I don't think of myself as an explorer but as an athlete.

I'm not particularly gifted; I'm not genetically freakish in any sense; I'm absolutely average.

I've diced with death the most cycling around London. Black cabs are far more dangerous than polar bears.

What's the nastiest injury I've sustained? Just a frostbitten toe... but thankfully it's still intact.

When I'm skiing, I listen to electronic music. It's repetitive and let's me get into a groove and crank out the miles.

Environmental scientists in Canada said it was impossible for me to get to the Pole in 2004... I said 'no,' it's still OK, and I can still get there, and I did.

Expeditions are escapism. The stuff that we're normally concerned about just doesn't matter out there. Tax returns, gas bill, none of it. Life becomes very simple, it's about moving in a certain direction - north if you're going north - staying warm and not getting eaten. That's it.

My Antarctic expedition is just about doable, just feasible and that's what is exciting to me. If I knew it was possible, if I knew I could do it without too much bother, I wouldn't be interested.