IF you think it's been a bit parky outside this week spare a thought for David Maxfield, for whom freezing point would be positively balmy.

For Mr Maxfield is spending three months in Antarctica, during which time he has become probably the first Skiptonian to journey to the South Pole.

The ex-Aireville School pupil, who grew up on the Burnside estate, is an electronics engineer working for the British Antarctic Survey.

During his time in Antarctica, he was taken on a trip to the United States Amundsen-Scott base located at the pole. In a normal year only about two British people get the opportunity to visit the pole.

Mr Maxfield flew out to the Rothera Research Station on December 5 for a three month long stay. He has worked on remote sites on the Antarctic plateau in previous visits, but his most recent trip into the continent was something special. The trip took him all the way to 90 degrees south, the pole, in a small aircraft with just him and the pilot on board.

It's about 1,500 miles from the Rothera station and the aircraft had to make several stops to refuel at small, remote refuelling stations.

On arrival the weather was crisp, clear - but very, very cold. The temperature was minus 37 degrees centigrade but, taking into account windchill factor, it was effectively minus 50C.

"Everything is pure white and pristine," said Mr Maxfield. "There is no rock at the south pole, just flat, white ice landscape as far as the eye can see.

"Even though it's flat and white, with no sign of moutains, we are actually at an altitude of 9,300 feet, most of which is snow accumulated over many thousands of years.

"The air is thinner at the poles so the effective altitude is more like 10,500 feet."

His visit was to collect data and upgrade remote magnetometer loggers located at four sites close to the pole. They record the strength and direction of the magnetic field surrounding the earth.

Ultimately this data helps scientists develop models of how the earth systems function and what impacts global climate change will have.

Mr Maxfield is an Antarctic veteran - he has spent five summers and two winters on the icy continent.

After leaving Aireville in 1981 Mr Maxfield studied at Keighley College. He then went on to Leeds Polytechnic studying electrical and electronic engineering. I worked in Leeds and Huddersfield before getting a job with the British Antarctic Survey in 1996. Since then his work has alternated between Cambridge and Antarctica.

When he goes to Antarctica he travels in an RAF Tristar from Oxfordshire, stopping at Ascension Island to refuel, to the Falkland Islands. From there the journey to the BAS stations is by boat or a four-engined aircraft.

For those of us unlikely to ever follow in his footsteps, Mr Maxfield reported that there are in fact two south poles.

One is a ceremonial pole, a globe mounted on a striped pole with flags of the original Antarctic Treaty member countries in the background. This is the showpiece pole. But about 50 metres away is the real south pole, which is repositioned on January 1 every year to take account of the drift of the ice sheet, which moves about five metres during the 12 months.

This pole is the one with the quotes from Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian who was first to the spot, and Robert Falcon Scott (Scott of the Antarctic) the British explorer who was just beaten by Amundsen and who perished with all his fellow expedition members on the return journey.

* Is Mr Maxfield Craven's first man or woman to reach the South Pole? We think so but if you know different, let us know.