'Physically and mentally draining': Manitoba teacher completes gruelling trek to the South Pole

Dalip Shekhawat reached the South Pole on Dec. 16, 2022, following a gruelling 12-day 111-kilometre trek. (Submitted: Dalip Shekhawat)

It is yearning to do something big in his life that has pushed a Manitoba teacher around the world – through the Sahara Desert, up Mount Everest, and most recently, into Antarctica. Now this adventurer has his sights set on a new goal.

Dalip Shekhawat has just conquered his latest expedition – a trek to the South Pole. The 47-year-old teacher began the gruelling 12-day, 111-kilometre ski to the southernmost point on the globe in early December.

"It was physically and mentally draining," he told CTV News.

The journey saw Shekhawat and his group hauling sleds weighing up to 75 kilograms over windswept snow in -55C temperatures not including the wind chill. Faced with 24-hour daylight, it took days for the group to acclimatize, leaving them with headaches and nausea.

By the time Shekhawat and his group reached the South Pole Dec. 16, he said they were exhausted but filled with a sense of accomplishment.

"Only few people have dared to reach there," he said. "I think the journey was very stunning, very transformative for me, and I felt very enlightened."

This was the latest of several adventures that have led Shekhawat around the world including scaling Mount Everest in 2019 (one of 16 mountains he has climbed) and running a marathon through the Sahara Desert in 2020.

Of all his exploits though, Shekhawat said reaching the South Pole has been the hardest.

"This was pretty intense," he said. "At the end of the day no matter how exhausted you are, you have to pitch the tent, you have to make your own food, and then you have to make sure you take care of yourself. So that intensity makes it much harder as compared to any other trip I've done."

As for why he is putting himself through it all?

"I do it for finding my inner peace, and bringing pride to the country and the community," he said.

"I wanted to do something big in life, and slowly and slowly, I build that habit of going outdoors ever since I was a child.

"As I explored into mountaineering I came in contact with more crazy people than me, and they inspired me and then I never stopped. I gained the momentum and I just wanted to keep going."

Shekhawat's adventures are far from over. He is planning a trip to the North Pole for a marathon in the coming months, and then will head to the Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan for a 200 km ultra in the summer.

-with files from CTV's Devon McKendrick