Farmer and Miller hope charity Pole haircut sets record

IT'S a long way to go for a short back and sides, but this is one hair cut that could really be called "cool".

Award-winning hairdresser Charlie Miller may even enter the record books after trimming the locks of entrepreneur Sir Tom Farmer at the North Pole.

And both men have described the trip as "the adventure of a lifetime".

It might not be Mr Miller's most stylish cut – temperatures of -35C meant he had to wrestle with his scissors through thick gloves to avoid frostbite – but it is unquestionably his most memorable.

And Sir Tom admitted: "People told us we'd be bonkers to go, but neither of us would have missed this for the world."

The pair travelled to the Arctic Circle over the weekend to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. They were given some expert assistance by Sir Tom's friend, the English explorer David Hempleman-Adams, who has climbed the world's seven highest mountains and sailed the Atlantic solo.

After travelling to Longyearbyen and on to Svalbard Island in the Arctic Circle, the pair flew by helicopter to the base-camp at Ice Camp Barneo, 60 miles from the Pole, where they were given some cold weather training.

After that they flew on to the North Pole itself, stopping along the way to pick up a few fellow adventurers struggling with the atrocious weather.

Once there, they sprang into action, with Sir Tom settling down into a make-shift barbers' chair for a quick trim.

Sir Tom, 69, said: "Once at the Pole, a sophisticated radar system had us stand right there at the Pole itself.

"We brought back pics to prove it and, yes, Charlie did cut my hair there – a world first.

"There were onlookers clamouring to ask Charlie if he'd cut their hair as well, but he politely refused. This had to be a one-off. Actually standing at the Pole was quite emotional. We never thought it would affect us in that way. We understand that fewer than 2,000 people have ever been at the Pole, so we've got back feeling a wee bit special."

Mr Miller agreed that it had been an incredible adventure, even if it wasn't the ideal location for cutting hair.

"It was really tricky because I had to keep my gloves on all the time," he said. "The wind was really blowing and so every strand of hair I cut off just got swept away.

"It was so cold I actually had to stop half-way through so Tom could put his hat back on and warm his head up a little.

"Sadly I didn't get any icicles hanging from my moustache, as my wife had wanted a picture of that. It was truly extraordinary though, and I think it could be a record for the first haircut at the North Pole. Guinness are looking into it."

While the foul weather cut short their trip, the pair were also able to enjoy a visit to an ice cave inside a glacier.

"What they sprung on us – possibly the most fearsome but fabulous aspect of the trip – was burrowing several yards into a glacier, into an ice cave where we were crawling on our bellies to view the mind-blowing variations of the ice," said Sir Tom. "Claustrophobic, yes, but truly magical."