A JOURNEY TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
The next chapter in John Gluckman’s story of endurance, recovery, and adventure.
For most people, summiting Everest or skiing to the South Pole would mark the pinnacle of adventure. But for 73-year-old explorer John Gluckman, those milestones were only part of a lifelong pursuit to test his limits and experience the extraordinary.
John’s latest journey saw him travel aboard Le Commandant Charcot, a non-nuclear- powered icebreaker and research vessel carrying a team of scientists studying glaciology, oceanography, global warming, and marine life in the polar Arctic.
The voyage began in Longyearbyen on Svalbard Island, sailing across the Arctic Ocean to reach the North Pole, the North Magnetic Pole, and the Arctic point of inaccessibility – the furthest point from any landmass – before concluding in Nome, Alaska, 21 days later.
Among 260 passengers and 210 crew, John joined sea kayaking expeditions between ice floes and cross-country skied at all three polar locations, completing a journey few on Earth have experienced. The passengers themselves formed an interesting mix of people from all walks of life. Each day offered two engaging lectures on polar science, which John found most fascinating.
The road to the North Pole, however, was not straightforward. Having successfully skied the last degree of latitude to the South Pole in 2019, John planned to complete the northern equivalent the following year – but successive expeditions were cancelled due to the pandemic and later, the war between Russia and Ukraine. Then, a new challenge appeared: a diagnosis of bladder cancer. Following surgery and a three-month course of chemotherapy, John focused on recovery with his trademark determination.
“I was lucky,” he reflects. “The treatment went far better than expected with only slight side effects.” Soon after, news of the Le Commandant Charcot expedition reignited a long-held dream – and this time, nothing stood in his way.
Not one to rest, before his departure John competed in the World Masters Games in Taiwan, running the 10-kilometre road race, and later completed a ski course at 3,300 metres altitude in Chile’s Andes. Shortly after, he embarked on his long- awaited polar voyage – surrounded by scientists, adventurers, and awe-inspiring Arctic landscapes.
Reflecting on the experience, he credits his medical team: “I’m extremely fortunate,” he says. “My dream of reaching both the South and North Pole has finally come true.”