Update: Faysal is now on Antarctica and he has begun skiing towards his goal: The South Pole. He is currently expected to arrive there at the end of December.
See his website which is maintained by one of his friends here:
http://transantarctic.wordpress.com/I gather from this site Faysal was forced to abort the expedition due to a knee injury. I'm happy he's back apparently in otherwise good condition.
It was quite interesting to read the messages he sent from his journey.
When his knee got very bad he seemed to be in some dispute with the insurance about his evacuation. At one point they asked him to put down some money. Him being in antarctica it seemed a little much to ask at that point. I was half expecting him to ask them for a Bitcoin address, but he took a different approach.
Here's the relevant passage:
The pain in my knee became unbearable. I do not any more manage to kiter. I asked for assistance to the station NOVO. The Russian staff made me understand to make play the insurance. I contact the latter who made me understand (at least the various technicians and never the same person) that it would be preferable that a person of my family or a knowledge takes care of the evacuation. I makes them understand that they are the insurance of the expedition. (I would know a little later that the cost of the evacuation would be too high!). I boost the station NOVO. They ask me to settle a sum before any intervention. In the middle of Antarctica, in hundreds of kilometers of any souls, it is a little bit difficult to find a viable solution. I had one: contact the IFREMONT institute in CHAMONIX, to have councils (strengthen my knee, grip of adequate medicine) may clench teeth and continue my progress.