Forty-eight days from Hercules Inlet
Hercules Inlet, on the edge of the Ronne Ice Shelf, is the conventional starting point for full-length ski expeditions to the South Pole. The route from there runs about 1,130 kilometres, or 700 miles, climbing steadily onto the polar plateau.
Hedan set out on 20 November 2023 and arrived on 7 January 2024. Unsupported means no resupply and no assistance of any kind: every calorie, every litre of fuel and every spare part is dragged from the start, in a sledge that is heaviest on the first day and lightest on the last.
The name on the tent
He called the attempt the Polheim Expedition. Polheim — 'pole home' in Norwegian — was the name Roald Amundsen gave the camp he established at the South Pole in December 1911, at the end of the first successful journey there.
The reference places Hedan's trip in a lineage rather than a record book. The route he skied is the modern commercial-season version of that journey, run inside a narrow Antarctic summer window when flights in and out of the continent are possible at all.
The record he took
The previous holder was a compatriot. Matthieu Tordeur of France completed the same journey on 13 January 2019 at 27 years and 40 days. Hedan's 26 years and 75 days cut roughly a year from that mark, and Guinness notes that he is also the youngest male to ski solo to the South Pole overall.
The season showed how thin the margin for these attempts is. Guinness records that the American Jacob Myers, aged 25 and therefore in a position to take the record outright, set out in the same 2023-24 window but ended his journey 13 days in with an arm injury.
What unsupported means
Polar records are defined by their qualifiers, and the qualifiers do the work. 'Solo' excludes teammates. 'Unsupported' excludes resupply caches and depots. A third term, 'unassisted', excludes kites and sails, which can multiply daily distances when the wind is behind the traveller.
Guinness's category here is youngest person to ski to the South Pole unsupported, male. Each combination of qualifiers is effectively a separate record, which is why several people can hold apparently similar South Pole titles at the same time without contradiction.
What is documented — and what is not
The Guinness entry is precise on the things that define the achievement: a full date of birth, an exact age, a start point and date, an arrival date, a duration, a distance, an expedition name and the record it displaced.
It offers nothing else. There are no quotes from Hedan, no account of the weather, the whiteouts or the sastrugi he crossed, no description of his sledge weight or daily rations, no sponsor and no mention of his life before or after the ice. French coverage of the expedition may exist, but none was used here, so this entry reports the certified journey and stops.
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Date of birth 24 October 1997; youngest to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole at 26 years 75 days (Guinness World Records)
- Polheim Expedition: Hercules Inlet, 20 November 2023, to the South Pole, 7 January 2024, 48 days, about 1,130 km
- Displaced Matthieu Tordeur's January 2019 mark of 27 years 40 days
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No quotes, sponsor, sledge weight or daily conditions in the record entry
- No French press coverage was used for this entry
- No reporting located on his activity after January 2024
Questions people ask about Pierre Hedan
How old was Pierre Hedan at the South Pole?
26 years and 75 days, on 7 January 2024. Guinness gives his date of birth as 24 October 1997.
How long did the journey take?
48 days, from 20 November 2023 to 7 January 2024, covering about 1,130 kilometres.
What does unsupported mean?
No resupply and no outside assistance: everything needed for the journey is hauled from the start.
Why is it called the Polheim Expedition?
Polheim, Norwegian for 'pole home', was the name Roald Amundsen gave his camp at the South Pole in 1911.
Whose record did he break?
Matthieu Tordeur of France, who completed the journey in January 2019 at 27 years and 40 days.
Is Pierre Hedan on Wikipedia?
No Wikipedia article on him was found. This entry rests on the Guinness World Records listing.
Where is Pierre Hedan now?
No source used here reports on his expeditions or work after January 2024.
Did anyone try to beat him that season?
Yes. Guinness records that Jacob Myers of the United States, aged 25, started an attempt in the same season but stopped after 13 days with an arm injury.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Pierre’s story?
How long did Pierre Hedan's South Pole journey take?
Where did he start?
Whose record did he break?
Sources
- Youngest person to ski to the South Pole unsupported (male) — Guinness World Records
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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