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29 December 2007, 14:08. South Pole, all programs »

Briton Adrian Hayes in `Three Poles` record....

A British explorer has broken the record for reaching the world`s "Three Poles" - the North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest - in the fastest time.

Adrian Hayes, 45, took five months off the record when he reached the South Pole Friday night, having completed all three expeditions in just over 19 months. Adrian Hayes at the North Pole and on top of Everest

The polar explorer and climber, who lives in Dubai, trained for the last of his feats by pulling tyres along the beach in 45-degree heat.

The "Three Poles" is the term used by explorers to denote the three latitudinal and altitudinal extremes of the planet.


The task of reaching all three was first achieved by Young-Ho Heo, a South Korean, in 1994 and Hayes is now only the 15th member of this exclusive club.

When he completed his mission, it was 19 months and three days since he stood on the 29,029ft summit of Mt Everest on May 25, 2006.

It was also a mere eight months and three days since he stood at the planet`s polar opposite - the North Pole - on April 25.

The record had been held by a Swedish couple, Thomas and Tina Sjogren, who completed the odyssey in 24 months.

Speaking on a satellite phone just before he reached the pole, Hayes told The Daily Telegraph he was looking forward to becoming a member of "one of the world`s most exclusive clubs".

Describing what he called "a nice day in Antarctica - not that windy, sunny and only -26C", he said: "The three poles are the three extremes of the earth - the top, the bottom and the roof of the world.

"I`ve wanted to do this for a long time. I wasn`t trying to do it in record time. It`s all rather informal and I only realised I could set a record when somebody told me in September."

Hayes, a former Airbus sales executive who is now a motivational life coach, said that when he set out success was far from certain. advertisement

"Everest has got about a 33 per cent success rate, the North Pole about a 25 per cent success rate and the South Pole is slightly higher."

"Combined", he said, "the failure rate is high."

Apart from the complexity of the logistics, one reason why so few people have reached the three poles is that polar exploration and mountain climbing are different disciplines: mountain climbers tend to stick to big climbs and explorers to long, cold hikes.

Hayes, whose "normal" life in the desert appears far removed from both, said his discipline was mountain climbing.


But he added: "I`m super-fit and that really helps."

The former Gurkha officer and Special Forces soldier said the sense of achievement was incredible - he is also raising money for charity - but it had been arduous.

"We are doing this unsupported, so no re-supplies, nothing," he said. "We are carrying everything for what we estimated to be a 50-day journey. It`s damn hard, pulling your sled into wind 10 hours a day."

So far the team - four men and a woman - have experienced just three calm days. The rest of the time they have been scoured by Antarctic wind storms.

Mr Hayes, who is married with two children, said what he had most missed at Christmas was seeing his wife Dawn and children Alexander, nine, and Charlotte, six.

But aside from packing some crackers and party hats, he said the team had not really bothered to prepare for Christmas Day.

What had they eaten as a special treat? "Sorbet," he replied. Christmas pudding will have to wait.