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Auction: 20003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 66

The pair of Ski Poles used by Pen Hadow in 2003 - named 'Curves' and 'Swerves'

Swix Mountain poles, with custom baskets and end-spikes, with repairs in orange cord, used, bent and paint chipped in places (2)

Seen as images No. 47, 85-88 in SOLO - To The North Pole: Alone and Unsupported. As recalled:

'Similarly, I chose the lightest ski-poles that were strong enough for the task...the tungsten tips were replaced with larger stainless steel spikes, ideal for testing the strength and thickness of the sea-ice, the plastic ski-pole baskets were replaced by a leather crosspiece and aluminium hoop fashioned at our local saddlery, and the handles had abrasion-resistant, high density foam tape wrapped around them to prevent heat transfer between hand and handle.'

On their names:

'My ski-poles were named 'Curves' and 'Swerves'. The former had acquired 'her' eponymous shape after taking my full weight when I slipped, almost fell, and bent my left ski-pole over a block of ice. Luckily I'd let go of her at the critical moment and she didn't snap, but she was irretrievably bent out of shape. Two minutes later, I did the same again, and as I slipped in three slightly different directions, my weight sent the other ski-pole swerving between three different blocks of ice. Somehow she emerged unscathed, so she became 'Swerves'

Pen set his personal best of 12.5 miles on Day 24, which was only hampered by a 45-minute retracing of steps to locate the basket of 'Swerves' (the right ski pole) which had been lost and was a significant piece of equipment to complete the expedition. It was swiftly repaired after the sledge had been unharnessed to allow Pen maximum speed in recovering it.

Another reference comes on Day 64, the final day of the expedition, when 'Curves' (the left ski pole) was '...bent even more out of shape and lost the basket again, so while every instinct was urging me on, I had to force myself to stop, sit down and tie it back on again.'

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Estimate
£200 to £300

Starting price
£150