Adventurer asked to explain claims

Two of the nation's largest community organisations will call on adventurer Peter Treseder to explain allegations which cast doubt on some of his exploits.

Scouting Australia and hostelling body YHA will seek explanations from Treseder, whose achievements were queried in a magazine article last week.

Treseder, who in 1998 tried to walk unassisted to the South Pole, holds offices in both organisations and serves as an inspiration to members. "We will make an effort to get a clearer understanding of what this is all about," YHA NSW chairman John Bowles said following the publication of allegations in Inside Sport. "All I can say at this stage is that at the time of his appointment [as YHA NSW vice-president in 1994], he was selected on his credentials as a role model."

Treseder, who has close ties to Prime Minister John Howard, said: "It's devastating. I can't make any comment because I'm seeking some legal advice at the moment."

An adventurer since his days as a scout, Treseder gained his greatest acclaim in 1998 when he attempted the first unassisted walk to the South Pole with British explorer Tim Jarvis. The trek, sponsored by companies including the Commonwealth Bank, was abandoned just after the halfway point when the pair's supplies were contaminated by fuel. Inside Sport did not question Treseder's feats on the polar trek but said other achievements claimed by Treseder were physically impossible or highly improbable.

The magazine asked a health scientist to analyse a 1,500km cross-country run Treseder said he had completed in 1986. Treseder said he had done the run through scrub in 10 days, despite being bitten by a snake, having to carry his own supplies and being forced to find water as he ran. By contrast, world long-distance record holder Yiannis Kouros's record for running 1,600km is more than 10 days, despite running a flat loop at sea level with full support. The scientist found that, adjusted for differing terrains, Treseder's claims would make him the greatest ultra-distance runner of modern times. Pat Farmer, who ran around Australia for Federation with a support team, travelled at about half the speed Treseder says he logged cross-country.

The magazine also questions an anecdote from Treseder's biography in which he describes rescuing a female abseiler, and whether he completed a claimed ascent of New Zealand's Mount Cook.