Johanna Davidsson completed Return; Emma Kelty in Hospital

Johanna completed 2,260 km expedition. Emma’s cold weather injuries and medical problems. Detail and design process of the 2017 South Pole Marker.

November 14, 2017:

Vesa sent the following news about Risto: “Risto has now crossed half-way line on a way back home and picked up second depot (one to go). He is still putting in long days and says he has to ski near to 50 km/day last days to reach the target. All well with him!”

November 11, 2017:

“I have done it! I did it!” reported Swedish Johanna Davidsson from Hercules Inlet, her start point and end point. “And everything has gone so well. Unbelievable. There are no kilometers remaining. I feel so happy, yet sad that the adventure has ended. But now I just want to celebrate with a lot of champagne and a shower.”

Johanna easily kited 100+ km per day (see her map), and the second last day 200 km, to arrive at the “beautiful” Mountains and Glaciers she had seen during her first few days on the trail. She had 40 km left and was even willing to ski to Hercules Inlet, if there was no wind for kiting.

She has started her journey on November 15, 2016, hauling a 110 kg sled, unassisted and unsupported to the Geographic South Pole. Johanna arrived at the Pole on December 24 in a new Solo Female World Record time, on the stopwatch, 38 days, 23 hours and 5 min. At the Pole, she picked up food, fuel, her kites/sails, and a new sled for kiting back to the Inlet, which she started on December 29. Full Return end data: location January 10, 2017, 22:10 S79.987946, W079.932553, Altitude: 245 meter. The 2,260 km journey took her 57 days to complete.

Exweb/Pythom South Pole Interview with Johanna Davidsson: kite return attempt (October 2016)

AdventureStats Polar Statistics See table for All complete Return Journeys

British lady skier, Emma Tamsin Kelty, who has completed a 52-day Hercules Inlet expedition on January 5, reported on Facebook that she is in hospital in Punta Arenas. She has been treated for polar thigh, lung infection and dehydration. Polar thigh is a cold injury which occurs mainly on the upper legs. It starts with chilblains. If not treated soon, it can get ulcerated and infected, which seems happened to Emma. She reported today that she is not in hospital anymore, and are leaving for the UK on Friday, 13th.

Emma Kelty: speed ski and return attempt (Exweb South Pole interview) (October 2016)

Latest position of Mike Horn on his traverse is S 89º 04 and E 159º 57. He reported light winds the past week, and are therefore frustrated with his slow progress. He says he had no rules and regulations the 20 degrees of latitude to the Pole. But when getting nearer to the Pole, “the freedom of choice gets taken away. Because of the landing strip at the research base, all of a sudden there are rules to follow and the mind starts focusing on all these restrictions and no longer on that freedom of choice.”

Mike says he arrived late afternoon [Jan. 9] at the Pole and was welcomed by Hannah Mckeand and her staff. “We had spaghetti and meat sauce. It was delicious. Sat around the table and spoke about adventure and life, no word was spoken about the outside world. I had a breakfast for kings, took some photos on the Pole, and left again in very light winds. Hannah followed me a little with her Snow Machine.” [Ed note: according to the Rules of Adventure, Horn loses his solo status for the traverse by receiving food at the Pole. Rerun – AdventureStats Special: What is Solo?]

Yesterday we posted a photo of Mike with the new South Pole marker, which was unveiled on January 1. Bill Spindler shot over some news about the marker. He has interesting detail about the marker, like the design process and some of the designer, Warren Shipley’s commentary about the marker. Check Bill’s website here.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS – The 4th Shackleton Award

Hercules Inlet 80ºS return Journey, Risto Hallikainen (FI): Vesa Luomala sent over news to Exweb/Pythom: ”Risto has now crossed largest sastrugi-field again and says “he won’t miss it”. Risto says that he now notices the benefits of tailwind much better. It is warmer now and it gives better glide for the sledge, also breathing is easier.” Location Jan 11, 2017, 8:56:30 PM Elevation: 1,596.44 m Lat: -85.887465 Lon: -81.573636.

Lou Rudd (leader), Oliver Stoten, Chris Brooke, Alex Brazier, and James Facer-Childs (ALL UK) traverse to Shackleton Glacier: Day 57, a clear day for navigation reported Chris, but “icy cold, you can literally almost feel it through your clothes.” They were wearing down jackets while walking the last hour. Wind-chill of -45 to -50. Altitude is 9280 feet. The team is doing really well, Chris reported. “Everyone’s in high spirits and morale’s really high. We’ve had more sight of the Trans-Antarctic Mountains, which is really just fantastic.” They are about three days away from the top of the Shackleton Glacier, where they will perform a memorial service for Henry Worsley.

Hercules Inlet 80ºS unassisted unsupported to the Pole, Małgorzata Wojtaczka (PL, solo): No new news. Her tracker.

Queen Maud Land climbing: Patrick “Pata” Degerman (Fi, leader), Pekka Ojanpää (FI), Mika Listala (FI), and Jón Ólafur Magnusson (IS): Patrick reported two more first ascents: “The first mountain was right around the corner about 7 km from our camp. We had to walk around the mountain from the other side due to crevasses and ice. Second first ascent of the trip completed!”

“The descent went smoothly and we continued. Second mountain of the day was a relatively easy ridge climb, but the view from the top was unbelievable. Tens of mountains and frozen sea like landscape. It was like on a different planet!”

Interactive Map: Antarctica Skiing Routes

2016-17 Antarctica Ski Expedition List

Follow team blogs in the Dispatch stream on pythom.com

South Pole 2016-17 Interviews on Explorersweb/Pythom:

Interview with Pata Degerman: Longest Snowmobile attempt on Antarctica

[UPDATE 2] Risto Hallikainen, solo South Pole return ski attempt (Interview)

1989: Arved Fuchs traversed Antarctica, with Messner (Interview)

Ryan Waters to guide Fuchs-Messner route (Antarctica 2016-17 interview)

Canadian Sébastien Lapierre to attempt solo ski to South Pole (Interview)

Cycle Antarctica: Hank van Weelden Pole to Coast attempt (Interview)

Eric Philips, South Pole 2016-17 New Start Point attempt (Interview)

Previous/Related on Explorersweb/Pythom:

Mike Horn, Sébastien Lapierre and Reedy Team at the South Pole – UPDATED

Exweb/Pythom Best of 2016: Girard’s Flight of the Century… and more

Johanna Davidsson set New Solo Female Speed Record

Editorial: Might is The Answer to Why (Updated)

Antarctica Current: Polar How-To-Guide Heads-Up

HumanEdgeTech Expedition Technology (e.g.CONTACT software)

AdventureStats.com for Polar Statistics and Rules. Note that a solo claim has to be unassisted,

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). Claiming to have ‘skied to the Pole’, a full route (from a coastal start point) has to be completed, without flying part of the route.

1 nautical mile = 1,852 km

Hercules Inlet is located at 80°S near Union Glacier, 1130 km from the Geographic South Pole.

The Fuchs-Messner start is 890 km in a straight line from the Pole.

Novo to GSP is 2,140 km in a straight line

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

Gateway port Cape Town, South Africa:

To ALCI /TAC base camp Novolazarevskaya / Novo

70° 46’37”S, 011° 49’26”E