Shackleton Epic departs on final leg of the journey

Mountains and glacier crossing expected to take 24-30 hours

The final leg of the Shackleton Epic expedition, the crossing of South Georgia's mountainous, crevassed interior is underway. At 2200hrs GMT (07 Feb)/0900hrs AEDT (08 Feb) in wet, overcast conditions with winds howling at 30knots from the south west, expedition leader Tim Jarvis and mountaineer Barry Gray set out wearing their traditional clothing, and carrying only food, a length of rope and a carpenter's adze to re-enact Shackleton's crossing of nearly 100 years before – www.shackletonepic.com

They will be followed by two other crew members acting as support for the crossing, navigator Paul Larsen and bosun Seb Coulthard who will be wearing modern climbing gear and carrying the mandatory emergency supplies. They will also be accompanied by a film crew to record the climb, with the party hoping to reach the old whaling station at Stromness within 24 – 30 hours (Shackleton's time was 36 hours crossing uncharted territory).

"We're very excited and honoured to make this crossing in Shackleton's name... it is the culmination of everything we've worked towards during the expedition," Tim Jarvis said.

"Being such a tight knit team, it is a disappointment for us all that Ed Wardle and Nick Bubb are not in a position to attempt the crossing due to medical reasons. They have been outstanding during the expedition to get us this far, and the decision was not made lightly. After consultation with both Ed and Nick, and medical experts, we had to make the tough decision to pull them out due to the condition of their feet after the gruelling ocean crossing.

"Shackleton also had to make a similar decision - taking only the fittest men on the South Georgia crossing, giving the team the very best chance of making the crossing in the fastest time possible without loss of life and injury, to raise the alarm about his stranded men back on Elephant Island. "That leaves myself and Baz making the crossing in traditional gear and Paul and Seb in an assistance role in the modern gear," Jarvis said.

The route the expeditioners will take follows a similar course to Shackleton's, climbing ridges of 3,000 and 4,000 feet at various points during the crossing. They will trek up Shackleton's Gap, around the Trident, over Crean Glacier and Breakwind Ridge, down through the waterfall, across the lake, and descend through the foothills until they reach Stromness. (The climbers will not take the detour to Possession Bay as Shackleton did only to discover it did not lead to Stromness).

"This environment is among the harshest in the world, and Shackleton proved himself as a supreme adaptor to the tough terrain, harsh conditions and varying fortunes that affected him. It was his adaptability that got him through in the end, and we have also had to adapt to the circumstances, whatever they may be," Jarvis said.

The Shackleton Epic expedition departed Elephant Island on 23rd January (GMT). It took the crew 12 days to cross 800nm of the treacherous Southern Ocean, braving gales, huge seas and 7-8m swells. They reached South Georgia island on 03 February (GMT) and have been camping on the island ever since, recovering from the voyage and waiting for more favourable weather conditions to make the crossing.