Poles Marek Kamiński, Janek Mela and TV cinematographer Wojciech Ostrowski reached the South Pole on the last day of 2004.

Mela, age 16, a senior high school student from Malbork, had his right arm and left leg amputated below the knee following a 15,000-volt electric shock in July 2003. He is the youngest man in history and the first handicapped individual to reach both poles in one year. In April 2004, also with Kamiński, Mela stood on the North Pole.

Kamiński, age 40, was the first man in history to reach both poles in one year in 1995.

Their expedition kicked off early in December when Kamiński and Mela flew to Chile, where they stopped in the port city of Punta Arenas. They were transported to a polar base in Patriot Hills on Antarctica along with Ostrowski for acclimatization and training. Mela used the same artificial limb made for him prior to the spring expedition to the North Pole. Earlier, the boy trained rock climbing and sledge pulling in Poland and underwent therapy in a cryogenic chamber to prepare his body for extreme Antarctic conditions.

Kamiński, Mela and Ostrowski set off for the South Pole Dec. 17. Their departure was originally slated for one week earlier, but bad weather, chiefly hurricane-strength winds, delayed their expedition. The explorers faced temperatures of -30ºC and winds of up to 200 km/h over a distance of nearly 200 km. As a safety precaution, all three men were connected by a rope, thus reducing the risk of a fall into a crevasse—the greatest threat to polar explorers.

“This expedition is more difficult than the previous one to the North Pole,” said Mela after seven days. Kamiński repeatedly stressed his admiration for the disabled boy’s determination and endurance. The daily distance of 15 km which the threesome covered is normal for an adult and physically fit explorer. Starting at 7:30 a.m., they marched for over 11 hours a day before setting up camp for the night.

To increase the pace, they lightened the sled by leaving some supplies behind. Mela’s sled weighted about 30 kg, while those of his two adult companions were each about 120 kg.

Due to more bad weather just before Christmas, they even considered discontinuing the expedition and Kamiński suffered slight frostbite to the face. However, the group eventually decided to go on, traveling even on Christmas Eve. “We have borscht and bigos. We have shared a wafer and are going to sing carols,” Kamiński related by phone. It was Mela’s first Christmas away from his family. After Christmas their progress accelerated in an attempt to reach the pole before year’s end. Dec. 30, on the next to last day of the expedition, Mela celebrated his 16th birthday.

The last day was exceptionally difficult. The explorers struggled against strong winds, overcast weather and poor visibility. To reach the pole before the New Year, they covered a record distance of 18 km. “It was very hard, we had to take a three-hour break,” recalls Kamiński.

After 15 days they reached their goal, spending New Year’s Eve night in a camp pitched at the pole. “We are too tired to celebrate. We want to sleep our fill at last,” reported Kamiński. At the pole, in addition to a Polish national flag, the Poles hoisted the flags of their sponsors, including the Polish Press Agency (PAP). Jan. 2 a plane took the polar explorers back to the Patriot Hills base, from where they returned to Poland.

The expedition to the Antarctic was organized by Marek Kamiński’s foundation, which promotes polar expeditions and ecology in Poland. Established nine years ago, the foundation has also helped purchase artificial limbs for 65 disabled children, including Mela.

This year, Kamiński and Mela are not planning any expeditions. “First and foremost, Janek has to return to school and make up for the work he missed,” said Kamiński. He added, however, that as early as 2006 he and Mela may depart for another exotic expedition.