal.

Read Ben's blog, find out more about his expeditions and much more on his awesome website  www.bensaunders.com