British Polar Adventurer Conrad Dickinson Steps Into the History Books

British polar adventurer Conrad Dickinson steps into the history books

Submitted by: Yes Consultancy Thursday, 27 April 2006

The Hexham polar hero, Conrad Dickinson, aged 50, marched into the history books at 01.30 hours GMT on Thursday April 27 2006 when he arrived at the North Geographic Pole in just 52 days and twelve hours. He has knocked 10 days off the British record for the fastest unsupported 775 km (482 miles) trek from Ward Hunt Island, Canada, to the top of the world. The Northgate North Pole expedition (http://www.northgatenorthpoleclassic.com) – with 46-year-old Canadian ski champion Richard Weber – is the first polar trek to have been done in snow shoes alone. Conrad is also one of the few people in the world to have achieved the ‘polar trilogy’ of conquering Greenland, Antarctica and now the North Pole. Since the start of the expedition on March 5, Conrad has been arduously trekking against the clock because April 29 is the latest time a pilot would pick them up, as the shifting sea ice becomes too thin and unsafe for planes to land after this date. To save time, the team had been marching for up to 17 hours a day with no breaks. Even when Richard fell completely through the ice he chose to carry on trudging for another four hours so as not to lose time. As well as the ever-present threat of polar bears, shifting ice, open stretches of water miles long, temperatures as low as -40ºC, a week of pure ‘white-out’ conditions and a diet of modified dog food, Conrad has remained cheerful and up-beat. He has also had a severely split sledge that broke under rough handling and weighted 150 kilos (330 lb) at the start. The former army Captain will shortly be picked up at the North Pole by a Russian helicopter and fly to Borneo, in Russia and then Spitzbergen and Oslo and finally arrive in Newcastle Upon Tyne on Tuesday May 2. On hearing the news, Phil Moorhouse, managing director for Darlington-based Northgate plc said, “Conrad is not just someone who talks the talk, he walks the talk – in this case in snow shoes. At the start of the expedition, he reckoned his chances were less than 20 per cent. Against the odds and despite vast stretches of ice rubble and the unseasonably warm conditions - creating open water obstacles - Conrad’s northern grit and determination has shone through. “He has achieved the world’s toughest expedition yet he has been in touch with us and the 2,000 workforce every step of the way through the website. We cannot wait to say thank you to him in person. Like him, we feel on top of the world.” Northgate plc and Conrad will be working together on some fundraising initiatives for the Percy Hedley School in Forest Hall, Newcastle Upon Tyne that will take place in June and July. Well wishers are invited to post messages to Conrad on the Northgate plc (http://www.northgateplc.com) sponsored website, www.northgatenorthpoleclassic.com.

Page 1 -Ends - -Conrad is the only British adventurer to trek unsupported to the North Geographic Pole from Ward Hunt Island in Canada this year. -Only one other Briton has achieved this – Pen Hadow from Devon in 2003 on a solo expedition, when aged 41. -Last year, Conrad and his wife Hilary skied unsupported to the South Pole – becoming the only British married couple to do so – and kite-skied back. Expedition publicity contact: Please contact Amanda Parkinson Tel: 020 7569 3043 / mobile: 0781 623 8175 Email: [email protected] or Tina Fotherby The YES Consultancy Tel: 020 7569 3042 / mobile: 07836 789 655 •High resolution pictures of Conrad and Richard are available on request. •Broadcast quality film footage available on request. Northgate plc publicity contact: Lisa Wardell Tel: 01325 370241 Email [email protected] Web: www.northgateplc.com Northgate plc provides flexible vehicle solutions. Founded in the North East of England, the company is celebrating its 25th year in business. Northgate is the UK's market leader in vehicle rental, operating a fleet of over 100,000 vehicles from over 100 locations throughout the UK, Ireland and Spain.

Page 2

Distributed via Press Release Wire (https://pressreleases.responsesource.com/) on behalf of Yes Consultancy