The company is using nine athletes in its Olympics-related ad campaign, including alpine skier Ted Ligety and ice dancer Tanith Belbin.

WSJ: Polo Ralph Lauren Lengthens Its Olympic Run

They will trek between nine and 13 miles each day in extreme weather conditions and encounter vast crevasses, moving ice-shelves, glaciers and snow storms.

BBC: Prince Harry to race to South Pole

The manner of Rossi's triumph was only overshadowed by the way he risked life and limb to usurp his young team-mate for pole position on Saturday on a saturated ice rink of a circuit that had already caused nine crashes.

BBC: Matt Roberts' MotoGP column