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On Sunday 13th April 2008 John Thompson from Hackney flew to Norway to prepare to cross country ski to the North Pole; which is the northernmost point on earth, lying diametrically opposite the South Pole.Ìý But unfortunately John did not make it.
Here in his own words with extracts from his diary John tells us why:

John Thompson in training for North Pole

20th April 08 - Longest Day

Today was our longest day. We skied for 8 hours. The terrain was quite hard with lots of pressure ridges but we managed to cover a lot of ground. In fact, we have done a total of 42 nautical miles. Great progress but there’s still along way to go.

It’s not all good news though, I have developed frost nip – which is not quite bite yet- on a couple of my fingers. They are much more painful than my ear. But nothing a couple of paracetamol won’t sort out.

Camp; first thing in the morning

21st April 08 - My Fingers

We had a good start to the day. The going was nice and flat. But it soon became a lot harder. We were faced with massive ridges and a huge number of open water leads. A couple of the team took a dip. One up to their waist. But they were all ok in the end.

Frostbite update – the good news is my ear is much better.Ìý The bad news is my fingers. The frostbite is looking pretty awful and to be honest I might not be able to make it to the pole. We are going to assess the situation in the morning.

I’ll be gutted if I have to go home now. But I don’t want to lose my fingers either. Looks like I’ll have to make a tough choice tomorrow.

John with his I Love Hackney T Shirt

24th April 08 -Ìý They were Numb and Swelling

I have left the ice. I did not reach the Pole.Ìý I was taken by helicopter back to Longyearbarn on Tuesday.

Monday had started off well enough.Ìý The ice was flat and we were making great progress. But after a couple of hours we were faced with a massive pressure ridge and a huge lake of water. We took a rest stop to assess the situation. It was then that I realised the frost bite on my fingers was pretty bad. Especially my left hand, the fingers had turned black. The team rested up for 24 hours to see if my fingers would improve.
They didn’t.

The next day they were numb, swelling and very painful. I couldn’t go outside the tent either – if they got cold again, I’d definitely lose them.

John and team having a break

It was then I knew my attempt to reach the North Pole was over.Ìý This time anyway.

I was approximately 3 days away from the Pole. I had spent 7 days on the ice. It’s the most hellishly beautiful place on earth.Ìý Vast and remote, glorious and unforgiving.

I have to go back. I just need some time to heal.

Frost bite

I have frost bite on my left ear and nose. But both of those are healing nicely. On my left hand all my fingers and my thumb has been affected. On my right, only 3 of fingers are.

The doctors say it could take a few weeks or few months but I should fully recover with them all intact.

John holding banner thanking sponsors

Inspiration

My trip, (or as I’ve come to see it now, recky – I will definitely be going back) has been an inspirational experience. The people I have met along the way are incredible. The knowledge that I have followed in the footsteps of world famous explorers is humbling.

This is not the end...

Minor Surgery

On 1st May John had an appointment with a plastic surgeon who told him he was 'very very lucky'.

Although the Doctor is happy with the progress of his right hand, he is very concerned about his left hand, especially the middle finger.Ìý It was still very swollen and full of liquid. He was worried it might be infected.

John was sent for an X-Ray and after meeting with another specialist, they decided to do minor surgery on his middle finger.

Thankfully John's fingers are getting better,Ìý however it will be a few months until he will gain full feeling in his fingertips.