Prince Harry Prepares For South Pole Trip By Spending 24 Hours In Cold Chamber
Prince Harry, the youngest brother of Prince William, is preparing to do a South Pole trek with the charity Walking With The Wounded. To do so he will spend 24 hours in a cold chamber that simulates the harsh conditions he will face once he gets there.
The chamber will mimic blizzard conditions in which Harry and the other four team members have to put up and take down their tent everyday, cook meals, and ski for two hours in exercise machines.
The practice run will take place September 16 and 17 at a location which specializes in testing military and commercial vehicles in extreme conditions.
Prince Harry joined the British team, which will compete against a team from the United States and a combined Canadian-Australian team on a 208-mile hike, from the 87-degrees latitude line to the South Pole in November.
The race is nothing short than brutal under the freezing conditions. It takes 21 days in which the teams spend 12 hours skiing with only a 10 minute break every two hours.
Prince Harry has taken up as his duties several charities, Walking With The Wounded is one of them. He took part in the first leg of the trek in 2011 and became a Patron of their 2012 Everest Expedition.
However, this year’s expedition will be the first time he has joined the team for the duration of the trek and the first time any member of the royal family has done anything of this nature.
Team members must be prepared to spend two hours each day putting up and taking down their tent. They also face difficulties sleeping due to the continuous daylight during the Antarctic summer season.
Four amputees, who lost limbs in Afghanistan will be joining the British team.
The Walking With The Wounded project raises money to help disabled veterans to retrain for a civilian job if their injuries prevents them from returning to the military.
Prince Harry has taken special leave from the Army to participate in the challenge, as have other members who are presently serving.
