Shahrom completed his expedition in 37 days and 4 hours – almost 20 days earlier than initially expected. The “South Pole All the Way Expedition” organised by the Seven Continents Exploration Club (KE7B) was launched by the Prime Minister in early July 2015 and took off on December 9 last year. Shahrom, 37, completed his mission by skiing 890 kilometers from the Messner Inlet in Antartica to the landmark zero degree point.

A bit about our hero

Shahrom of Felda Chiku, Gua Musang, Kelantan is an employee of Malakoff Corporation Berhad, a Member of MMC Group. During an interview with him, he mentioned that he would not have been able to pursue his dreams without the continuous support of his employer, Malakoff.

Malakoff became the backbone of Shahrom’s mission by giving him the flexibility to undergo training on weekday mornings and attend physical training overseas. Shahrom had eight months of intensive training under professional instructor locally and abroad since March 2015. His regular training had brought him to Mount Everest in Nepal and to Mount McKinley, Alaska.

Challenges faced

During his journey, Shahrom survived the freezing temperatures and extreme conditions. His will was tested in the last six days of the expedition, another 180km to the South pole. Shahrom revealed that he almost gave up when he suffered from severe breathing difficulties when hit by cold winds of 47 degrees Celsius below freezing point and the temperature plunged as low as minus 27 degrees Celsius at an altitude of 2,750 metres.

Another obstacle faced by Shahrom was when he had to get through the ‘sastrugi’, a wavelike ridge of hard snow, formed by the wind that was as high as approximately 0.6 metres and a thickness of 3 metres. A lot of skill and physical strength was needed for Shahrom to ski while pulling his sledge of 2 metres long and a weight of 70kg. His intensive training paid off when he had to pull his sledge of supplies and equipment which doubled up to 140kg from its original weight when climbing areas with ridges of thick snow.

Onto the next adventure. . .

Shahrom is determined to conquer the North Pole next year. He also plans to reach 14 mountain peaks on the Himalayan Range. For now, Shahrom hopes that his achievement, paved with trials and tribulation, will encourage his colleagues at MMC Group to dream big, set target and take actions to achieve bigger accomplishments. Moreover, he hopes that his triumph in the expedition will serve as proof that we all have the potential to succeed if we have the will to do so.

One thing’s for sure, Shahrom’s achievement and contribution to the country is an inspiration to us all.

Shahrom Abdullah - the Malaysian

who conquered the South Pole

On 16 January 2016, national explorer Shahrom Abdullah created history by being the first Malaysian to cross the South Pole in record time.

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