Ben Saunders, 31, is a record-breaking long-distance skier, with four North Pole expeditions under his belt. He is the youngest to ski solo to the North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton. Since 2001, Saunders has skied more than 1,500 miles in the high Arctic, which he recently worked out equates to two percent of his entire life living in a tent.

Saunders is currently preparing for three pioneering expeditions between 2010 and 2012: solo and unsupported speed record attempts on both Poles and the 2011/12 Scott Antarctic Expedition, the first return journey to the South Pole on foot, and the longest unsupported polar journey in history. Ben and his team mate Alastair Humphreys depart for Antarctica in late October 2011.

Saunders and his partner, Alastair Humphreys, 32, plan to trace Captain Scott’s route to the South Pole and back – about 1,800 miles – pulling sledges. Their only equipment and food will be what they take from the start.

“It just appealed to me as an unfinished challenge,” he says. “There aren’t that many big journeys left undone.”

Most expeditions now begin from Hercules Inlet on the Chilean side of the continent, where everything is set up to meet the needs of adventurers. But Scott set off from the New Zealand side of the continent, from McMurdo Sound.

“I see what I’m doing in the same light as how climbing has evolved,” said Saunders,”First the big peaks were ticked. Then it’s about doing it in a lightweight, faster style. That’s what appeals to me.”

Last year Saunders attempted to trek to the North Pole in 30 days, half the time it normally takes. It failed when a binding broke, but Saunders still believes it’s possible and plans a second attempt next spring.

“I am an explorer of limits – geographically, physically and mentally. It’s about pure human endeavour, and the way in which I can inspire others to explore their own personal potential,” he said.

He also takes an original approach to nutrition, scorning the traditional high-fat diet in favour of carbohydrates. They’re heavier to carry per calorie, but he argues the “body runs better on rice than butter.”

Fueling the body over vast distances in polar conditions has always been problematic, and many have returned from shorter expeditions emaciated and exhausted. Rather than following the accepted wisdom of polar nutrition, Saunders has developed a cutting-edge diet derived from sources as diverse as chemotherapy wards treating recovering cancer patients, ultra-marathon runners and Tour de France teams.

When he returned from his 655-mile trek to the North Pole in 2004 he had only lost 20lb, so the diet works.

Saunders has chosen, to borrow a phrase, his polar opposite as Humphreys is more used to shoestring travels. He spent four years cycling around the world and has walked across India. “He cycled through Siberia in winter, wildly ill-equipped, wearing safety goggles from a lab and borrowed gardening gloves so he’s tough enough, definitely,” said Saunder of Humphreys.

“I’m less über-athlete, more wandering hobo,” Humphreys says. “I made a serious attempt to get a proper job and a proper life when I was getting married, but my wife is actually very encouraging. She talked me out of it.”

Highlights of Saunders career:

2001: Along with Pen Hadow, Ben wants to be youngest person to reach the North Pole from the Arktichewski Cape. They conceded defeat on April 29 after covering nearly 360 miles. The conditions had become too dangerous for going any further.

2003: Return trip Barneo Ice Camp/North pole (141 miles), a training expedition.

2004: Attempt to cross the Arctic Ocean, solo and unaided, on the Arktichewski-Ward Hunt route. Having covered 644 miles, he gave up four days after having reached the North Pole.