Bulgarian explorer, flag reach South Pole
Hristo Pimpirev became the first Bulgarian to set foot on the South Pole on January 8, flying the country’s flag in one of the least accessible points on the globe, the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI) said in a Facebook post.
Pimpirev, the founding president of BAI and a professor of geology at Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia, has repeatedly led Bulgarian expeditions to the sixth continent – this year saw the 21st such annual expedition and Bulgaria maintains a base in the Antarctic – but had never previously made it to the South Pole. This year, however, he was included in an international expedition commemorating the centenary anniversary of Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott reaching the South Pole.
Conditions at the South Pole were windy and the temperature was -32C, BAI said. The international expedition that includes Pimpirev is expected to return to Punta Arenas in Chile on January 9, at which point Pimpirev is expected to upload photos and a detailed account of his trip, BAI said.
(The Ceremonial South Pole, an area set aside for photo opportunities at the South Pole Station, will feature a Bulgarian flag from now on. Photo: NSF/Josh Landis via Wikimedia)
