A Ramsden Heath adventurer has returned home after completing a 35-day trek across the stark frozen landscape of Greenland's ice cap.

Tim Burton, 23, a former Brentwood School student and qualified geography teacher, was part of a three man British team which took on the treacherous 600 km journey.

Only three teams have completed the extremely demanding route this year and one Italian team came close to death after food supplies were exhausted nine days short of their finishing point.

Due to careful planning, however, Tim's team did not suffer similar disaster, although they lost two days to snow storms and another two to the severe arctic hurricanes which can set in with lightning speed.

Tim, of Heath Road, who was sponsored by Billericay based companies Green Deakin and Tower Photographic Studios, said: "This was bigger and more extreme than anything I have done before.

"The ice cap is the most monotonous landscape imaginable and you are totally isolated, but it was tremendous to complete this journey."

Only four British teams have completed the journey in the past 20 years and conditions were even worse than expected as temperatures fell to below minus 40 degrees.

Even without the cruel temperature dive the conditions the team put themselves through were harsh enough.

The menu each day was an unchanging combination of beef granules and porridge. Each team member had to drag a 100kg sledge containing vital equipment and supplies and every day saw them skiing for eight to 12 hours with barely a break.

During the journey they also had to cope with the altitude reaching 3,000m.

Tim said: "You have to be self motivated and independent to complete challenges like this. Although you are in a team, you are in an extreme situation and it is only you who can really pull yourself through it - unless a very serious situation occurs.

"You have to be both mentally and physically prepared for the situation you will be faced with."

An awareness of the severe dangers the ice cap poses meant the team was well prepared for the crevasses in the final days of the journey and also the savage changes in the weather which could happen at any time.

Tim said: "We were warned by everyone that if it was clear and the wind started blowing from the north west we should immediately set up our tent."

This happened twice and the team followed the advice of locals.

Within an hour winds between 100 and 150 miles per hour were howling around their tent - a year earlier three people were killed through exposure due to not heeding the advice. At another point the team were trapped in their tent for two days due to heavy snow fall and had to spend hours digging themselves out afterwards.

Throughout all the tremendous strains of the trip the team only had themselves to rely on. Tim said: "It is fantastic to think we have done this without any support from anyone or anything except what we carried ourselves."

Back at home Tim is preparing to set off to Greenland again to work with 16 to 20 year olds as a mountain and science leader for BSES expeditions.

Ice beard: Icicles form on Tim's beard as the severe weather takes hold.

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