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Indian on skis at North Pole

New Delhi: Adventure sports enthusiast Ajeet Bajaj on Wednesday became the first Indian to ski to the North Pole when his expedition reached the frozen destination.

Mr. Bajaj, who has been involved with adventure tourism for over 20 years, left here on the cross-country skiing expedition on April 14.

Mr. Bajaj said his three colleagues from the U.S. are camping "right at the North Pole."

"We got here at about 12'clock. It's six in the morning here right now and things are wonderful," he told NDTV. "It was a very proud moment when I unfurled the `tiranga,' our national flag, given to me by Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma," he said. He added: "There is about a metre of ice and there is 13,500 feet of the Arctic Ocean below us. The lowest temperature has been minus 35 degrees Celsius but with the wind chill, it can go down to about minus 70-80 degrees."

Describing the dangers involved in such a trip, he stressed the need to be careful all the time. "Whenever you stop skiing, your hands and feet go completely numb," he said.

Mr. Bajaj will spend a couple of days at the North Pole before returning.

— PTI

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