PolarExplorers guide, Keith Heger’s Top Tips, Gear, and Menu treats
Posted: Nov 24, 2014 11:08 am EST
(By Correne Coetzer, edited Nov 25, 11:03 EST, Nov. 26, 3:38 am EST) All the ski teams are on Antarctica. The Hercules Inlet team and Messner route teams flew from Punta Arenas to Union Glacier on November 22. Keith Heger guides the team of American outfitter, PolarExplorers. Just before leaving he sent through 5 Top Tips to his team, 5 favorite items in his sled and shared some items on their menu. [Ed note: PolarExplorers is and American company, not Candian as previously written.]
Keith’s 5 Top Tips
1. Trust in your preparation.
2. Be proactive in your actions and listen to your body.
3. Keep organized. It allows you to conserve energy, leads to good trail and camp routines that minimizes drama.
4. Act deliberately in all that you do. From your preparation to each step on the trail.
5. Have fun and make sure to have a sense of humor and humility.
Keith’s 5 favorite items
1. My wife has been baking this unbelievable banana chocolate chip bread for years. It has fueled many a North and South Pole team. I look forward to our treats and resupply bags for this little slice of home.
2. We are taking the Iridium GO! and a Galaxy S5. We will see how it holds up.
3. My custom made Brenig Anorak. Graham and I have been working together on this design that incorporates a skirt which can be folded up easily and stuffed with extra insulation around the waist and thigh area. [Ed note Nov. 26, 3:38 am EST, correction: The outdoor clothing company is Bernig not Brening as previously written.]
4. The Ibex Tuck SoftShell wool pants. The weight and warmth are ideal for the demands of polar travel.
5. I have been traveling with a small foil kite, a novelty item to fly at camp. It's fun to have it keeping watch over camp and who doesn't like to fly a kite! I will have to send on a photo.
On the menu
Our menu consists of a homemade breakfast. A mixture of oats or cream of wheat and oat bran, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk powder. We prepackage them and each serving is about 145 grams and packs about 800 calories.
Dinner is freeze dried with a variety of brands and flavors about 12 different in total.
Lunch is handled by each team member with some basic guidelines energy bars, dried fruit nuts cheese and dried meats. I am most looking forward to the Lara bars on the trail.
Of course we have some special treats to celebrate the milestones and holidays.
Keith Heger (US) is guiding Ian Evans (CA), Andy Styles (UK) and Bradley Cross (UK) for PolarExplorers on the Messner Route starting from the Ronne-ilchner Ice Shelf.
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 (CA)
William (Bill) Morrison (UK)
Tim Garrett (AU)
ANI Messner Route team
Robert Smith (guide)
Arabella Slinger (UK)
Julian Thomas (UK)
Vincent Piguot (Switzerland)
PolarExplorers team
Messner route
Keith Heger (guide)
Ian Evans (CA)
Andy Styles (UK)
Bradley Cross (UK)
Note: Messner Route starts at Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf.
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
Charles Werb
Adrian McCallum (leader)
Jon Moody
Previous
Winds testing the South Pole skiers and kiters
Kenn Borek stops supporting North Pole expeditions
“While it is a risk, that is part of the appeal”, Bob Maxwell to sail and skidoo to the South Pole
2014 South Pole expedition list
ExplorersWeb Interviews
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
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 Base to South Pole of Inaccessibility (POI) 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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courtesy Keith Heger, SOURCE
courtesy Keith Heger, SOURCE
courtesy Map compiled by ExplorersWeb, SOURCE