They will cross the continent on skis, each hauling a sled weighing approximately 130 kg – work that demands extreme physical conditioning and mental resilience. Their training is, at heart, about learning to endure discomfort over time.
One of the main activities in their training is tyre pulling: dragging tyres for hours through fields and forests. The friction replicates a heavy sled on snow and ice; the jolts over roots and rocks mimic sastrugi and the pulk getting stuck. Alongside this, they follow a strict strength and conditioning schedule of 5–6 training sessions a week and each must gain approximately 10kg of weight before departure. The body needs fat reserves; on the ice it’s impossible to eat as much as you burn. On the toughest days they may draw 3,000 calories from stored fat alone, so they will train fasted at times and progressively increase their fat intake as the departure date approaches. Fat carries more than twice the energy of carbohydrate per gram, and around 70% of their energy on expedition will come from it.
In addition to physical preparation, every item of kit is tested and every routine drilled on training trips to Norway, Greenland and Chamonix. Becoming efficient with stoves, clothing, tents and every single responsibility on the ice will ensure they save as much time and energy as possible. The aim is to make tasks automatic and efficient, conserving energy and reducing error when it matters most. Every movement, every decision, must be deliberate.
In the end, a South Pole journey is a beautiful optimisation problem: minimise suffering, maximise the odds of finishing. Pain is a given. Smart preparation means less of it – and a better chance of arriving at the Pole.
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Preparation for Max and Martin doesn’t begin with skis on their feet – it begins with a book in their hands. There is a long tradition of polar explorers before them, and learning from their successes and failures is an invaluable part of getting ready for their own journey. The Onwards Expedition stands on the shoulders of polar legends like Shackleton and Amundsen, but also modern explorers such as Henry Worsley and Børge Ousland. From reading their books, Max and Martin will learn everything from the minutiae of tent life to the strategic decisions that save lives; without that accumulated wisdom, their own journey would be far harder.