May 03, 2002

The last degree
Hitachi Extreme North Expedition

Media Advisory

The Hitachi Extreme North Expedition team reached the final degree to the North Pole when they crossed the 89° mark on Day 40 (30 April 2002, Singapore time).

Adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow and guide Paul Landry again made excellent progress by covering the 88° in their fastest time yet, five days. They now have 108km to go to the North Pole.

Khoo said: “It’s a major milestone. We have crossed into our last degree. I’ve been dreaming about this moment and now here I am. It’s great to be here.”

“It’s the last leg now. 108km and counting down.”

With its current progress and weather conditions, the expedition is expected to be completed in a week. (8 May 2002, Singapore time).

Khoo explained: “If the weather stays the same and we get some good terrain, we’ll reach the North Pole on schedule, if not earlier. But it’s hard to tell as we can be slowed down if we come across more leads.”

“I can’t wait to get to the Pole so that I can get back to civilization!” laughed Khoo.

The team is in high spirits after covering a total of 51.6km in the last two days.

However, their progress was delayed when they encountered two big leads on Day 40. “One of the leads was frozen and we could use it to move northwards for at least an hour. That was great,” said Khoo.

“The other one had thin ice and water in it, so we could not cross. We walked on its bank for about half an hour and it just disappeared into some rubble. Only then could we cross it and continue with the trek.”