Juris Ulmanis delivered Latvian and Ukrainian flags to the South Pole after 16 days of skiing.
Having skied 120 kilometers across the endless Antarctic snowfields, dragging a 40-kilogram sled behind him and overcoming challenging weather conditions, including -40 degrees Celsius, Latvian alpinist Juris Ulmanis, who has climbed the highest peaks of all continents, has reached the southernmost point of the globe. Symbolically putting an end to a charity expedition aimed at raising funds to support Ukrainian freedom fighters, the Latvian national guard and public activist has delivered the Latvian and Ukrainian flags to the South Pole.
«The twelve-day expedition to the Antarctic plateau can be described with three words: cold, wind and snow. The simplicity of the environment does not mean an easy expedition. Snow sometimes feels more like sand, which makes it difficult to pull a sled, and the cold seems to find its way into every cell of your body if you are not constantly moving. Even though I was well prepared for the expedition, I froze my fingers badly, and I understood even better what the first polar explorers Roald Amundsen, Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott once felt. But when the sun is shining and the wind is gentle, the beauty is unimaginable,» shares Juris Ulmanis, who skied for 5-8 hours every day along the gently rolling snow hills.
«On January 14 at 4:00 p.m. local time, I reached the South Pole. I quickly set up my camp and went first to the ceremonial South Pole and then to the geographic South Pole. These two poles are separated by about 100 meters. At the ceremonial South Pole, above a 3-kilometer layer of ice and snow, there is a red-white-and-red striped pole with a reflective globe on top. Around it are the flags of the countries that were the first to sign the Antarctic Treaty. The real South Pole, where all 360 lines of longitude meet, is a little further south. Interestingly, every year during the New Year's celebrations, it is repositioned, because during the year the slowly flowing snow carries the marking about ten meters away from the right place. Every year, people who winter at the South Pole station have the honor of creating the marking of the next year's geographic South Pole. Every year it is different and unique,» Juris introduces the traditions of the South Pole.
He went on an expedition as part of a new international initiative Sunflowers for Freedom to draw public attention to the selfless struggle of Ukrainians for freedom. Anyone interested can support the initiative by donating money for medical assistance to the people of Ukraine on the UNITED24 fundraising platform:
https://donorbox.org/a-latvian-serviceman-and-mountaineer-is-raising-funds-in-support-of-ukraine The UNITED24 platform, led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, provides simple and transparent fundraising, guaranteeing that every euro will reach the people of Ukraine and those needs that are most needed at the moment.
Since the beginning of the war in 2015, Juris Ulmanis has been actively involved in providing aid to Ukraine, personally delivering aid packages to soldiers on the Ukrainian front. He has also published the book «When War Becomes Personal», which is an emotional story about the experiences and losses that connect him to the war in Ukraine. It is published in Latvian, Ukrainian and English.
Juris has completed the «7 Summits» challenge, reaching the highest peak on each continent, including climbing Everest in May 2023 and raising the flags of Ukraine and Latvia. The author has written the books «The Road to Everest, which Continues», «My Mountain Revelation Book» and «To Greenland for Pearls».
Donations will be collected for humanitarian aid for Ukraine's war veterans and their families.
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