March 17th, 2010 by admin

While the arctic explorers are finding it tough going thus far, they are finding inspiration in small victories, as they begin to hit their first milestones on their journey to stand at the top of the world.

First up, we have news that Amelia Russell and Dan Darley hit the 84º line over the weekend, marking the completion of their first degree on the long journey to 90-North! They have set a goal to reach the Pole in 45 days, and are hopeful that they can accomplish that task, but know they have a long way to go before they do. Still, they’ve been surprised at how good the conditions have been for them so far, and are pleased with their progress. Today the British duo managed to knock off 7.4 nautical miles in 9.5 hours of skiing, which seems like a lot of work for the distance gained. But, all of that hard work will pay off in the end when the ice will be smoother and they’ll be making much better time.

Eric Larsen and his team are now 12 days out, and reportedly hit “Polar Paydirt” yesterday when they found their way around a lead, and had nothing but solid, flat ice in front of them, meaning they could don the skis for the first time in awhile, and start making positive progress with a bit less of an effort. As is typical in the arctic however, the good ice didn’t last, and they were back to snowshoes soon enough, but they were happy for the respite, however brief. Their last reported position was at 84.12ºN, leaving them roughly 347 miles to the Pole.

Australian Tom Smitheringale is making this epic journey solo and unassisted, and has continually had equipment issues since he set out. Yesterday he broke another ski pole, his second in three days, and that has caused him some dismay over the choices he made when selecting gear. Fortunates didn’t exactly improve today when he found himself facing a massive ice field with no discernible route through the rubble, which made for a very long and challenging day out on the ice. He covered about 4 kilometers in rough going.

It was a rough day for another solo explorer, as Christina Franco reports that she spent much of the day falling and struggling over the ice, while dealing with rubble. She battled one final ice field to end the day, but now has hard, smooth, open ice in front of her to start the day tomorrow. After a tough day today, she appears to still be in good spirits, and is looking forward to an easier beginning to her journey tomorrow.

Finally, The Catlin Arctic Survey 2010 Team have completed all of their prep work, and set out today from Resolute Bay for the Arctic Ocean. They were dropped just above 85ºN, where their Ice Base Team will begin to set up camp, with the Explorer Team, consisting of Ann Daniels, Martin Hartley, and Charlie Paton, going on to the Pole, collecting ice samples as they go. The team was delayed in setting out due to lost gear, bad weather, and delays to flights, but are now happy to be on their way and working on their very important mission.

March 9th, 2010 by admin

It was a busy weekend up north, where the teams are all finally out on the ice and battling the elements, in their various quests to stand at the top of the world. It hasn’t been easy going so far though, as large areas of open water and massive ice fields have made it nearly impossible to make good time. While some struggle forward at a snails pace, battling negative drift in the process, one team has reportedly already called for evacuation from the ice.

According to ExWeb, the Irish Team of Pat Falvey, Clare O’Leary and John Dowd have called for a pick-up after Dowd began showing signs of frostbite on two of his finger tips. ExWeb quotes the expedition’s home team with the disappointing news, as neither the team’s website nor Dowd’s updates indicate anything about the call for evac. According to the story however, the rescue plane is en route, although there may not be any safe place for it to land. They team may have to ski back to Ward Hunt Island, where they set out, in order to be retrieved. That could take as much as 2-3 days to happen. Let’s hope John doesn’t suffer too much damage to his fingers before help arrives.

Australian Tom Smitheringale has faced his share of challenges already as is evidenced in the updates on his progress. Today, his support team back home says that they are concerned with his progress so far, as despite the decent weather conditions, he making nearly as much progress as they had hoped. The figured that he would need to average 13 kilometers per day to make the journey on the supplies that he has. So far, he’s averaged just 2.7 kilometers. On top of that, he’s had a few issues with equipment that haven’t helped the cause either. Still, Tom is chugging along, remains optimistic, and is determined to reach the top of the world. It should also be noted, that usually when explorers go to the North Pole, they have very slow going in the early stages of their expedition, but can pick up speed and distance later. Let’s hope that’s how it works out for Tom too.

Eric Larsen, Antony Jinman an Darcy St Laurent finally got underway late last week, and are already working their way north as well. They team has been struggling to go over and around giant blocks of ice thus far, and while they’ve struggled to make modest milage gains during the day, they’ve seen a lot of it evaporate over night thanks to negative drift. In fact, in the update from yesterday, the boys were happy to see they lost just 350 feet over night. Still, they are passing through those ice fields, and that gives them optimism that things will improve in the future, and they can start making major gains to their ultimate goal.

Christiana Franco continues her solo and unassisted trek to the Pole as well, sending birthday wishes to her mum today. She has also had to deal with massive blocks of ice, and negative drift. At one point, she spent all day moving forward, only to discover that she had made zero progress towards the Pole, a disheartening way to begin her expedition thus far.

Dan Darley and Amelia Russell have had their own problems with negative drift as well, sliding 2000 meters to the south and another 4000 to the west in just one night’s time. But, they are reporting flat ice at the moment, and are recording good progress forward, very thankful for not having to deal with blocks of ice the other teams are currently struggling with. They say they don’t know how long it’ll last, but they’re going to enjoy it while they can. The two Brits are also celebrating completing their first half-degree. At this point, small victories are still victories!

Finally,

March 5th, 2010 by admin

Speaking of the Seven Summits, our friend Alan Arnette has another good interview posted this week. This time Alan speaks with Chinese climber Lei Wang, who is closing in on the Adventure Grand Slam, which consists of reaching the top of the Seven Summits and skiing to both the North and South Pole. In Lei’s case, she has just Everest left to conquer, which she hopes to do this spring.

Like many who have completed the Seven Summits, Lei’s love of mountaineering began when she reached the summit of Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet. That climb opened a sense of adventure in the young woman, and her desire to climb the remaining Summits was fueled further when she learned that no Chinese woman had accomplished the feat. Since then, she has stood atop Elbrus, Denali, Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, and Vinson. Along the way, she also managed to go to the top and bottom of the world, on skis to both Poles.

In the interview, Lei talks briefly about her childhood in China, how things changed when she came to the U.S. to pursue an MBA, her first trip to the mountains, and a whole lot more. She touches on her training methods (puling those darn tires!), her mental preparation, and what it’s going to be like to tell her parents she’s going to Everest. As of the interview, she still hasn’t broken it to them. *gulp*

If she is successful in reaching the summit of Everest, Lei will become just the tenth person to complete the Adventure Grand Slam, putting her in very elite company with the likes of Max Chaya, Cecilie Skog, and Park Young Seok, who has also climbed each of the 8000 meter peaks as well. Pretty impressive accomplishment, and it should be fun to see if she is successful this spring.

March 5th, 2010 by admin

Remember the Catlin Arctic Survey Team from last year? It consisted of Brits Pen Hadow, Martin Hartley, and Ann Daniels, who spent weeks in the Arctic taking core ice samples and recording the thickness of the pack to determine the effects of global climate change on the healthy of the region. The team never made it to the Pole, as they had originally intended, but did gather plenty of important data for their study none the less.

Now, the 2010 Catlin Team, is getting ready to head out once again. They are currently in Resolute Bay, where they are going through all of their gear and prepping for their departure. This year, Hadow will stay behind and serve as the project’s director, while Daniels, Hartley and new addition Charlie Paton go out to take the measurements and collect the data.

This time out, there will actually be two teams focused on measuring the effects of carbon dioxide on the Arctic Ocean. One team, consisting of a group of scientists, will set up an Ice Base, where they will observe and record data. Meanwhile, the Explorers Team, consisting of Daniels, Hartley, and Paton, will make a 500km journey to the Geographic North Pole, collecting more samples as they go.

There is no word yet as to when they will depart, but it should be in the next few days, as there has been a backlog of explorers in Resolute Bay thanks to the recent weather conditions there. You can follow the updates from the team on their blog, where they are currently discussing gear prep, the differences between the two teams, and the amount of calories they’ll be consuming.

March 3rd, 2010 by admin

The North Pole Season officially got underway in the past couple of days with some of the explorers finally getting out of Resolute Bay and hitting the ice, while others continue to prepare and wait their turn. The weather window opened briefly, and the expeditions that are underway are already dealing with the harsh Arctic conditions.

Australian Tom Smitheringale was delivered to Ward Hunt Island on Sunday, and has already been out on the ice for for a couple of days. According to his blog, he made minimal distance on his first day out, but took advantage of the time to begin to get acclimated to the terrain and cold weather, before setting up camp for the first time. On his second day, he encountered one of the great challenges to Arctic travel in the form of a large ice field which impeded his progress with large blocks of ice ranging from the size of cars to the size of houses. According to his home team, it was nearly impossible for Tom to make headway while pulling two sleds, so he was forced to drag one at a time, then return for the other, in essence covering the same ground twice. Because he is going solo and unsupported, both sleds are needed to carry all of his gear and supplies. (By the way, the photo is of Tom on his first day out on the ice. Welcome to the Arctic!)

Meanwhile, Dan Darley and Amelia Russell have run into a completely different kind of obstacle, but one that is no less challenging and dangerous. The two Brits who are making the journey to the North Pole via Cape Discovery experienced a large open area of water that they would be forced to either go around or cross. They contemplated making the crossing in their immersion suits, but after a quick dip in the water, they decided best to try to skirt around the edge. Their patience proved worthwhile, as they found solid ice that allowed them to get moving north once again, although with the open water left behind, they’re already dealing with ice rubble as well, and using the process of “double hauling” to move their sleds too.

As for some of the other expeditions, they’re preparing to get underway at last. Christina Franco was scheduled to be dropped off on the ice today to begin her solo and unassisted journey to the North Pole, while John Dowd, who is part of the Irish North Pole Expedition, were expecting to go yesterday, but were delayed due to bad fog. Seems like no one is going out today though, as Eric Larsen is reporting that weather has once again grounded the planes, so they’ll all play the waiting game, and hope that they can get underway soon.

February 27th, 2010 by admin

Yesterday I posted about several of the expeditions that are either already in Canada, or were on their way. Unfortunately, a blizzard had a number of them stranded in a variety of locations, preventing them from reaching Resolute Bay, a popular starting point for arctic explorers. Flights are not expected to resume today, although I’ve heard that they will begin tomorrow, with several trips planned to make up for the back-log of people and gear waiting to hit the tiny Canadian town.

The teams I spotlighted yesterday aren’t the only ones making the trip up north however, as there will be several others hoping to make the journey too. Take for example, Tessum Weber, who is aiming to get underway next week. At the age of 20, he hopes to become the youngest person to reach the Geographic North Pole, and he couldn’t have picked a better guide to get him there. Tessum will be traveling with polar legend Richard Weber.

British explorers Dan Darley and Amelia Russell have been in Resolute Bay for more than a week, and have been ready to get started, while they patiently waited for a weather window. According to an update posted on their website yesterday, the window opened for them today. Due to the storms preventing anyone from getting into town, there was an open slot on an outgoing plane today. It seems that they quickly putting the finishing touches on their prep work, and should have hit the ice today. Hopefully we’ll get an update from the soon. But for now, you can read more about the pair in this interview over at ExWeb.

Australian husband and wife team Linda Beilharz and Rob Rigato have posted a new dispatch today, and like everyone else, they’re waiting out the weather with flights into Resolute still being cancelled. They also note that satellite images have revealed large leads opening up along the northern coastline of Canada, which may be good or bad depending on the weather. If they freeze over, they’ll make for smooth and easy traveling, but if they don’t freeze, it’ll make for long treks around them. For Linda and Rob however, all they can do at this point is wait, as their gear is packed, and they are ready to go. Just waiting for their turn to be delivered to Ward Hunt Island, their starting point.

The Irish Team of Pat Falvey, Clare O’Leary, and John Dowd finished up their training in Yellowknife, Canada awhile back, and should also be preparing for their departure soon. To date, there has been few updates to the team website, although, as I mentioned yesterday, John has been updating his own blog regularly. Hopefully once they get underway, we’ll hear more about their efforts as well.

Finally, Italian Michele Pontrandolfo is hoping to make a solo expedition to the Pole as well. While my Italian is spotty (At best!), I can tell from his blog that he arrived in Canada on Monday, and I’m guessing he’s waiting, like everyone else, for the weather to clear.

Looks like it’s quite the International contingent heading to 90º North this year. When they all get there, perhaps they can hold a U.N. meeting. Or at the very least, share a stick of butter.

February 27th, 2010 by admin

The 2010 Arctic Season is preparing to get underway within a matter of a few days, as adventurous souls begin the long, cold, and dangerous march to the top of the world. The explorers are all gathering in Canada at the moment, putting the finishing touches on their preparation, and eager to hit the ice.

Eric Larsen, fresh off his recent journey to the South Pole, is in Ottawa, and trying to reach Resolute Bay, where he’ll start his march to the North Pole. A winter storm in Resolute has prevented travel to that remote town for the better part of today, but Eric hopes to arrive there soon, and being the process of organizing his gear and getting putting the finishing touches on his preparations. This will be the second leg of Eric’s Save The Poles Expedition, and if successful here, he’ll head on to Everest in the fall, to claim all three “Poles” in one year. Joining Eric on the journey is Darcy St Laurent and Antony Jinman.

Meanwhile, Christina Franco is back in Canada and preparing for her attempt to become the first woman to go solo and unassisted to the North Pole. She’s currently in Resolute Bay and up to her eyeballs in prep work. Her latest blog post even has photos of her getting her gear and supplies ready for the first 60 days out o the ice. She is expected to be resupplied en route. She does note that the storm is on going, but that hasn’t kept a bear from wandering into town.

Polar explorer John Dowd has completed his prep work in Yelllowknife, located in the Yukon Territory. He notes that he now feels much better on his skies, and isn’t falling nearly as much, which I’m sure comes quite a relief considering he’s about to undertake a 500 mile journey through the arctic. No word yet on when he’ll begin his journey.

Finally, Australian Tom Smitheringale is putting the final preparation together as well, and the countdown clock on his website now reads less than 18 hours to go until he sets out for the Pole. That indicates they’ll be leaving Iqaluit, Canada tomorrow, although his most recent blog update says that he is also stranded due to a blizzard. It is beginning to look like the expedition may not set off tomorrow as scheduled after all. His home team says they feel there is a 50/50 chance he’ll get to go. How ironic is it that a trek to the North Pole is delayed by a blizzard?

Good luck to everyone. The blizzard will pass soon, and the skies will clear, letting you move forward before you know it. Stay safe out on the ice.

For those of at home following, perhaps we should start a pool on how long it’ll be before someone spots their first polar bear.

February 19th, 2010 by admin

London based Italian Christina Franco will once again attempt to become the first woman to make a solo journey to the Geographic North Pole this year, setting out from Cape Discovery, Canada on the 480 mile journey in just a few weeks time.

You may recall that we followed Christina in the 2009 Arctic season as well, but a double equipment failure on her stoves prevented her from completing the journey, and pulled her off the ice before she really had a chance to get going. She made the most of her opportunity however by undertaking a last degree journey to the Pole, seizing the opportunity as a training exercise. Now, she’s back, and more than ready to make a serious attempt to reach the top of the world. She has already successfully reached the Magnetic North Pole back in 2005.

Christina is currently in the last stages of her preparation, and will soon depart for Canada. She has been undergoing training in Norway which will help prepare her for the rigors of her journey, but even those cold climes will not replicate what she’ll see on her way north. Early on, she’ll face an incredible amount of ice rubble created when the giant slabs of ice on the Arctic Ocean crash into one another, creating towers that reach as much as two stories in height. For 20 days, she’ll struggle through that environment, dragging a heavy sled, filled with gear and supplies, behind her.

Once those fields of rubble are put behind her however, things don’t get much better. The terrain will flatten out, but then she’ll have to face the very real danger of open water, and as we all know the Arctic Ocean isn’t a great body of water to take a dip in. And if that wasn’t enough, there is the ever present danger of polar bears and the frustrations of negative drift, all of which, will collaborate to make this the most challenging expedition that she can imagine. And Christina will love ever minute of it.

I’m looking forward to following this expedition. I wish Christina all the best, and hope she become the first woman to make the solo journey to the Pole.

February 11th, 2010 by admin

According to Wide World Magazine, Ice Warrior Jim McNeil has cancelled his planned expedition to the North Pole of Inaccessibility due to dangerous and unstable conditions out on the ice. You may recall that the initial plan was for Jim would make that long and arduous journey, along with 28 hand-picked explorers who were willing to join him for specific legs of the trip.

The team had just completed four weeks of very intensive training in preparation for the journey when the decision was made to pull the plug on the expedition. Jim and his companions were preparing to travel to Resolute Bay, Canada in a few weeks time to start their trek, but the meteorologists there are reporting that the ice is in terrible condition, and doesn’t look to be improving in the weeks ahead, which could lead to very dangerous conditions for those venturing out into the Arctic. Because of these reports, McNeil decided to postpone the expedition altogether, and make another attempt next year, saying “The risks of early failure, of cold injury and of needing to be rescued are too high to justify setting out,”

The North Pole of Inaccessibility remains one of the last great challenges in polar exploration. It is defined as the furthest point from land on the Arctic Ocean, and as of now, it has yet to be visited by man. It would appear that that will remain the case, at least until next year. To visit the place on foot requires explorers to cross more than 800 miles of dangerous ice, with little support options to assist, and with the pack ice breaking up, the large areas of open water are incredibly dangerous to deal with.

This is obviously sad news for McNeil and his entire team, but it makes you wonder what it’s going to be like for the explorers heading to the geographic North Pole as well. Obviously they’ll be dealing with similar conditions as well, and it sounds like it is going to be a very challenging year for anyone heading north. Which begs the question. Is global climate change forcing us to consider a permanent ban on travel to the North Pole? Obviously the ice pack at the very top remains solid, but other areas are not so lucky. Could it be, in a few years time, the only expeditions to the Pole will be from the last degree?

February 5th, 2010 by admin

It seems that we’ve barely put the Antarctic Season behind us, and we’re already looking ahead to the 2010 Arctic season, which is only a few short weeks away at this point. ExWeb, who always does a good job of keeping us updated on what is going on, has posted their list of Arctic and Sub-Arctic expeditions, with some very ambitious teams planning on hitting the ice.

As is usual, the North Pole is the goal for a number of explorers, and ExWeb reports that three solo skiers and five teams are planning on heading towards the top of the world to the geographic Pole. Of those five teams, three will go unsupported. The three mean making the solo journey include Tom Smitheringale, from Australia, Martin Murray of Canada, and Michele Pontrandolfo from Italy. All attempts will be made from the Canadian side, beginning on Ward Hunt Island or Cape Discovery.

Two women, Amelia Russell and Clair O’Leary, will be attempting the North Pole journey, each as a member of separate teams. As ExWeb points out, only two women have completed that expedition, Tina Sjogren and Cecilie Skog. Cecilie, who just finished a traverse of Antarctica, will be back on skis in Greenland, while her partner, Ryan Waters, will head to the North Pole himself.

Other expeditions that we’ll be keeping an eye on include Jim McNeill and his team heading to the North Pole of Inaccessibility and the impossible2Possible Siberian Express team of Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely crossing Lake Baikal (which I told you about here) in hopes of s new speed record. Ray and Kevin may run into another team, Czechs Pavel Blazek and Vasek Sura, who will be out on the lake, hoping to become the first from their home country to make a traverse, lengthwise, in an unassisted/unsupported fashion.

Additionally, there are a number of expeditions set to go in Greenland, taking on the polar ice caps in that country as well, including the aforementioned team led by Cecilie Skog, who will be taking ten women with her. Expect there plenty of updates from there as well.

Most of the teams heading to the North Pole, be it Magnetic, Geographic, or Inaccessibility, will be making their way to Canada at the end of February to get their expeditions underway. Ahead of them, will be miles and miles of open ice, broken up by ocean water of course. They’ll have to deal with harsh weather, massive ice blocks, negative drift, and the occasional stray polar bear. Sounds like fun!