St Mary's School Cambridge pupil youngest British person ever to ski to North Pole

Fourteen-year-old Miranda Edwards, a pupil at St Mary's School, Cambridge, has become the youngest British person to ski the “Last Degree” from 89 degrees latitude north to the North Pole - while her grandma Barbara Smith, 89, became the oldest person to reach the North Pole this week.

Miranda, her mother Rosalind Edwards and father Steven Edwards completed a successful six-day ski crossing of Baffin Island, Canada, making them the only team to complete the journey this year.  On their return Miranda and her father were offered an expedition to walk the “Last Degree” which involves skiing the last 60 nautical miles (69 statue miles) to the North Pole covering ice floes, compression ridges, open water and notoriously strong winds – no mean feat!

Miranda's journey was more arduous then her grandma's, skiing 7-8 hours a day for six days pulling all her clothes and equipment in a sledge, and by completing it she has set a new British age record.  Grandma Barbara's journey was more comfortable since she was on board a helicopter, but this week the 89-year-old from the village of Chrishall has now become the oldest person to reach the North Pole, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

They made the trip under the guidance of David Hempleman-Adams, British adventurer (and the first person to complete the Adventurers Grand Slam – reaching the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Poles, as well as climbing the highest peaks in all seven continents.)  But while he’s made at least 15 expedition-style trips to the North Pole since his first 20 years ago, he said Smith’s achievement is an impressive feat of its own and proves that Mary Ward's vision – ‘By God’s grace, in time women will come to do much” – is certainly being realised by the girls at St Mary's School, Cambridge.

Of the trip Rosalind said: “To begin with we landed 400 meters away from the Pole because of poor visibility and got out and had a celebration,” Rosalind said. “Then because my mother was on the flight and they were so into her being there after we took off they took another look to see if the visibility had improved and the second time they were able to land right at the North Pole.”

While the surface at their first landing site was jagged and icy, at the North Pole itself there was deep crusty snow that was easy to sink into. While an inhospitable habitat, the feeling for Smith, other than slightly cold hands, was of exhilaration: “I hoped to see a polar bear, but it’s been the experience of a lifetime.”