Sport Relief interview with Blue Peter's Helen Skelton!
To inspire kids to go the extra mile for Sport Relief, and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the incredible South Pole race, Blue Peter’s Helen Skelton is embarking on an epic polar adventure of her own...
Helen Starting on New Year’s Day, I’m attempting to travel 800km to the South Pole... on a bicycle!
NGK Wow – that will be amazing!
Helen I know – no one’s ever cycled to the South Pole before. Everyone’s saying it’s impossible, which makes me even more determined to do it!
NGK Will you be travelling on a normal bike?
Helen No, it’s actually a sand bike, but it’s been modified so it will ride on snow and ice. It’s got big, thick tyres – but it’s still a proper bicycle that you have to pedal!
NGK So you’re going to be cycling, on snow and ice, in -50°C?! Are your family worried?!
Helen My family are really proud of me because they know I’m doing it all for Sport Relief, but they are concerned, too. Especially as I’m going to be away at Christmas! I'm going to miss them!
NGK What will you do if something goes wrong with the bike?
Helen Well, I want to be on the bike as much as possible, and the longer I’m on it the better the chance I have of breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled on a bike on snow. But because we don’t know if it’s going to work, I’ve got kites and skis as back-up.
NGK What’s your training been like?
Helen Hard work but lots of fun. I
went to New Zealand to learn how to deal with the cold, how to put up a
tent in freezing weather and how to pack my bags using great big mitts! I had to practise finding my way in a blizzard, too. We had pretty bad weather, but not half as bad as we’ll get in Antarctica!
NGK Have you had any advice from amazing polar explorer, Ranulph Fiennes?
Helen I have! I went down to meet him and he took me tyre dragging for the day. It was so tough – he tied four tyres to my back, then set up this obstacle course for me to do!
NGK What will the weather be like for you?
Helen It’ll be summer in Antarctica when I set off on New Year’s Day, but it’ll still be -50°C with winds of 130kmph! The kit I’ll have is different to the things used 100 years ago by Scott and Amundsen but the Antarctic is still boss! You’re at the mercy of the elements and can only travel when the weather allows – that’s when you realise you’re just a tiny cog in a massive wheel.
NGK What an adventure – good luck, Helen!
Go the extra Mile!
You don’t have to trek to the South Pole like Helen to help raise money for Sport Relief 2012!
Why not take part in one of the brilliant Sport Relief Mile events across the UK on Sunday 25 March?! They’re fun, will get you and your family fit, and will raise money to help people living incredibly tough lives, both at home in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries.
Jog along to sportrelief.com/mile and sign up for your nearest Mile now!
Check out our other cool features:
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- Check out the top entries in the NG Kids 2011 Photography Competition galleries!
- Frozen Planet interview with director Liz White
- Creature feature - great white sharks!
- National Geographic Kids sets new Guinness World Record for jumping jacks!
- Sir David Attenborough interview!
- Ben Fogle announces the NG Kids Young Adventurer Of The Year 2011!
- Creature feature - Tyrannosaurus Rex
