Technology plays an important role during expeditions. In the image Dan and Amelia’s GPS, Satellite Phones and Contact 4.0 technology from HumanEdgeTech (click to enlarge)
Image by Dan Darley, www.northpolechallenge.co.ukNorth Pole teams have a month to finalize their preparations. In the image two of Christian Christian Eide’s Latitude Greenland team members during their weekly training gatherings every Monday in Oslo (click to enlarge)
Image by Christian Eide , www.latitude.noLINKS
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2010 Arctic and sub-Arctic list of expeditions!
Posted: Feb 03, 2010 01:07 pm EST
(Updated Feb 07, 02:20 pm) The Arctic and sub-Arctic will be busy this year. Three solo skiers and five teams (two unresupplied) will ski to the Geographic North Pole. Jim McNeill and his relay team will ski to the North Pole of Inaccessibility.
Several teams will ski to the 1996 position of the Magnetic North Pole. Two teams will cross Lake Baikal and approximately 50 Norwegians plan to cross Greenland.
Geographic North Pole (90°)
All attempts will be from Canada, either from Ward Hunt Island or Cape Discovery.
Three men will attempt solos, Tom Smitheringale (Australia), Martin Murray (Canada) and Michele Pontrandolfo (Italy).
One woman, Amelia Russell will be skiing unsupported and unassisted to the North Pole, with her teammate, Dan Darley – a feat that has only been accomplished twice before, by Tina Sjogren and Cecilie Skog. [Ed note: Correction: Clair O’Leary and her teammates will receive one resupply].
Cecilie who has crossed Antarctica a few weeks ago, will be back on the ice; this time on Greenland. [Ed note: Correction: the story earlier stated that Cecilie’s Antarctic team mate, Ryan Waters, is going to ski to the North Pole (as part of Eric Larsen’s team) but he is not going this year.]
Pat Falvey and Clair O’Leary will attempt their Third Pole, after they had climbed Everest and skied to the South Pole before. Their third teammate is John Dowd.
NP of Inaccessibility and 1996 Magnetic NP
While Jim McNeill and his team will cross the 2010 position of the Magnetic North Pole on their way to the North Pole of Inaccessibility, several teams will ski to the 1996 position of the Magnetic North Pole (Canada) in a race to this pole position.
Lake Baikal
Speed skiers, Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely will attempt another speed record, this time across Lake Baikal in Siberia.
Pavel Blazek and Vasek Sura aim to be the first Czech expedition to cross Lake Baikal lengthwise and unassisted and unsupported.
Greenland
The season opens in April.
Two Britons, Jon Chalmers and Carl Alvey will attempt to cross the Greenland Icecap from the East to West (Isortoq to Ilulissat). They will be picked up at Ilulissat and transported to the South (the fjord near Narsaq) from where they will kite ski to the Northwest near Qaanaaq. According to them distances of 600 and 2300 km.
Many Scandinavian teams will cross the Greenland Icecap.
Christian Eide told ExplorersWeb that the polar spirit is definitely vital in Norway. “2010 will be a fantastic year regarding polar ski expeditions. The interest is great, and training eagerness is at top.”
Christian’s company, Latitude, has arranged weekly training gatherings every Monday in Oslo. The participants use tires and heavy rucksacks to simulate expedition conditions.
At most they have 25 participants and an average of 20 participants despite weather conditions like heavy rain, snow, sun or moist, Christian said.
“All in all, I will estimate the approximately 50 Norwegians will cross Greenland during May and August 2010. The reason for the increase in popularity in polar expeditions are several, both the Amundsen jubilee in 2011 and Cecilie Skog’s Greenland guiding are definitely contributing.”
Cecilie told ExplorersWeb that she will be leading 10 women across Greenland.
Erik Bruun Jørgensen, who opened a new route last season with Jesper Melin Ganc Petersen, wil guide a Danish team.
All the Scandinavian teams will ski from West to East (Kangerlussuaq to Isortoq) on the horizontal route that follows more or less on the Arctic Circle. They won’t get resupplies and won’t use kites.
Two Britons who attempted a speed record last year, Ben Thackwray and Ian Couch, will be back on the Icecap. Ian is currently the skipper on an out of class boat rowing across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Atlantic Rowing Race.
Ben explained to ExplorersWeb about this year’s attempt and the record, “The record isn't really the plan, it's a little ambiguous, but really we have a plan to do a full coast to coast in 12 days. It's the strategy we want to get right."
The list of expeditions is about to be published - please give ExplorersWeb a shout if you haven't been mentioned.
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