On an average weekend on Queensland’s balmy Sunshine Coast, you might spot James McAlloon striding along the beach, dragging a car tyre tethered to his waist.
For three years, the 32-year-old adventurer has been training to pull a 100kg sled across snow and ice, in preparation for the journey of a lifetime.
In December, he will embark on a world-first expedition in Antarctica: an arduous sea-to-summit journey encompassing 600km of cross-country skiing, and a climb of almost 5,000m to the top of the continent’s highest peak.
James McAlloon skied 500km across Greenland earlier this year, but that was just a warm-up for a much greater challenge. (Supplied: James McAlloon)
The first steps on his path from Queensland to the top of Antarctica began seven years ago — with a dare.
“It was the middle of summer. My mate bet me that I couldn’t run from Caloundra to the top of Mount Tibrogargan, and I did it,” Mr McAlloon says.
“And then I thought, ‘Maybe if I’m good enough I could go do Mount Kosciuszko’.
“And that worked out and I thought, ‘Oh maybe I can go do [Mount Kilimanjaro] in Africa’.”
And so the seed was planted.
James McAlloon training at Ewen Maddock Dam on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. (ABC News: Tessa Mapstone)
His dream was to travel from the coast of every continent in the world to the top of its highest peak — a sea-to-summit twist on the classic Seven Summits challenge.
COVID delayed his progress, but not being one to sit around, Mr McAlloon walked across Australia while he was waiting for the world to reopen.
In 2020, James McAlloon started a 5,100km walk across Australia. (Supplied: James McAlloon)
But for the past three years, the focus has been on the biggest, most complicated challenge of all: Antarctica.
A path of snow and ice
The journey will begin in West Antarctica, at Constellation Inlet, an ice-filled coastline at the edge of the Antarctic Continent, butting against the Ronne Ice Shelf.
Mount Vinson and Constellation Inlet sit in the West of Antarctica. (Supplied: James McAlloon)
The route will take him on a cross-country ski through the Ellsworth Mountain Range to the base of Mount Vinson.
From there he will unclip his skis, strap on crampons, and being a gruelling climb to the summit of Antarctica’s highest mountain – with an elevation of 4,892m – that could take up to a week.
He is hoping to be the first person to ever complete the sea-to-summit trip without external support.
While he will have an expedition partner, Rob Smith, the duo will not have assistance like supply drops or camp support.
He and Mr Smith will carry everything they need to survive on the icy continent in a sled weighing between 90 and 100 kilograms.
James McAlloon towed his custom-built sled 500km across a Greenland ice cap. (Supplied: Henk Morgans)
Most of the weight will be food, and fuel for cooking and melting ice to drink.
But Mr McAlloon has a hack for offsetting the amount of weight he will have to tow.
“We will need up to 7,000 calories a day,” he says.
“No matter how much food we bring it won’t be enough, so I’ve gained weight [about 10kg] to give me a healthy buffer to lose and maintain my energy and strength levels.”
The journey is expected to take six weeks.
Eat, sleep, ski, repeat
At the height of summer, the Antarctic days are sunny almost around the clock.
But the temperatures could vary anywhere from minus 10 degrees Celsius to -50C.
“It’s eerie to have so much daylight,” Mr McAlloon says.
“You need to block your eyes to sleep, and be sure to stick to your schedule so you don’t miss out on much-needed rest.
“Because the sun is rotating in the sky, it also acts as a fantastic clock and navigation tool when you’re skiing.”
Each day on the journey will be much the same, with Mr McAlloon keeping a close eye on his energy expenditure.
Camping during the polar summers means sleeping under the sun. (Supplied: James McAlloon)
“It’s really about minimising what you’re doing because you’re using so many calories that basically you want to be skiing, eating and sleeping as much as possible,” Mr McAlloon says.
“Breakfast, pack up everything you need, put on your skis, pick your bearing, ski for 10 to 12 hours and then you stop.
“You’re eating during the day as well, you know you’re checking your navigation and stuff, then at night you set up your tent, cook all your food, boil all your water, check in to tell people you’re safe, mark your location, go to sleep, and you repeat the process.”
‘Preparation is everything’
This expedition will be like nothing else Mr McAlloon has ever done.
To prepare, he spent a month mountaineering in New Zealand, trained with polar expedition experts in Norway, threw in a quick sea-to-summit trip from the coast of Chile to the top of South America’s highest mountain (Mount Aconcagua at 6,961m), and spent 22 days skiing unsupported across the Greenland Ice Cap.
James McAlloon and his original adventure partner Henk Morgans spent a month training on mountains in New Zealand. (Supplied: James McAlloon)
On top of that, planning the journey has been a huge logistical operation.
He works full-time and will be self-funding some of the journey, but has fundraised and gathered sponsors to pay for the rest.
“The experience of preparing this expedition has been similar to getting a university degree and starting a business from scratch,” Mr McAlloon says.
“Preparation is everything; the expedition is the easy part.”
All of that preparation and planning was done alongside the man he had planned to take with him — Henk Morgans.
“You really need someone you trust, but also someone who’s capable. Henk and I were two parts of a whole, we really complemented each other,” Mr McAlloon says.
James McAlloon (left) and Henk Morgans spent years preparing together. (Supplied: James McAlloon)
Finding someone crazy enough to chase this dream with him was no easy task, and just a few months before setting off, Mr Morgans pulled out.
“Due to unforeseen personal reasons and balance with the heavy commitment required, Henk was no longer able to continue,” Mr McAlloon says.
Antarctica’s tallest mountain, Mt Vinson, rises to an elevation of 4892m. (Supplied: Christopher Michel)
After three years of preparation, Mr McAlloon was not prepared to let anything stop him, but this journey is not a solo endeavour, so he found a new partner, experienced explorer Mr Smith.
“Ultimately you may fall down a crevasse – it sounds more dramatic than it is – and you have to rely on your partner to pull you out and carry on,” Mr McAlloon says.
Skiing for science
While Mr McAlloon and Mr Smith explore this vast, remote part of the huge Antarctic continent, they will be gathering data for international scientists.
“This is one of the most unstudied parts of Antarctica because it’s so remote,” Mr McAlloon says.
“Whilst training on Mount Cook, we were forced into a hut for three days due to a storm.
“The only other inhabitants happened to be polar climate specialists from the University of Canterbury’s Gateway Antarctic Science Division.
“Three days of cards and conversation and a partnership was born.”
Devices sitting on their sleds will measure climate data as Mr McAlloon and Mr Smith ski along, allowing scientists to access information about atmospheric conditions and snow density at little cost, and with a low environmental impact.
“This is one of the most important parts of our trip, and gives it greater purpose,” Mr McAlloon says.
