First Antarctic skier sets off in 2014-15 season
Posted: Nov 11, 2014 12:12 pm EST
(By Correne Coetzer) Canadian kite-skier, Frédéric Dion set off from Novolazarevskaya to the South Pole of Inaccessibility in favorable winds, his home team reports today. In 14 hours he covered 120 km and gained 1800 m in altitude.
Fred was warned to be on the lookout for mountains and crevasses. Temperatures were between -25 and -30 degrees and winds 40-50 kilometers per hour. He admits his lack of patience when the winds dropped during the day. They reported that he used his large kite without testing it and was dragged several meters. His gear got a beating and a ski binding broke. But Frederic is an innovator, as he told Explorersweb in an interview and he will surely do some repairs. He uses a spare ski in the mean time.
Over at Union Glacier, the trio, Are Johansen and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel, are tent bounded there, because high winds prevent the Twin Otter from flying them to their start point, for the Messner Route to the Geographic South Pole.
LINKS:
2014-15 SOUTH POLE TEAMS
Unassisted Supported
(no resupplies, wind-support)
Solo traverse Novo - GSP- Hercules Inlet
Faysal Hanneche (FR)
Solo, kite-ski Novo - South Pole of Inaccessibility
Frédéric Dion (CA)
Assisted Unsupported
(resupplies, no wind.vehicles)
Traverse Messner - GSP - Hercules Inlet
Jérémie Gicquel (FR)
Are Johansen NO
Newall Hunter (UK, Messner to GSP)
Hercules Inlet route
Einar Torfi Finnsson (IS, guide)
Hugh Dougall
Bill Morrison
Tim Garrett
ANI Messner Route team
Robert Smith (guide)
Arabella Slinger (UK)
Julian Thomas (UK)
Vincent Piguot (Switzerland)
PolarExplorers team
Messner route
Keith Heger (CA, guide)
Ian Evans (CA)
Andy Styles (UK)
Bradley Cross (UK)
Assisted Supported
Return Journey
Tractor expedition (Novo - GSP - Novo)
Matty McNair (US, Expedition Lead Guide)
Manon Ossevoort (NL, Lead driver)
Sarah McNair-Landry (CA, Expedition Guide and Audio-Visual Support)
Nicolas Bachelet (Lead Mechanic)
Simon Foster (Creative Director and Audio-Visual Lead)
Arnór Ingólfsson (Expedition Leader and Arctic Truck Driver 1)
Jóhannes Guðmundsson(Arctic Truck Driver 2)
Non-coastal start:
return journey
Polar Plateau South of Novo to GSP and possible return via POI to Novo Base
Kristan Ficher (leader)
Charles Werb
Adrian McCallum
Jon Moody
ExplorersWeb Interviews
First South Pole skiers on Antarctica
Adventure Consultants team to ski Hercules Inlet route to the South Pole
ExWeb interview with Are Johansen, "snow is the best surface for long journeys”
ExWeb interview with Frédéric Dion, invention and modification for the South Pole of Inaccessibility
Heads up: Frédéric Dion to kite-ski solo to South Pole of Inaccessibility
2014 South Pole expedition list
ExWeb interview with Ian Evans, skier with PolarExplorers on Messner Route
ExWeb interview with Newall Hunter, solo South Pole skier: "pretty hectic last preparations"
French married couple and Norwegian adventurer for South Pole crossing: ExWeb interview with couple
ExWeb interview with Tractor Girl, Manon Ossevoort: tractor passed tests and arrived in Cape Town
ExWeb post South Pole interview with Fagan couple
Lessons from a yachtswoman: Paula Reid to ski to the South Pole
Geoff Wilson’s Top 5 South Pole Tips
ExWeb interview with Faysal Hanneche, "I learned to be patient on Antarctica"
Rules and Regulations in No-Man's Land: ExWeb interview with ALE's Steve Jones
Mount Sidley, Antarctica’s highest volcano accessible to climbers
Polar Technology
Rules and Regulations in No-Man's Land: ExWeb interview with ALE's Steve Jones
Polar Tech Week Roundup: 2014/2015 Recommendations
Your Smart Phone going Global: Review of Iridium Go
ExWeb Special: 2014 Polar Tech Roundtable Conference
HumanEdgeTech Expedition Technology (e.g.CONTACT software)
Related
2014-15 South Pole list - Updated
AdventureStats and Rules of Adventure
Mission to Mars: Stage 2 Report
A journey to the South Pole in a wheelchair
Video: Second 2012-13 Ilyushin-76 flight lands at Union Glacier, Antarctica
Current Polar Sea Ice Situation (Sept 2014)
Animated map of global weather conditions
New satellite map of Antarctica freely available
Antarctic ski/climb/pole/science Logistic Operators
Adventure Network International (ANI and ALE)
Antarctic Logistics Centre International (ALCI and TAC)
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
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.
The bottom of the Leverett Glacier, at the Ross Ice Shelf, is located at about 85ºS, a distance of 550 km from the Geographic South Pole.
Axel Heiberg Glacier start is also located at the Ross Ice Shelf and 535 km in a straight line from the South Pole.
Novo to South Pole of Inaccessibility is 1610 km in a straight line.
According to the Rules of Adventure, 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 (not exclusively ExplorersWeb) 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.
South Pole of Inaccessibility (POI)
2011-12 position:
S82°06.696, E055°01.951
Geographic South Pole (GSP): 90 degrees South
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#southpole2014
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courtesy Frederick Dion, SOURCE
courtesy Map compiled by ExplorersWeb, SOURCE