MONTREAL - Christmas is a cold time for almost all Canadians, but none more so than Frederic Dion.

On Wednesday, the native Quebecer reached the geographic South Pole on the 45th day of his journey, the first person to make the trek solo.

Last week, Dion had become the first solo expeditioner to reach an area known as the South Pole of Inaccessibility, the point farthest from all the seas surrounding Antarctica, and had done so in a record 35 days.

So far, Dion has travelled about 3,000 km on his journey, braving storms, temperatures as low as -50C and winds of up to 150 km/h, as well as equipment failure. He's been traversing the snow and ice on skies, assisted by a kite that pulls him forward over the terrain. Now comes the long trip back.

"This is a great achievement, but I saw the opportunity to accomplish something that a lone individual had never done," Dion told QMI Agency. "I still have energy to spare, and enough food for 20 days. The downside is, I'm in an area where the wind is light and it will be difficult."