Etonian takes on North Pole

Sea ice prevents successful record attempt

A 15-year-old schoolboy has narrowly missed his bid to make history as the youngest person to ski to the North Pole.

Parker Liautaud, a pupil at Eton College in southern England, began his two-week journey on March 31, led by Doug Stoup, a Pole veteran who has guided teams across the Arctic and Antarctica for 10 years

Passionate in equal measure about skiing and the environment, the young adventurer aimed to raise awareness about environmental issues amongst the younger generation.

But after eight days of arduous trekking, swimming and skiing in near white-out conditions, Liautaud ended his skiing quest to reach the  Pole. The open water between them and the Pole is miles wide and therefore the last 20 or so miles of the trip had to be taken by helicopter.

"The idea is to inspire, inform and engage young people on the issue of climate change and bring to light what's been happening in the arctic region in particular,” Parker told CNN before setting off on his journey. “The best way to do this is to show what is happening right now through direct and live coverage."

This expedition included a social media component: he updated his location on Facebook via Google Earth twice a day, and blogged about his progress, ice conditions encountered, and the inevitable setbacks.

After reaching the Pole, he Tweeted: "The expedition wasn't a failure. We have achieved what we set out to do, which is get you guys involved."