Britain’s Prince Harry Racing To The South Pole In November

We’ve known for sometime that Britain’s Prince Harry has an adventurous streak in him, and I’m not just talking about those questionable photos that emerged from his now infamous trip to Las Vegas last year. In April of 2011, he joined an expedition that skied to the North Pole, although he was forced to depart early in order to be home in time for his brother’s impending wedding. Last week it was announced that the Prince will once again set off for the colder regions of the planet as he now intends to join one of three teams that will be racing to the South Pole.

Dubbed the South Pole Allied Challenge 2013, this race will pit three teams against one another on a 335-kilometer (208-mile) journey that will cross the final three degrees of latitude to the Pole. Those teams will include a group from the U.K., another from the U.S. and a third combined squad from the Commonwealth nations of Australia and Canada. Each team will attempt to be the first to ski to the South Pole while battling high winds, whiteout conditions and temperatures that are expected to routinely fall below -30°F.

As with his previous arctic endeavor from a couple of years back, Harry’s new expedition is also taking place in conjunction with the Walking with the Wounded foundation. That organization was created to support men and women who have been injured in the line of duty while serving their country. The Walking with the Wounded program helps those soldiers to prepare for a return to civilian life after their tour of duty has ended. Harry has taken a particular interest in the program and has served as its patron for several years. The teams racing in the Allied Challenge will largely be made up of soldiers who have recovered from serious injury.

The teams will all gather in Antarctica in late November and begin the race shortly there after. It is expected to take approximately 16 days for them to reach the finish line at 90°S with the entire Allied Challenge wrapping up sometime around December 17 of this year.

[Photo Credit: Getty]