As an avid polar adventurer and with an undying thirst for the next big challenge, Ben Weber will soon be attempting a solo ski across Antarctica to the South Pole at the centre. The challenge will take place in early November 2022, and Ben will take with him an Iridium GO! satellite hotspot and Iridium Extreme® satellite phone, provided by GTC, to ensure consistent and reliable satellite connectivity.
Ben is no stranger to challenges of this nature, having recently crossed Greenland from east to west, pulling an 80kg sled behind him through -40⁰C temperatures. And as for skiing, that was a skill that has been developed since 2014 – before this, Ben did not know how to ski at all.
Expeditions like Ben’s South Pole skiing challenge this are only successful if they have days, weeks, months of planning and training behind them. That is why Ben has also undertaken challenges including Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) in the winter, extreme altitude mountaineering in Bolivia, long distance cycling journeys, and several ski journeys through harsh environments in the wintry Canadian arctic.
By taking satellite communications devices with him, Ben is addressing his safety and wellbeing as they offer him the means to communicate with anyone from his Antarctic location. Being Iridium devices, the GO!, which transforms a smartphone into a satellite communications device, and Extreme®, a rugged satellite phone with two-way connectivity, SOS, SMS, and GPS functionalities, can be used anywhere in the world. They are ideal for providing peace of mind to those back home by allowing Ben’s location to be shared online.
Ben’s Antarctic adventure not only exists as a result of his relentless urge to challenge himself, but in order to raise funds for his late mother who passed away from cancer almost four years ago. Ben hopes to raise as much potentially life-saving funding as possible, with all proceeds being donated to Cancer Research UK.
