A hardy British adventurer has become the first to ever ice skate across one of the world’s most barren and inhospitable landscapes – despite not having skated for about 20 years.

Jim Mee, 40, from York, blindly tackled an 85-mile crossing of Lake Khuvsgul in north-west Mongolia – the distance climbing to 100 miles when zig-zags to the edge of the lake to camp were taken into account – skating for nine hours a day for three days, in temperatures plunging to minus 47 degrees Celsius. 

Mee is now the first person ever to skate the lake’s entire length. Talking about his accomplishment, the gutsy globetrotter said: ‘Skating across the lake posed lots of unique difficulties.

‘I was nervous it couldn’t be done. I wasn’t sure if the surface of the lake would be smooth enough to accommodate skating. But this method actually proved to be something of a revelation. ‘I skated from dawn ’til dusk, nine hours a day, for three days. It’s a very similar motion to cross-country skiing, where you hit a rhythm and just keep going. ‘It was rough on the ankles and the longer we journeyed the harder it got.’ But Mee said the pain was all worth it, as the rewards were immense.

He continued: ‘There’s no precipitation in this region so the skies are always clears, meaning the sunrises and sunsets were incredible spectacles. ‘And just spending so long in such a bizarre, otherworldly landscape was surreal. ‘You look down between your feet and, because the water is so pure, you can see for many metres into the water below the ice. It’s disconcerting, but ultimately beautiful.’

If Mee’s traverse looks like your idea of fun, you’re in luck – because the escapade is being turned into an official event, which will make its debut next year.  And having proved Lake Khuvsgul can be crossed via human power, Rat Race has now added the ‘Mongol 100’ to its roster, with entry possible from next week. The first event will run in March 2019 and will see participants traversing the ice ‘by any means’ – either running, walking, skating or biking.

Mee, an experienced mountaineer and wilderness explorer, explains: ‘Khuvsgul Lake is an extremely challenging environment. Competitors who book themselves a place on the event next year will fly to Ulaanbaatar before taking a specially chartered flight to Khatgal, home to a tiny rural airport that sits on the southern tip of Khuvsgul Lake.’

The race itself will then last four days, with overnight stops in Gers. Cost of entry will be approximately £2,500 per person.