Am hopeless at being a patient and am hopeless with continual pain! But am getting there, God willing.

Thanks again though. These have meant a lot. Together we had a great adventure...and as my friend reminded me today...Evil Kaneval said:

"Bones heal and chicks love scars!"

See...every cloud has a silver lining! Although my shoulder is unlikely to be very attractive I suspect!

Bear x

I arrived at 7pm last night and went then directly to one of the UK’s top shoulder surgeons in London. After x-ray they diagnosed the injury as a grade 3 (i.e. acute!) acromion clavicular dislocation. It was clear from the x-ray (below) that the bone had been forced apart pretty violently – hence not a real surprise why it has been so painful!

After initially planning to operate for reconstructive surgery as soon as possible, the surgeon’s team finally reckoned it would be best to wait a few weeks to see how it settles first. Ultimately though I was told that the recovery is likely to be a minimum of 10 weeks. That feels a lifetime for me. I know that I have survived worse when I broke my back in three places some years ago, but I had forgotten that feeling of being so vulnerable. But it is in the hard times that we grow, and I am really trying to focus on making the recovery strong and full.

I am reminded of my favourite quote:

Remember that life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, covered in scars, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘yahoo!’ what a ride!’

In the meantime, I have now made it home from hospital and it is heaven to see my family again. They are always the light through difficult tunnels for me. Thank you Shara so much. x

I am so proud of my team in Antarctica, from the guys with me on the ice: Mick, Dave, Gilo, to our support and logistics team of Patrick, Paul, Robyn, Jenna and Stefan. Our sponsors Ethanol Ventures, especially their CEO, Tim Levy, and his team who helped me so much including Tatiana, Helga and Bell Pottinger. Also BA and of course the rescue team of the BMC, MF Management, Fortis and Assistance International, and ALCI.

As I believed from the outset, this is not so much about what we achieve as a team together in Antarctica but rather is about hoping to encourage change in how we view the powering of our planet’s future. I hope to see alternative energies, including the likes of bio-fuels such as bio-ethanol, play a huge part in that future. If I have learnt anything over the years it is that we have a world worth fighting for and a world worth protecting. Beyond all of our own inadequacies and the politics of world energy, the only way to bring about change is to make yourself part of it. This is why I am very proud of our association with Ethanol Ventures – so thank you for backing us and making us part of your vision for the future.

Finally, thank you all who supported us with so many messages of support. It has meant a lot.

Bear x

P.S. the top bone in the x-ray is meant to be level – that’s where the challenge of recovery over the next couple of months lies!

I am so relieved and all credit must go to the BMC, Assistance International and Fortis insurance.

Orchestrating rescue to Antarctica during such freak cold and windy conditions like we have seen here is not easy.

Nothing is assured whether the plane can actually land but it is now in the good Lord's hands.

I really am beginning to struggle now with the pain in my shoulder and it has been four almost sleepless nights. Thank you everyone involved with this rescue again....and I am so sorry for getting injured in such an impossible place.

The final piece of good news is that we have managed also yesterday to get the jetski running and flying around a patch of melted coastal lake ice.

Together the guys dragged it across the ice to where the melt was, and in a howling gale, where everything froze in seconds, they launched the ski!

The bio-ethanol worked, she started first time, and the world's fastest, cleanest burning jetski was off. It was a great sight to see, so the opposite to what anyone of us could quite believe we were seeing, but it was a great culmination of a trip that has taken us to some real highs and lows.

We got a pick up from Patrick's team, and Stefan and Paul have been amazing, going that extra mile so often for us, and we were all soon back at camp.

I have been strapped up by the Russian doctor and we are just sat waiting now for the plane. God only knows how it can land in this howling wind. If it can then all my team will join me out of here. Our mission is complete.

Thank you again everyone involved, BMC, IA, Fortis, BA, WD, the Russians and of course my team.I owe you everything. Say your prayers the plane can land.

Bear x

I am so proud and so pleased that they are not only safe but that they have managed to reach the peak and name it!

So at 10.15am this morning, after a final push that started at 4am, the three of them, Mick, Dave and Gilo reached the high point at 2239m (7000ft). it had been a nerve wracking climb along a mix of very exposed rock and ice, that took them via what they called hope col,before reaching their goal at longitude and latitude:S 71o 56.125' E 008o 24.243'....which they named Peak Levy after our main sponsor Tim Levy, CEO of Ethanol Ventures.

It has been a high tension 48hrs with great highs and lows but we have achieved our main goal now despite the cost of my injury.

Meanwhile i am pretty heavily pain killer-ed up with this shoulder bone sticking up pretty weirdly, but am doing ok all things considered.

The logistics team and Patrick are doing a great job trying to orchestrate a rescue for me but flying in a medivac to land out here in these strong winds is not proving easy.

P.S. The electric powered paragliders came into their own as well, with soaring flights out from the peaks, and the bio-ethanol stove has been firing up nicely!

Pics to follow!

Bear x

The guys have left on the first attempt of this unclimbed peak - I pray they are safe.

Bear x

Bear Grylls has a serious shoulder injury. There is clear displacement of bone and surrounding tissue within the upper right shoulder. The injury is causing continuous discomfort and Bear is unable to remain in one position for long. His complexion remains pale and fatigue has set in due to the lack of sleep. The feeling of nauseous is continuous. It is hard for me to make a comprehensive assessment but if the condition is not diagnosed and treated properly then the injury could be compounded and permanent damage caused. There is a possibility of internal bleeding.

Dave Pearce

www.peakaspirations.co.uk

We spoke on the satellite phone to a surgeon in the UK, who tried to diagnose the injury. But there is no doubt that I have snapped the main ligament and will require an operation on it. Weirdly Gilo had a similar accident some years ago and snapped the same ligament and looking at his 8" massive scar across his shoulder isn't very inspiring. We've called for medical repatriation but all of that is easier said than done. The weather is an ever present issue and not many planes or pilots can fly this far and land on the ice. But the priority needs to be to get back to get some proper medical attention and surgery.

I have insisted that the rest of the team continue with the climb and complete the mission down here.

We have been trying to send some photo's through on several occasions but it doesn't seem to be working - we are continuing to do our best - sorry that this has been so hard.

Bear x

Instead though we put in the route off the ice shelf and used the portaledges as a staging post. It was pretty hairy in the high winds trying to lower these hanging bivouacs into position and they were being buffeted violently against the ice face. Dave and I finally managed to abseil down to the bivouacs whilst Mick and Gilo stayed up at the top making sure the ice screws and ice stakes were holding firm as our lives were depending on them. Far below us all the water was frozen, but we are hopeful of finding part of a big coastal lake that is defrosting, which will allow us to get the jetski and inflatable into action. Now we have got that route set up, the next stage is to lower them down the overhanging ice.

If the winds abate we will grab our opportunity and move into the high mountains tomorrow. If not we’ll start this tricky procedure of getting the jetski and inflatable down to the water.

All of us feel pretty windswept, but we have been really well looked after by our logistics guys back at the main basecamp. We are also holding out for calm winds to do some more flying of the electric paramotors – which is just going to be the coolest way to move around not only here at the coast but also in the mountains.

The guys did brilliantly today, working on various precarious and very exposed bullet hard ice hundreds of feet up this sheer wall.

The Russian scientists have got wind of everything that we are up to, which has apparently confirmed in their minds, that the Brits are mad “nobody takes a jetski to Antarctica or tries to rest on a vertical ice edge!”

Bear x

Later on in the day we managed to climb a fairly exciting rock face which was the final preparation of all our kit before we head into the mountains properly tomorrow. At the top of this training peak with the wind howling it was freezing cold but where the small plane drops us tomorrow some 6000ft higher up it is going to be significantly colder again. We’ve tested the bio-ethanol in the small cookers and it seems to work perfectly even in the low temperatures. We’ve packed rucksacks and also our sleds that we will each be pulling and as long as the wind stops sufficiently we’ll aim to take off in the early hours of the morning. From now on we are in snow holes and the unclimbed peak is within our sight.

Bear x