Completing the 890 km route from the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf (Messner Route) in 38 days.
(Correne Coetzer) Devon McDiarmid (Canada, ANI Guide), Stew Edge (UK), Mostafa Salameh (Jordan) and Shahrom Abdullah (Malaysia) arrived at the Geographic South Pole on Friday, January 15. According to Stew’s Dispatches, they started on December 9, therefore, they travelled 38 days across the 890 km Messner route from the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf. The men had resupply cashés long the way.
This is Devon’s 5th full route expedition. He is the male skier with the most full routes in the bag. With six full route expeditions behind her name, lady skier, Hannah McKeand, holds the record for any person skiing to the Pole.
Mostafa became the first Jordanian to ski to the South Pole. Shahrom became the first Malaysian to ski to the Pole. Check AdventureStats.com for more info.
Devon and Stew are not finished yet, as they have picked up their kites to traverse to Hercules Inlet (1130 km). Mostafa and Shahrom get picked up at the Pole by plane and flown out.
They are the third team to arrive at the South Pole this season, after solo skiers Henry Worsley, January 2 (Berkner Island route), and Luke Robertson, January 13 Chilean time (Hercules Inlet route).
Events posted on Pythom by Pythom People:
A Reminder: Trygve Norman calls for nominations for The Shackleton Award, closing January 22. This Award honour outstanding expedition achievements and aims to inspire today’s explorers to new expeditions into unknown territories or conditions. The award is awarded annually to an expedition found to be “real and novel, un-motorized and within polar areas or conditions”. The Shackleton Award Committee consists of renowned international explorers and scientists. Read more on Pythom who the previous winners were and contact Trygve at trygve(at)theshackletonaward.com or mobile +47 9092 4717.
Other South Pole ski Expeditions:
Note: Definitions below according to AdventureStats.com:
assisted = resupplies
supported = kite/car/skidoo support u2028
HENRY WORSLEY (55) UK, solo, Unassisted Unsupported traverse 1100nm / 2037km, Berkner Island – Geographic South Pole – Shackleton Glacier (Ross Ice Shelf), Started November 13, 2015. South Pole January 2, 2016 (Day 51).
Day 64, January 15: A white-out, which limited progress; “frustrating”. He said he is very hungry and craving food. Furthermore, Henry said he appreciates what it is going solo, breaking track every day, all the way.
Day 65, January 16: -12ºC only on Titan Dome and 200 miles from the Pole. This day he found the first proper downhill with his sled drawing level with him at times. He said he has to do more miles per day and has to alter his daily routine to do longer hours. A crucial 5 days lies ahead.
Day 66, January 17: Updated voice report on 1 AM. “A punishing day.” White-out. Hellish soft snow drew every little energy out of his skinny legs. To make it to the Ross Ice Shelf he has to cover 16nm per day. Seven days food left, to the 24th, but could stretch it a bit. 67 nm to go the Shackleton Glacier and the Glacier is 75 nm long; 142 nm to the finish line.
DAY 66, January 17 Data: S86º 51.934 W176º 49.273, Time Travelled 16 Hours, Distance 16.0 Nautical Miles, Accumulated Distance 764.6 nm, Altitude 9621 Ft, Temperature -21°C, Wind Speed 0 mph, Weather Overcast.
CARL ALVEY (UK, ANI guide), EMMA TAMSIN KELTY (UK), Assisted Unsupported 1130km, Hercules Inlet – Geographic South Pole, Started December 5, 2015.
The team is still racing to the Pole and seems to get into the notorious sastrugi fields of 87 degrees by now.
Emma’s latest available dispatch on January 15: “15.2nm in 9 hours … Decreasing to no definition or contrast as the day quickly progressed – which sadly adds to the hidden mileage or meander miles that aren’t recorded. Great to be starting 9 hour days …. Feeling great! Definitely getting colder the closer to Pole we get. Really looking forward to passing the next degree tomorrow – that’s a 4-day degree!! Woohooo! Windy 25kt wind tomorrow with the heavy (bus sized) sustrugi (I will find out the spelling for that) to get over… Joy!! So should be an interesting day.” [Ed note: sastrugi].
WEATHER MAPS:
Gateway port Cape Town, South Africa:
To ALCI /TAC base camp Novolazarevskaya / Novo
70° 46’37”S, 011° 49’26”E
Gateway port Punta Arenas, Chile, South America:
To ALE/ANI base camp, Union Glacier
79° 45’S, 083° 14’W elev 708m
Lat: -79.760591 Lon: -82.856698
Hercules Inlet is located at 80°S near Union Glacier, 1130 km from the Geographic South Pole.
The Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf (Messner) start is 890 km in a straight line from the Pole.
Novolazarevskaya to South Pole of Inaccessibility (POI) is 1610 km in a straight line.
South Pole of Inaccessibility (POI)
2011-12 position: S82°06.696, E055°01.951 (Copeland/McNair-Landry)
On Dec. 14, 2014 Frédéric Dion reported the position the POI (at Lenin’s bust) as S82º 06.702′ E55º 2.087′ at an elevation of 3741 m.
Geographic South Pole (GSP): 90 degrees South
According to the Rules of Adventure at AdventureStats.com, to claim a “solo” achievement requires an unassisted status – therefore, no supplies carried by pilots or car drivers, or anything (food, fuel, etc) received from any person along the way. A solo person may be wind supported (kites/sails). Note that the Polar Rules were compiled by early Norwegian and British Polar explorers and are maintained today by the current community of veteran polar skiers.
1 nautical mile (nm) = 1.852 km
1 nm = 1.151 miles
1 knot = 1.852 km/h
1 degree of Latitude is 110 km / 60 nm / 70 miles
Sastrugi are hard snow bumps and can be as high as 10 feet
A nunatak is a top of a mountain visible above the snow surface.
Previous update:
Solo skier Luke Robertson arrived at the South Poleu2028
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