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Young Adventurer of the Year 2016

By AG STAFF • October 13, 2016

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In April, 14-year-old Jade Hameister became the youngest person in history to ski to the North Pole.

AT 14-YEARS-OLD, Melbourne teenager Jade Hameister became the youngest person in history to ski to the North Pole in April 2016.

Jade’s cross-country expedition – more than 150km, with verage temperatures of -25°C – was meant to take 21 days but serious cracks in the temporary runway (at Russian ice base Barneo) forced her to complete the whole trip in just 11 days – an experience she describes as “weird and surreal”.

The Year 9 student is already looking ahead, and considers the feat the first of a “polar hat-trick” that will see the intrepid teen attempt the Greenland Crossing and South Pole by December 2017. By the time she’s done, Jade will have spent four months on the ice and covered more than 2000km. Jade’s adventure was sponored by the Australian Geographic Society.

Drake Passage’s formidable reputation has long deterred travellers wanting to discover the White Continent. But things have changed. You can now fly across Drake Passage in just two hours and be immersed in Antarctica’s delicate wild places in less time than it takes to drive from Bondi to Newcastle. Here’s how you can explore the wonders of Antarctica while avoiding a multi-day ocean crossing of Drake Passage.