In April 2003, Ben skied a solo round trip to the North Geographic Pole from 89°N, skiing 120 nautical miles (222km) in two weeks. The expedition was planned as a training exercise and a 'shakedown' for longer solo projects in the future, but it turned out to be an epic trip in its own right.
He started and finished at the temporary Russian airstrip, 'Borneo' and during the fortnight he was alone was pursued by a polar bear and fell through thin ice into the Arctic Ocean. Ben reached the Pole on Easter Sunday 2003 and used groundbreaking technology to send the first ever real-time video footage from the Pole, as well as to update the expedition website live from the ice.
Ben's 2003 North Pole expedition was sponsored by Arbor International and Marks & Spencer and raised over £10,000 for The Orchid Cancer Appeal, a leading UK male cancer charity.