After skiing solo to the South Pole, Ian stayed in Antarctica and stood on the summit of Mount Vinson, the highest mountain on the continent.

Ian reached the Geographic South Pole on Christmas Day 2025, after 40 days skiing solo and unsupported along the Messner Route. Rather than heading home, he turned to Mount Vinson in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. At 4,892 m, it is the highest point in Antarctica.

The two challenges could hardly have been more different. In Ian's words: “The ski was about endurance and mental resilience, day after day alone in the white desert, pulling 112kg pulk with everything I needed to survive. Vinson was about precision, timing, teamwork, and execution in one of the harshest mountain environments on earth.”

“Two very different objectives. One continent. One continuous journey of commitment, discipline, and purpose,” he said. “Neither was easy. Both demanded absolute focus.”

Six down

Vinson is Ian's sixth of the Seven Summits. He climbed four of them in a single year: Kilimanjaro in January 2024, Denali in May, Elbrus in August and Carstensz Pyramid in October. Everest followed in May 2025. Alongside the mountains, he prepared for the polar challenges with two crossings of the Hardangervidda plateau in Norway.

Only Aconcagua and the North Pole now remain of the Explorer's Grand Slam: the highest peak on every continent, and a ski to both the North and South Poles.

Both expeditions were self-funded, so every pound donated goes directly to veterans' charities, in particular the Always a Rifleman Programme. You can support Ian's fundraising here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/r8knqc-explorers-grand-slam

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