Broken Ski Bolts end British Explorer`s Pole Bid

`The ice conditions I have encountered have been the worst I have ever seen, and worse than I could have imagined,` Saunders said.

British explorer Ben Saunders said on Saturday he had called off his attempt to become the fastest man to reach the North Pole alone and unaided, after his ski bolts broke.

Saunders, 30, had covered 60 miles in eight days when the bolts attached to his ski bindings sheared off on Thursday.

"To have the expedition that is the culmination of seven years training, preparation and experience forced to a halt due to an equipment failure is incredibly disappointing," Saunders, who was airlifted to safety on Friday, said in a statement.

Saunders attributed the bolts breaking to "the unprecedented, appalling conditions of the ice" as he tried to drag his 65 kilo s ledge over mini mountains of ice rubble, some standing as high as two-storeys.

Five years ago Briton Pen Hadow, then 41, became the first person to reach the North Pole unaided from Canada, completing the trip in 64 days.

"I came here well prepared and believe that the daily distances I have achieved to date show that setting a speed record was within my reach," said Saunders, who was attempting to cover the 478-mile trip in just 30 days.

"The ice conditions I have encountered have been the worst I have ever seen, and worse than I could have imagined.

"I'm witnessing at first hand the disintegration of the last of the Arctic's multi-year pack ice. If climate change in the high Arctic continues at its current rate, I may be one of the last to be able to attempt this journey on foot."

Undeterred by having had to abort his expedition, Saunders is planning to walk to the South Pole and back from Berkner Island on his own later this year, a 1800-mile trip he hopes to complete by February 2009.

Earlier in March another British explorer Hannah McKeand had to call off her attempt to become the first woman to reach the North Pole alone and unaided after falling through ice and injuring herself.