Temperatures. Ranging from rather warm -5°C to bone-chilling -40°C.

Sunlight. 24 hours, day and night. Unless there is a whiteout. In which case the sky becomes indistinguishable from the ground in an all-encompassing white.

Animals. None, except for penguins at the coast. And definitely no polar bears. “Antarctic” literally means “opposite of the bear” in Greek.

Solo. Out there all alone.

Unsupported. Fully self-reliant receiving no outside help, such as resupplies, of any form.

Unassisted [a label no longer used to classify polar expeditions]. Solely human powered using no external power aids, such as kites.

Berkner Island. A large ice dome bordering the open sea. Starting point of the expedition.

Whiteness. In all conceivable forms, glaciers running into ice-shelves, mountains peaking out of the snow cover as Nunataks, and snow fields full of sastrugi.

Geographic South Pole. Situated at 2835m above sea level and moving constantly. Finish of the expedition.