From boardroom to blizzard: Applying project management to a South Pole expedition

When most people think about project management, they imagine teams, milestones and Gantt charts; not snowstorms, sub-zero temperatures and dragging 100+ kg sledges across the most remote continent on Earth. Yet, for us, planning an unsupported expedition to the South Pole has followed the same principles that underpin every successful project: clear objectives, risk control, stakeholder engagement and disciplined execution.

The Frozen Horizons South Pole Expedition will see our small team ski 2,200km from the edge of Antarctica to the Geographic South Pole, pulling everything we need: food, fuel, tents and scientific equipment behind us. The journey will take around 85 days, during which we’ll face extreme cold, whiteouts and physical exhaustion. Behind this adventure, however, lies two years of meticulous planning and project management.

Defining the scope and objectives

Every project starts with the “why.”

Our goal is twofold: to complete a human-powered expedition to the South Pole and to contribute to science through our partnership with Science in the Wild, led by Dr Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña from the University of Colorado. We’ll collect snow samples along our route to study light-absorbing particles that influence how ice melts — part of a global dataset that has already covered the Himalayas, K2 and Greenland.

From a project management perspective, this defined a clear dual scope: physical completion of the expedition and delivery of a scientific research outcome. Both are measurable and time-bound, classic SMART objectives.

Planning and governance

At the heart of the project sits a governance framework similar to any major initiative. We’ve built a lightweight but structured hierarchy: sponsors, delivery leads and subject experts, ensuring clear accountability for every workstream.

We treat the expedition as a programme with interlinked projects:

Logistics and procurement
Training and readiness
Science and research
Sponsorship and communications

Each workstream has its own milestones, budgets and dependencies. Regular reviews allow us to track progress, identify risks early and make informed trade-offs, not unlike a PMO dashboard.

A detailed project plan defines key stages: preparation, testing in the Arctic, deployment to Antarctica and the return phase. Each stage has exit criteria before we proceed, ensuring readiness and reducing the risk of failure once we’re on the ice.

Risk management in an extreme environment

Risk management takes on a whole new meaning when “failure” could mean frostbite or evacuation. We apply the same systematic approach used in business projects, identification, assessment and mitigation, but our risk categories look slightly different:

Operational risks: Equipment failure, tent damage, stove malfunction. We mitigate through redundancy, carrying backup systems and testing every item under field conditions.
Environmental risks: Weather, crevasse fields, visibility. Managed through route planning, satellite forecasting and decision-making protocols. To overcome these risks, we will conduct Crevasse rescue training in Svartisen National Park to carry out crevasse rescue and polar expedition training with Vincent Colliard (the fastest person to ski to the South Pole).
Human risks: Fatigue, injury, morale. Controlled via physical conditioning, strict routines and constant monitoring. Staying positive.
Financial and sponsorship risks: Funding shortfall or delayed equipment. Addressed through phased fundraising, diversified sponsors, and clear communication of value to partners.

Our risk register isn’t a spreadsheet buried in a folder; it’s a living tool that informs daily decisions, just like in any high-stakes project environment.

Stakeholder management and communications

While an expedition may sound solitary, it relies on a vast network of stakeholders. From sponsors to logistics providers in Chile and Antarctica, every partner plays a critical role.

We use structured stakeholder mapping to identify influence and interest levels, allowing us to tailor communications accordingly. Regular updates, transparent reporting and alignment on shared objectives keep everyone engaged, essential when timelines and weather windows leave little room for delay.

The communications plan also extends to our audience at home. Through our website and social media channels, we’re bringing supporters along for the journey, sharing both the challenges and the lessons learned about resilience, teamwork and human ambition.

Execution and change control

Once the expedition begins, control and adaptability must coexist. We’ll operate in a manage-by-exception model, predefining thresholds for temperature, health and schedule variance. If those limits are breached, predefined decision protocols trigger, mirroring change-control mechanisms in formal project delivery.

Progress will be logged daily via GPS and satellite comms, creating an auditable record of performance against plan. It’s a reminder that even in the most extreme conditions, good governance and disciplined tracking remain the backbone of delivery.

Lessons in leadership and resilience

Perhaps the most striking parallel between traditional projects and polar expeditions is the human factor. Success depends not only on planning but on leadership under pressure, communication in isolation and the ability to adapt when circumstances change.

Much like in complex corporate programmes, clarity of purpose, mutual trust and consistent leadership are what sustain progress through uncertainty. The lessons from this expedition, in resilience, decision-making, and adaptive leadership, are directly transferable to boardrooms and project offices everywhere.

Looking ahead

As we prepare to depart, we’re reminded daily that this expedition is the ultimate test of applied project management. Every process, from stakeholder engagement to risk governance, has been designed to give us the best chance of success in one of the harshest environments on Earth.

In essence, this isn’t just an expedition. It’s a live project case study, one that will test theory in the most unforgiving conditions imaginable. And like every good project, success will depend on teamwork, planning and the ability to adapt when the plan meets reality.