Prince Harry snowed in at Antarctic base camp


November 25, 2013

Prince Harry and his fellow Walking with the Wounded expedition members are facing further delays after a snow storm hit their base camp accommodation.

Bad weather and high winds have left the three South Pole teams largely confined to their basic blocks at Novolazarevskaya Station in temperatures of -10C (14F).

© Photo: Twitter

Since arriving in the Antartica on Friday, the group have only been able to take part in some of the scheduled skiing exercises designed to help them acclimatise to the hostile conditions.

To pass the time while they wait, the teams from the UK, US and the Commonwealth - including team ambassadors Dominic West (pictured) and Alexander Skarsgard - have been resting, and unpacking and repacking the kit they will take on the 200-mile trek.

Their departure to the next base camp, which was scheduled to take place on Monday, is now likely to take place on Tuesday at the earliest.

© Photo: Twitter

Expedition members on one of their few exercises

As 29-year-old Harry stepped off the plane in Antarctica last week, he joked that the cold and the wind brought back "a lot of bad memories" from his last experience in the North Pole in 2011.

"It's amazing how, in just six hours, morale can go from pretty high, almost pouring over the edge, to rock bottom," he told Sky News.

"The weather forecast was supposed to be alright, but it seems to be getting worse."

Harry and the rest of the UK Team Glenfiddich 

The Walking With The Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge 2013, of which Harry is a proud patron, will see participants of largely wounded ex-servicemen and women race over a 200-mile course to the South Pole.

The teams are hoping to trek between nine and 12 miles a day, enduring temperatures as low as -45C and 50mph winds while pulling their 70kg sleds. They aim to reach the South Pole by 16 December.

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