UPDATED: Johanna calling in; Risto at the Pole; medical assessments

The new Female Solo Speed Ski World Record holder, Johanna Davidsson, talks to us from the South Pole. Solo skier Risto Hallikainen considers his return options. Little wind hampers Mike Horn’s progress.

Update December 31, 2016:

Ryan Waters and team arrived at the South Pole 2016-12-30 Time: 21:17Z

Risto messaged Exweb/Pythom that he is on his way back. He is skiing back to Hercules Inlet (1130 km). Vesa gives us more info: “Things seem to happen in the fast track now: Risto started his return journey on 30th, He said he recovered quickly and got permission after one day of rest as well. So all well there! I assume he got extra food from Pole as he reported he has 6500 kcal per day from now on.”

Johanna has also started her return to Hercules Inlet, skiing the first day, as there was almost no wind to use her kites. She left Thursday afternoon, December 29. Ysterday though, she got wind and covered 57 km.

Mike Horn got wind and covered 205 km with his kites.

Story December 29, 2016:

“Hello, it’s Johanna Davidsson, calling from the South Pole.” The same cheerful voice as over her voice dispatches sounds familiar at Exweb’s Polar office. The satellite connection was not good, but she could share a few of her experiences.

Johanna contributed her success to the fact that for her, it was great to be out there, she was happy and efficient. She had no big problems with her equipment. The weather was good most of the time, except for the last week. She found the last week, and towards the end, tough. Arriving at the South Pole, she was very pleased that Hannah McKeand (the former WR holder) greeted her there. It was not their first meeting, they had met in Norway earlier this year, said Johanna.

Johanna said when she realized she could break the Solo Female World Record, she became excited, but were unsure if it would happen, up to the end.

What she didn’t expect in Antarctica was how warm the tent was at night time. With the 24 hour daylight, the sun warmed the tent above freeze point, while she is used to cold dark tents on the snow in Scandinavia.

Johanna said her favorite items in her sled is her ladies funnel to be used when she made a toilet stop, her down jacket, the surprises family sent with for her to open on route, and not t forget, her down skirt, which she was wearing every day, and surely will do when she has to keep in mind the wind-chill from the kiting. Her sled with the added skis worked well for the man-hauling [woman-hauling], but she got another sled which is suitable for kite-hauling. We talked yesterday and she said there was a possibility for favorable kiting winds that would take her out of the South Pole by the evening (Chilean time).

Exweb South Pole Interview with Johanna Davidsson: kite return attempt

Risto Hallikainen (FI) arrived at the South Pole on Day 44. He started on November 15 with a sled of nearly 180 kg, pack with provisions and equipment for a return journey without resupplies. Vesa Luomala reported from Finland to Explorersweb Pythom, “I got confirmation from Risto, he arrived at the South Pole on 28th, evening (Chile time). He also confirmed he is requested to wait for 3 days for doctor’s clearance before he can continue back to Hercules Inlet.”

Risto Hallikainen, solo South Pole return ski attempt (Interview)

Other news:

Hercules Inlet 80ºS start point unassisted to the Pole

Sébastien Lapierre (CA) used good weather to gain more miles, per day, 31.4 km and 30.34 km. Latest distance was 29.13 km, he covered good ground in the morning, but a white-out set in and slowed him down in the afternoon. He is now entering the sastrugi fields in 87 degrees. Location Dec 29, 2016, 4:05:30 UTC Elevation: 7,024.05 ft. Lat: 87.002073 Lon: 081.748860

Małgorzata Wojtaczka (PL) 25.12.2016. 85° 08.258S, 080° 49.231W

Hercules Inlet traverse to Shackleton Glacier – resupplied at SP

Lou Rudd (leader), Oliver Stoten, Chris Brooke, Alex Brazier, and James Facer-Childs (ALL UK): The Army Reservists have left the South Pole and did 10.5 nm in 7 hours of nice conditions and lovely weather. Alun George is not joining them. He said he had “an extremely tough journey so far, and have had to push myself physically and mentally than I have ever had to do before. Having reached the Pole, we all had a medical assessment and it was found that I’ve lost a significant amount of muscle mass.” The doctor advised him not to continue.

Interactive Map: Antarctica Skiing Routes

2016-17 Antarctica Ski Expedition List – updated

Rerun – AdventureStats Special: What is Solo?

Fuchs-Messner 82ºS start point unassisted to the Pole

Ryan Waters (US) guiding for Mountain Professionals: Katrina Follows (England, lives in Chamonix), Paul Adams (USA) and Scott Kress (CA): Well into the Last Degree. 2016-12-28 Time: 21:17Z Latitude: -89.632215, Longitude: -080.256843 Altitude: 2766 meter.

S70.1015 W009.8249 start point, unassisted kite-support Start December 12, 2016

Mike Horn (ZA/CH) Two weeks since he had left his boat, with a sled weighing 210 kg. Mike had covered 671 km by Christmas Day, when a bird visited him. The 26th was a beautiful day, nice and cold but without wind. He only managed to do 26km, Tue Dec 27, 07:24pm lat -76.3833 lon 010.4167: He was up early when the light wind started blowing. It only lasted for 5 min and it dropped. “I was ready but nowhere to go. Managed to do 15km through very crusty on top and deep snow below the crust on flat terrain.”

Reedy Glacier 85ºS unassisted, Eric Philips (AU) guide, Rob Smith (UK) and Keith Tuffley:

We ski four sessions daily – 2.5 hours, 2, 2 and 2, reported Eric. Weather is good. Sastrugi are flat, says Rob, but they are making his cycling challenging, says Keith. Camp 22 Elevation: 2910 m Latitude: 88° 1’ 43” South Longitude: 127° 10’ 15” West

Hercules Inlet to South Pole – emergency assisted Emma Kelty (UK): On the 27th she was “a few days away” from the Pole.

Fuchs-Messner route to South Pole – 890 km assisted (three resupplies), Carl Alvey (UK) guiding for ALE, Bob Maxwell (NZ) arrived at the Pole on December 27, according to ALE.

Novolazarevskaya to South Pole snowmobile return 4280km

Patrick “Pata” Degerman (Fi, leader), Pekka Ojanpää (FI), Mika Listala (FI), and Jón Ólafur Magnusson (IS) Temperatures had fallen to -40 at an altitude of 4,440m. The wind and the extreme cold weather combined with the many sastrugi cracked one of the skis under their biggest sled, which carried about 30% of their weight. “So this means that we have to turn around even if our Lynx Commander snowmobiles have been working excellently,” reported Pata. “It’s mentally tough, but then again these hard decisions sometimes have to be made. We don’t have too many options at the moment, and we will not take a risk of more things going wrong. Even if we cannot reach the South Pole, the adventure is not over. We will ride back with all our gear and then we’ll move towards the mountains to try to climb a first ascent.”

Follow team blogs in the Dispatch stream on pythom.com

South Pole 2016-17 Interviews on Explorersweb/Pythom:

Exweb South Pole Interview with Johanna Davidsson: kite return attempt

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)

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

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

Previous/Related on Explorersweb/Pythom:

Solo Lady outruns British Army, again

Johanna Davidsson set New Solo Female Speed Record

Editorial: Might is The Answer to Why (Updated)

Johanna in reach of World Record; Horn, a cat with 9 lives

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