New for 2008! Hear updates
from our clients and guides on the ice in their own words as they trek
across the ice fields of the Arctic. You can listen to the updates right
from this page or you can subscribe to our podcast
and always have the latest word from the poles.
In August 2008 PolarExplorers guide Rick
Sweitzer will be guiding a North Pole reunion on Kilimanjaro.
Check out the daily updateshere!
Welcome
to our 2008 Family Kilimanjaro Adventure / North Pole Reunion! We
have an intrepid team of explorers including Jeff Bradford and his
daughter Whitney (age 17), Rick and Helen Sweitzer and their children
Christopher (16), Taylor (14) and Anna (12). Jeff and Whitney joined
The Northwest Passage / Polar Explorers in 2007 for a special North
Pole expedition. Helen, Christopher and Taylor Sweitzer have also
been to the North Pole, and Rick has been there more times than
we can count! They are ready to begin their quest to reach the summit
of the highest peak in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro.Our blog will include
links to the daily updates they call in from their satellite phone.
August
9:
Success!!! The call came in this morning from the summit of Kilimanjaro,
highest peak in Africa! Elevation 19,340 ft. (5,895 meters) The
team hiked 1.5 hours to the summit for an absolutely incredible
sight. Listen to Rick Sweitzer and Whitney Bradford's live report
below. Congratulations to all team members!!! You truly are all
"10's"!!!
August
8:
In Taylor's words:
We woke up at 4:30 am at the Arrow Glacier Camp to begin our long
day up to Crater Campsite at 18,500 ft. It was a challenging day
but fun. We climbed for 8 hours today. We encountered lots of loose
rock and had to do a lot of scrambling. The view and weather are
absolutely stunning- blue skies, warm, we're laying on rocks getting
massages from Helen Sweitzer. The glaciers are reminding Rick of
the glaciers at Svalbard and the ridge we climbed today was reminiscent
of the Matterhorn and Grant Tetons.
We are now approximately 800 vertical feet below the summit. We
plan to wake up early tomorrow and go for the summit shot!
August
7:
In Chris's words:
Today we climbed to 16,000 ft. and are resting at Arrow Glacier
Camp. We hiked for about 1 1/2 hours today, which was great compared
to our 5 1/2 hour hike yesterday. Tomorrow we are planning a 7-8
hr. hike to Crater Camp at 18,500 ft. And then on to the summit!!
August
6:
HELLO from 15,100 ft. at the base of Lava Tower. Hello to all, especially
my wife!
We had a great day hiking, 4-6 hours in total today. At the end
of it, some climbed Lava Tower to acclimate to the altitude.
We have the best porters and THE best guide in Tanzania, Jonas.
He has climbed Kilimanjaro 250 times, and the assistants have climbed
over 200 times, so we are in good hands. Jonas is attempting to
break the world ascent record (currently 8 hours and 27 minutes).
What we are doing in 8 days, he will try to do in 7 or 8 hours!
August
5:
Greetings from Jonas Rutta, lead guide for the team. We are now
at Shira 2 Camp at elevation 12,800 ft. The views from above the
clouds are amazing. All team members are happy, healthy and strong.
August
4:
Our climbers made it safely to 11,500 feet and their resting point
for night 2. They are currently resting on the Shira Plateau. It
is chilly since the sun has gone down, but they are all staying
warm. Today was a bit more challenging than yesterday, with a lot
more up and downs. They made it out of the rain forests though,
and got some nice warm sun. They also got their first shot in full
of the whole mountain, and it is beautiful! There is some, but not
much snow left now up on the glacier.
Jeff waves goodnight to all and says it was a great day.
August
3:
Today our team of adventurers started out at approx. 5500 feet in
elevation and hiked 4 hours through the rain forest to Camp 1 at
approx. 9,000 feet. Tomorrow they will venture upward to about 11,000
feet.
In the words of their leader, Rick Sweitzer: "Today was a pretty
day, we were up in the clouds most of it. Just finished a delicious
dinner and are getting ready to rest up for another big day. There
are numerous other teams at Camp 1 currently."
Jeff would also like to add: "Today was a great climb in a
beautiful country. It's beautiful, monkeys all around, pure Africa."
2008
Greenland Crossing Expedition
June
7:
Success!!! The team traveled to their pick up point yesterday
at 65 53.773 North, 039 13.239 West and met the charter helicopter
which took them to Kulusuk. They were extremely fortunate that
the weather cooperated- the pilot told them that had it been 20
minutes later, he would not have been able to fly. They arrived
in Kulusuk and thoroughly enjoyed all of the comforts of civilization-
showers, celebratory dinner in the restaurant and perhaps a few
alcoholic beverages. Overall, it was an outstanding expedition.
They had some absolutely spectacular days of weather and travel,
some extremely challenging days, they weathered a severe storm which
had everyone rather anxious and they all worked together as a team
to accomplish their ultimate goal- crossing the Greenland Icecap.
It was a unique situation to have a 10 member team representing
7 different nationalities. Today all will be departing from
Kulusuk, beginning their journeys back to their homes, families
and friends.
Congratulations to all team members on a spectacular accomplishment!
Expeditions such as this require not only good physical conditioning
but can present mental and emotional challenges that not all are
cut out for. Our team did an incredible job meeting all of the
various challenges. We are all extremely proud of team members
Alexander Drozdkov (Russia), Norbert Kern (Germany), Katerina Marinaki
(Greece), Jin Fei Bao and Fei Xuan (China) and Lawrence Lahay (USA)
with expedition guides Mykkel Lybaech and Peter Ignatiussen from
Greenland and Annie Aggens and Keith Heger of Polar Explorers, Wilmette,
IL. Bravo!!!
June
6:
Current position is 65 57.036° North, 039 34.096° West.
The team traveled another 30 km yesterday. They had excellent
weather and great travel conditions. Going downhill really helps
too! They are nearing their goal rapidly and feeling excited as
the end draws nearer.
June
5:
Current position is 66 03.142° North, 040 10.835° West.
Yesterday the team traveled 30 km (18.64 miles) again. They experienced
all different kinds of weather- at the end of the day they experienced
the most beautiful sky they have seen yet. They are now 78 km
from the coast. Everyone is in great spirits as the end of the
expedition is nearing and they experience the sense of accomplishment
from all their hard work. Special update from team member Katia
Marinaki from Greece, wishing a special hello to Rick Sweitzer,
Executive Director of Polar Explorers, who is currently in Crete
guiding a sea kayaking trip.
June
4:
Current position is 66 06.515° North, 040 49.811° West.
They are now south of the Arctic Circle. They traveled over 30
km (18.64 miles) yesterday through very strenuous conditions.
Initially, they had very deep snow but toward the end of the day,
conditions turned icy and they were able to speed along and cover
more kms. They are all tired but feeling the end is in sight (not
quite literally yet but could be soon). They are 30 km from the
dog food cache which is their goal today. Overall, they have about
100 km to go. Live update from team member Larry Lahay (Colorado).
June
3:
Current position is 66 10.717° North, 41 31.951° West.
The team had an exceptionally challenging day yesterday as they
traveled through deep, deep snow. It took great effort on everyone’s
part, skiers and dogs, and they deservedly felt very proud to have
made 27 km (16.8 miles). They woke up to stormy conditions this
morning and were concerned they might be weathered in again. But
the storm blew threw and they were able to get a late morning start,
still hoping to cover 30 km today.
Special thanks to everyone sending text messages- they really help
the team keep up morale and persevere on the long, challenging days.
A very special thanks to John’s 4th grade class who has been following
their progress every day. It means a lot!
June
2:
Current position is 66 13.853° North, 42 07.134° West.
The team is doing very well. Yesterday, they traveled 30 km in
mixed conditions- at times, the snow was very wet and heavy which
can stick to one’s skis and have the effect of slamming on the
brakes. But they persevered and were able to make good progress.
They received an email from Mary D., wondering about the location
of the dog food cache. It is located at 66 03.14° North, 40
10.84° West. From there, it will be all downhill and the team
anticipates making significant progress, clocking away the kilometers,
heading into the home stretch. A special hello to the Polar Explorers’
North Pole team members who are following the expedition- it is
beautiful and they wish you were with them! Annie Aggens wishes
a special hello also to her family.
June
1:
Current position is 66 16.756° North, 042 45.980° West.
The team had another great day of travel, covering 30 km (18.64
miles). The weather cooperated nicely with lots of sunshine and
mild temperatures. They look forward to continuing this trend of
clocking the kilometers toward their final destination. Listen to
the live update from team member Alexander
Drozdkov from Russia.
May
31:
Current position is 66 19.47° North, 043 25.32° West. The
team had an amazing day of travel! The storm finally broke around
1 a.m. to the great relief of all. They had a slow start to the
day as they had to dig out the dogsleds which were completely buried
in snow, break off the ice balls crusted in the dogs’ fur, repair
the tent which had been damaged in the wind- all part of the adventure!
When they started traveling, they had no wind and 100% sun, perfect
visibility. As the afternoon wore on, it became partly cloudy
and they had a slight wind but it was at their backs. They traveled
30 km (18.64 miles) in 7.5 hours- the fastest travel date yet.
All are very excited to be back on the move, looking forward to
more travel days like this. Keith Heger's live update below.
May
30:
Current position is the same as yesterday as the team was not able
to move at all due to the extremely high winds. They boldly braved
the storm and maintained high spirits throughout. One tent sustained
damage in the winds but has now been repaired. The team was delighted
to find the winds died down today and they have a beautiful day
for travel. Listen to Norbert Kern’s report below.
May
29:
Current position is 66 22.869° North, 44 05.288° West. Windbound!
The team traveled in full white out conditions yesterday with winds
of 48 km/hr (30 mph) and zero visibility. They were able to follow
the tracks of the dog teams and kept close together but it was extremely
challenging. After 3.5 hours, they had made 7 km (4.4 miles) and
decided to stop and make camp. This as you can imagine was quite
difficult with such winds. Today, the winds increased to 80.5 km/hr
(50 mph) sustained with gusts significantly higher. The weather
forecast indicates that the storm should blow over tonight and winds
decrease tomorrow. All are well and safely in their tents, looking
forward to hearing the wind die down so they can continue their
travels.
May
28:
Current position is 66 23.598° North, 44 13.589° West. The
team traveled 27.5 km (17.1 miles) with decent travel conditions.
Visibility was limited and the winds were at their faces but they
managed to cover significant distance. They look forward to reaching
the summit soon. All are in very good spirits.
May
27:
Current position is 66 26.12° North, 44 50.11° West. The
team managed 21k after a late start from waiting for the wind to
die down. They travelled through a lot of different conditions yesterday.
As Annie says, "Things change quickly and they change frequently."
They went through sunny skies with a headwind, then to overcast
with almost no visibility. They were rewarded with some tasty fried
tortillas for their efforts.
May
26:
Current position is 66 27.22° North, 45 18.19° West. After
yesterday's forced layover due to 40 Mph winds, the team is ready
to get moving again. They had some excitement last night, when one
of the tents had to be moved in 35 Mph winds to a better position.
The winds have abated now to about 20 Mph with 30 Mph gusts. They
are busy trying to dig out all the dogsleds and tents from the drift
snow, so they can get on their way.
May
25:
Current position is 66 27.22° North, 45 18.19° West. Yesterday
was beautiful with mixed clouds and very nice travel conditions.
The team traveled 30.2k. The wind began to pick up once they made
camp, and continued to increase all night. Once morning came, it
was too much to travel. They've been getting outside to dig away
some of the snow piling against their tents, but otherwise it looks
like today is an off day.
May
24:
Current position is 66 29° North, 45 58° West. The team
is 13k west of the radar site from yesterday. The team spent 2 hours
at the radar site, and still managed to cover 23k. It's sunny, with
a light wind, and the team is ready to go.
May
23: Current position is 66 32.773°
North, 046 27.971° West. Weather's great and everyone is in
good spirits. The team started 10k from the distant early warning
radar site, today's destination, which was set up in 1959 to monitor
cold war activities from the U.S.. Be sure to listen for Keith's
history brief on the site.
May
22:
Current position is 66 40.772° North, 046 56.878° West.
The team had an excellent day of travel yesterday in challenging
conditions. They covered 27 km (16.8 miles) with winds from the
south at 40 km/hour (25 mph). They had zero visibility, making
travel and navigation quite difficult but temperatures were in their
favor, -15° C (5° F) so the colder temperature combined
with the wind dried out the snow and let the dogs really run.
Welcome all NPR listeners who heard Annie Aggens’ (Polar Explorers
Director) interview on the Eight Forty Eight program yesterday morning.
You can listen at http://polarexplorers.com/Radio.htm.
You can text message the team by emailing 881641403334@msg.iridium.com.
You can send a message up to 160 characters. They will be looking
forward to receiving your greetings, questions, best wishes, etc.
The live updates below cover their report of travel yesterday along
with information on texting the team.
May
21:
Current position is 66.48.63° N, 047.27.79° W. The team
traveled 15 km (9.3 miles) yesterday through very challenging conditions-
wet, heavy and deep snow. They had gray skies and very poor visibility.
The dogs were stars, pulling the sleds through the difficult snow
conditions. And the team members all did a fantastic job breaking
trail and persevering through the challenges. Temperatures were
-7 to -4° C (20-25° F) but have now dropped to -10°
C (15° F). All are in good spirits, hoping that the temperature
will continue to drop and bring about better snow and travel conditions
tomorrow. Annie Aggens, Polar Explorers Director, called in the
update today.
May
20:
Current position is 66.53.253° North, 047.45.479° West.
The team had a challenging travel day yesterday with zero visibility,
winds from the SE at 24 km/hr (15 mph) all day, blowing snow.
But they persevered and traveled 22 km (13.7 miles). Temperatures
were warm 2° C (35.6° F) which contributed to the challenges.
Norbert Kern, team member from Germany recorded today’s update.
May
19:
Current position is 66.59° North, 48.11° West. Today is
Larry Lahay’s (team member from Colorado) birthday! HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, LARRY!! He’s thinking about his mother and
brother and wishing them all the best. They will celebrate with
a special birthday dinner tonight. Conditions currently are overcast
with blowing snow, temperature still around 0° C (32° F).
The snow is very wet, tents, boots, everything is wet so moisture
management is a key issue. They hope the temperatures will drop
some to freeze the snow further.
The team traveled 24 km (15 miles) yesterday in 8 hours. Conditions
were very overcast with flat light, giving no depth perception.
This made travel and navigation tricky and they felt very positive
about covering 24 km. All are in great spirits looking forward
to another good day of travel.
The live update today is from Katia Marinaki from Greece and includes
some notes in both Greek and Turkish.
May
18:
Current position is 67.06° North, 48.39° West. They had
a fantastic day of travel yesterday, covering 21 km (13 miles).
They had beautiful weather- blue skies, unlimited visibility, slight
wind at their faces, temperatures still around 0° C (32°
F). They were planning to begin travel around noon today. This time
the live update did record- have a listen...
May 17:
The team called in an update this morning but unfortunately, it
did not actually record... hopefully tomorrow. They also called
in a live message and reported that all is well. It's a beautiful
day- blue skies, unlimited visibility, minimal winds, temperatures
just at freezing 0° C, 32° F. Due to the relatively warm
conditions, they plan to adjust their schedule and travel in the
afternoon and into the night (2:00 PM to 12:00 AM) so the dogs won't
get too warm and the ice will be more solid. We'll
look forward to an update on their progress after their day of travel
today.
May
15:
The team has all gathered in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. They spent
the day reviewing their gear, sorting food and equipment, making
sure their personal kits were all in order. They enjoyed a special
barbecue dinner in a yurt. They plan to get a good night's rest
before their charter flight out to the start of the expedition tomorrow
afternoon. Team members are Alexander Drozdkov (Russia), Norbert
Kern (Germany), Katerina Marinaki (Greece), Jin Fei Bao and Fei
Xuan (China) and Lawrence Lahay (USA) with expedition guides Mykkel
Lybaech and Peter Ignatiussen from Greenland and Annie Aggens and
Keith Heger of Polar Explorers, Wilmette, IL. They should call in
a live update tomorrow. Stay tuned...
This
expedition will begin on May 15, 2008 in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
Check back in starting May 15 for daily updates from the expedition
team!
2008
North Pole Ski Expedition
April
27:
Current position: SAS Radisson, Longyearbyen, Norway! Both teams
are back in Longyearbyen. They returned by charter air from basecamp
Borneo today and thoroughly enjoyed a well deserved shower and rest.
As you will hear from the update below, they are also thoroughly
enjoying their celebratory dinner! Many thanks to everyone who has
helped the teams from a number of different angles- physical training,
mental and emotional support- there are so many who have played
a part in the success of both of these teams. We thank you one and
all! Once again, major congratulations to everyone!
April
26:
The team enjoyed a final beautiful day in camp- blue skies, sunny,
unlimited visibility, temperature around -10° C (-14° F).
They were then picked up for their helicopter flight to basecamp
Borneo. They plan to enjoy a final night of festivities at Borneo
before their flight back to Longyearbyen tomorrow. They anticipate
arriving in Longyearbyen around 5:00 PM. They will have time to
enjoy a shower- what a concept! And then a final celebratory dinner.
They will give their final update tomorrow evening. Here are their
most recent postings.
April
25: The team enjoyed a well deserved day of rest
and relaxation. Eating lots of food, lounging in their tents,
visiting between tents and with the dogsled team at times. They
enjoyed being able to sleep in and not break down camp and hit the
trail first thing! The weather though beautiful for travel yesterday
has been closing in with blowing snow, fairly strong winds and very
limited visibility. A good day to stay snuggled in tents! The
current plan is for both the ski and dogsled teams to be picked
up by helicopter tomorrow around 5:00 PM for the flight to basecamp
Borneo. They continue their southerly drift as they’re camped.
The good news is they don't have to travel back to 90° to meet
the helicopter but rather will be picked up at their camp. They
will spend the night Saturday at Borneo, then return by charter
air to Longyearbyen on Sunday.
Our best wishes and positive thoughts for a speedy
recovery go out to team member John Thompson who flew from Longyearbyen
back home to the UK today. We miss you! We’d like to take
this opportunity to thank the guides- Keith Heger and Dirk Jensen
of Polar Explorers (Wilmette, IL) and Chris Maher of Wintergreen
(Ely, MN). They all did a phenomenal job leading the team through
very challenging Arctic conditions, keeping everyone’s spirits
up and reaching their ultimate goal. And congratulations again
to all of our team members: Adam Cooper ("Coop) (Nottingham,
England), Laurie and Richard Goldsmith (Gilroy, CA), Brian Jones
(Fredricton, NB, Canada), Mike Strong (Wichita, KS), Rafal Szczepanik
(Simianowice, Poland) and Lei Wang (Boston, MA). Job exceedingly
well done!
April
24:
Current position is 90° North!!! Congratulations to an incredible
team on reaching the North Pole today! They had a long, hard day
but achieved their goal. They awoke at 7 AM and reached the North
Pole at 7 PM. They covered 10 nautical miles in 9 hours of travel.
The ice conditions were quite solid. They ran into a few cracks
but again, nothing compared with the conditions they had previously
encountered. All were quite excited to reach the Pole and had
a well deserved celebration with champagne, photos, and satellite
phone calls back to family and friends. They are now comfortably
settled into their tents enjoying the fruits of their labors.
Major congratulations to all on a hard fought victory! Spending
days making no progress and eventually moving backwards is quite
discouraging to say the least. But they kept up their spirits,
kept plugging away and deserve to feel very proud of themselves!
Special congratulations to Laurie and Richard Goldsmith, our Pole-to-Pole
team members. They completed a two degree ski expedition to the
South Pole last year with Polar Explorers and are now official members
of the Bi-Polar Club!
April
23:
Current position is 89° 53’028” North; 039° 01’ 651”
West
The team got a helicopter lift today around 11:30 AM and were dropped
off around 1:30 PM at 89° 47’ 25” North. Conditions were
remarkably improved from where they had been- ice much more solid,
much less open water- a great relief to everyone! They covered
6 nautical miles in 5.5 hours which felt like huge progress compared
with their recent days of travel.
John Thompson returned safely to Longyearbyen and was seen at the
medical clinic. No specific treatment is needed other than keeping
his hands warm which he plans to do. His spirits are overall very
good and he’s talking about trying again next year. Our thoughts
are with you, John! You’re a real trooper and should be very
proud of all you accomplished- we certainly are!
Here the live update below:
April 22:
Current position is 89° 19’ 840’ North, 004° 58’ 102
West. The team took a layover day today to rest up from their
intense efforts at “going nowhere fast”! The Arctic treadmill
is working against them combined with massive amounts of open water.
They are finding more open water than they have seen in the 15
years they have been leading North Pole expeditions. Each night,
they drift further south and spend the day trying to recapture lost
ground, ending up basically right back where they started. One
team member, John Thompson, is having some significant frostnip
issues on his hands and for his own health and health of the team
overall, he will be transferred back to Longyearbyen tomorrow.
The team will be getting a shuttle by helicopter over this huge
area of open water to a position with firmer ice conditions closer
to the North Pole. They will then continue their trek to the north.
Meanwhile their spirits are high as they enjoyed their day flying
kites, resting, reading, soaking in the beauty of the Arctic (and
drifting south 7 nautical miles!). Hear the live update from
lead guide Keith Heger below.
April
21:
Current position is 89° 19’ 840” N, 004° 58’ 102”
W. The team woke up to discover they had drifted south 3 nautical
miles overnight. They skied for 8 hours and had good ice conditions
for the first 3 hours in the morning. They then encountered fractured
open water with lead after lead, basically stopping any forward
progress. These conditions are very challenging physically, mentally
and emotionally for the team. But they’re persevering, doing
their best to stay positive and recognizing that what they’re
experiencing is in the footsteps of the great Arctic explorers throughout
history.Though they stated in the phone
call to the office that they had phoned in their live update, it
hasn't come through.
April 20:
Current position is 89° 20’183” North, 0° longitude
(they are exactly at the Prime Meridian also known as the Greenwich
Meridian). They had an overall amazing travel day with unlimited
blue skies and slight north winds. They are currently drifting
to the southwest.
They encountered several patches of open water and rubble zones
in their first 4 hours of travel. Then in the last 6 hours of
their 10 hour travel day, they covered 8 nautical miles, finding
beautiful pans of ice. They thank everyone for all of the support
from friends and family. Listen to the live update from lead guide
Keith Heger below.
April
19:
Current position is 89° 13’ 664” North. Another rather
challenging day of travel as the team again encountered quite a
few open leads and many "team building experiences".
They were able to navigate around the leads but they definitely
impacted the team's progress to the north. They had flat light-
cloudy conditions with minimal sunshine, making it difficult to
see the contrasts in the snow and ice. They progressed 5 nautical
miles as the crow flies, over 7 nautical miles including negotiating
around the leads. All are in good spirits- tired but satisfied
with their day of travel. Listen to the live report from guide
Chris Maher.
April 18:
Current position is 89° 08' 719" North, 004° 21' 676"
East. The team had excellent traveling conditions today- sunny skies,
unlimited visibility, no wind. The ice conditions were initially
excellent- incredibly flat terrain for the first two thirds of the
day, then they ran into a number of pressure ridges. They did
encounter several sizeable leads that led them on some significant
detours to find spots to cross. They traveled 7.8 nautical miles
including their sideways motion. Their progress “as the crow
flies” was 5.8 nautical miles. Everyone did very well- healthy,
warm and now comfortably settled in camp. They enjoyed a wonderful
dinner of fish sticks courtesy of team member Adam Cooper. Listen
to his live update below.
April
17:
Current position is 89° 04' 116" North, 005° 25' East. The
team had an excellent first day of travel on the ice. As they had
a late night last night, they slept in a bit and were on the trail
by noon. They covered approximately 6 nautical miles in 6 hours
which is a very strong showing for the first day. The ice conditions
were overall very good- they encountered a number of pressure ridges,
some challenging enough that they had to take off their skis and
climb through. The weather was very pleasant- quite sunny, temperature
around -20° C (-4° F), light and variable winds. Hear the
full report from team member Lei Wang.
April 16:
Current position 88° 59' 965" North, 006° 01' 985" East.
The team was scheduled to fly from Longyearbyen to Borneo this morning
at 10:00. They were delayed about 8 hours due to weather. They
arrived at Borneo at 9:30 PM and left by charter helicopter at 11:00
PM. They met the two degree dogsled team at 11:30 PM, set up camp
and are ready for a good night’s rest. They are looking forward
to their first full day on the ice tomorrow. Click below for the
live update from team member Brian Jones.
April
15:
The team spent the day in Longyearbyen conducting final tweaks of
their gear- skis, bindings, sleds and food. They are getting a
good night’s rest to be ready for the start of their expedition
tomorrow. They will fly in the morning from Longyearbyen to Borneo,
then take off by ski pulling their sleds to the North Pole. It
was quite windy in Longyearbyen today with much blowing snow and
the weather deteriorated over the course of the day.
Polar fact of the day:
From 1829-1833 John Ross pursued his second expedition in search
of the Northwest Passage. The expedition was privately sponsored
by gin merchant Felix Booth. Ross and his team of Eskimos survived
4 Arctic winters.
Listen to the live update from guide Chris Maher.
April
14:
The North Pole Ski Expedition is gearing up and ready to go. Keith
Heger, Director of The Northwest Passage and guide for this expedition,
called in the first update to introduce the adventurers and offer
a little polar history. Team members are: Adam Cooper ("Coop)
(Nottingham, England), Laurie and Richard Goldsmith (Gilroy, CA),
Brian Jones (Fredricton, NB, Canada), Mike Strong (Wichita, KS),
Rafal Szczepanik (Simianowice, Poland), John Thompson (London, England)
and Lei Wang (Boston, MA). Have a listen:
March:
We are in final preparations for our upcoming expedition to the
North Pole. As we speak, over 1000 lbs of food and gear are being
packed and shipped to Norway. Make sure to check back starting April
14 for the latest on the expedition!
2008
North Pole Dogsled & Ski Expedition
April
27:
Current position: SAS Radisson, Longyearbyen, Norway! Both teams
are back in Longyearbyen. They returned by charter air from basecamp
Borneo today and thoroughly enjoyed a well deserved shower and rest.
As you will hear from the updates below, they are also thoroughly
enjoying their celebratory dinner! Many thanks to everyone who
has helped the teams from a number of different angles- physical
training, mental and emotional support- there are so many who have
played a part in the success of both of these teams. We thank
you one and all! Once again, major congratulations to everyone!
April
26:
The team enjoyed a final beautiful day in camp- blue skies, sunny,
unlimited visibility, temperature around -10 C (-14 F). They were
then picked up for their helicopter flight to basecamp Borneo They
plan to enjoy a final night of festivities at Borneo before their
flight back to Longyearbyen tomorrow. They anticipate arriving
in Longyearbyen around 5:00 PM. They will have time to enjoy a
shower- what a concept! And then a final celebratory dinner.
They will give their final update tomorrow evening. Here is the
most recent posting.
April
25:
The team had a well deserved rest and slept in till 1:00 PM! They
spent the day lounging in their tents, going outside to ta ke pictures,
visit with others in their tents and play with the dogs. They
had breakfast around 4:45 PM, then started snacks for dinner at
5:15 PM. They were just starting dinner at 10:45 PM- a feast of
cheesy quesadillas and pasta. When you have 24 hour sunlight,
time definitely changes perspective! There had been rumors yesterday
of a football (soccer to Americans) or rugby match between the dogsled
team and the ski team. Excuses from the dogsled team tonight were
that weather conditions weren’t great- blowing snow and flat light
so the match has been weather delayed…. Right! But there’s
always tomorrow. The current plan is for both the dogsled and
ski teams to be picked up by helicopter tomorrow around 5:00 PM
for the flight to basecamp Borneo. Their current position is 89°
54’ 40” North, 002° 39’ West. So the southerly drift
continues with a vengeance! The good news is they don't have to
travel back to 90° to meet the helicopter but rather will be
picked up at their camp. They will spend the night Saturday at Borneo,
then return by charter air to Longyearbyen on Sunday.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the
guides- Tommy Jordbrudal, lead musher from Longyearbyen, Rick Sweitzer
and Annie Aggens of Polar Explorers (Wilmette, IL). They all did
a phenomenal job leading the team through very challenging Arctic
conditions, keeping everyone’s spirits up and reaching their ultimate
goal. And congratulations again to team members Dennis Woods
and Alan Bussey (UK), Scott Anderson (US) and Richard “Rex”
Excoffier (France). And finally the true heroes of the expedition-
the dogs! One team was made up of Ula and Atla in front, Zilde
and Luffen next in line followed by Frost and Rosko and just before
the sled Voje and Grace. The other team was Birk and Skaidi in
front followed by Kubbuk and Brance, then Killti and Lila and finally
Pan and Tress. They all did a fantastic job and thoroughly deserved
their day of rest, lots of food and lots of hugs today. They were
let off lines today in pairs and had a glorious time frolicking
and playing. For those who may be wondering, Voje (the “wander”
dog) is doing spectacularly! No problem letting her off line today-
at Borneo, she had been freaked out by the noise of the helicopter,
planes, all the activity. She now has all her friends and family
around and is surrounded by love and lots of hugs. Updates from
Dennis, Scott and Alan (Susan- you better listen to this one!).
April
24: Current position is 90° North!! Congratulations to an
incredible team on reaching the North Pole today! They had a long,
hard day but achieved their goal. They awoke to blue skies, sunshine,
minimal wind and a sense that this could be THE DAY. The ice and
weather conditions were in their favor and they successfully reached
the North Pole in the early evening. They encountered a few tricky
leads but nothing compared with the challenges they had previously
faced. They enjoyed a well deserved celebration with champagne,
photos and satellite phone calls to friends and family (one very,
very special one as you will hear in the update below!). Major
congratulations to all on a hard fought victory! Spending days
making no progress and eventually moving backwards is quite discouraging
to say the least. But they kept up their spirits, kept plugging
away and deserve to feel very proud of themselves. Congratulations
to our two degree dogsled team members Dennis Woods and Alan Bussey
and to our one degree team members Richard Excoffier and Scott Anderson. And
Scott gets major kudos for being our Pole-to-Pole team member. He
completed a two degree ski expedition to the South Pole in 2003
with Polar Explorers and is now an official member of the Bi-Polar
Club! Bravo to all!!
April
23:
Current position is 89° 54’ 27” North, 40° 39’ 21”
West
The team got a helicopter lift today from the “land of 10,000
lakes” as lead guide Rick Sweitzer described it. He felt like
they were in the middle of northern Minnesota rather than the “frozen”
Arctic Ocean. Global warming has definitely hit hard! They
were shuttled to an area with significantly more solid ice and landed
at 89° 47’ 25” North. They traveled for about 5 hours
to their current position, covering 7.5 nautical miles. The conditions
were excellent compared with what they had been dealing with and
everyone’s spirits are high. They did run across a few leads
which made them feel good that they hadn’t left all the challenges
behind. At one point, they were skiing across water that was probably
frozen within the last couple of days and the ice looked like a
field of Hershey’s ® kisses popping up. The dogs were running
fast and overall everyone is doing great! Hear the live update
from Dennis, Scott and Alan below:
April
22:
Current position is 89° 17’1” North, 008° 118’51”
West. The team continues to drift southwest. They have been
significantly challenged by the Arctic treadmill (drifting south
as quickly as they can make northward progress) combined with massive
amounts of open water, more than they have seen in the 15 years
they have been leading North Pole expeditions. Last night they
camped on the edge of a “lake” several hundred meters across
and 400-800 meters wide. They spent the last couple of hours of
travel yesterday trying to find a way around it and eventually made
camp. This morning, conditions had changed enough that they were
able to continue some progress north though again encountered lots
of open water and a strong southerly drift. Lead guide Annie Aggens
reported that it feels more like the ice is a portage between areas
of open water. The wind has been strong from the north-east (20-30
knots).
The current plan is for the team to get a lift by helicopter tomorrow
over this huge area of open water to a position with firmer ice
conditions closer to the North Pole. They will then continue their
trek to the north. All are in great spirits as you can hear in
the two updates below from team members. Continuing the international
flavor, you will hear from Scott Anderson (CA), Dennis Woods (UK)
and Richard Excoffier (France).
April
21:
The team drifted south 3.5 nautical miles last night which is not
the best way to start the day! They encountered more challenging
conditions today than they have previously- strong winds from the
North, clouds and snow. They have been traveling directly into
the teeth of the wind all day. They have encountered many large
leads which they have had to navigate around. Between the southerly
drift, the leads and the winds, they are finishing the day right
where they ended yesterday which is rather discouraging. But the
live update from Dennis Woods and Scott Anderson below remains upbeat.
April 20:
Current position is 89° 20’ North though they have drifted
south some since making camp. The team reports a wonderful day
in terms of weather with blue skies, unlimited sunshine, white as
far as the eye can see. They did have quite challenging traveling
conditions with many open leads and rubble fields (areas of significant
pressure ridges or big blocks of ice that jumble together). However,
the team negotiated their way through the obstacles and were still
able to cover 7.5 nautical miles (though probably twice that much
once one factors in the negotiations around the leads and up and
over the pressure ridges). Listen below for the live updates from
Richard Excoffier and Dennis Woods.
April
19:
Current position is 89° 15’ North. This has been the toughest
day of travel for the team thus far. They awoke to cloudy skies,
snow having fallen overnight and flat light. This makes negotiating
the varied terrain extremely challenging as there is almost no definition
to the rises and falls of the Arctic Ocean. They encountered many
significant leads, some of which led to several different attempts
before being able to negotiate the crossings. The team covered
7.5 nautical miles which is very commendable in light of the conditions.
Listen to the live report from team members Dennis Woods, Scott
Anderson and Richard (“Rex”) Excoffier below.
April
18:
Current position is 89° 05’ 96” North, 005° 17’ 2”
East. The team covered 10 nautical miles today in challenging
conditions. They encountered lead after lead, some large enough
that they had to build ice bridges in order to cross. They had
drifted 3 miles south overnight so had some make-up work to do.
They were delighted to have Voje, Rick and Tommy join them this
morning by charter helicopter from Borneo. New team members are
Scott Anderson (Pacific Palisades, CA) and Richard Excoffier (Paris,
France). The one and two degree teams are gelling well and making
great progress. It has been a glorious, sunny day with the ice
and snow sparkling brightly.
Click below for live updates from Dennis (two degree team) and Scott
(one degree team).
April 17: VOJE
THE "WANDER" DOG
One of our expedition team members proved to have a more adventurous
streak than we counted on. Last night during the loading of the
transport helicopter, always a tricky moment with the dogsled team,
one frisky female, Voje, managed to get out of her harness. Our
equally frisky founder and trek leader, Rick Sweitzer, immediately
went in pursuit but Voje was intent on her own version of the arctic
marathon, evading capture and vanishing into the vastness. Rick
stayed behind to continue the search as the other team members were
transported to meet the two degree dogsled team. Tommy, our main
musher, was already with our expedition on the ice, and as soon
as he learned of Voje's unscheduled solo trek, he hopped on the
helicopter for the return flight to Ice Station Borneo. Joining
up with Rick, they both spent the night out on the ice searching
for her on skis and skidoo, seeing encouraging glimpses of Voje
and occasionally spotting her pawprints on the snow. They put
food out on the ice during the day, hoping to draw her near. The
plan was for Tommy to camp out on the ice tonight near the food.
As he was setting up his tent, Voje trotted up to greet him, apparently
having decided to rejoin the "group tour" after her unscheduled
day of independent travel. After 25 hours of searching, Tommy
and Voje triumphantly headed back to Borneo where they all plan
to catch another helicopter in the morning to join the expedition.
But first there are those pesky arctic paparazzi to contend with
- almost everyone at the bustling tent city on the ice wanted a
picture taken with Voje the "Wander" Dog.
We're all very happy and relieved she's back safely.
April 16:
Current position 89° 09' 9" North, 006° 43' 2" East. The
team spent the day camped out awaiting the arrival of the one degree
dogsled and ski expedition members. The other teams were due to
fly out of Longyearbyen at 10:00 AM but were delayed due to weather
conditions. They did end up flying to Borneo late afternoon and
last heard, were on their way by charter helicopter to meet up with
the dogsled team.
Annie reported a relaxing day, weather conditions varying from very
limited visibility (less than .25 mile or .4 km) to long ranging
visibility. The barometric pressure dropped over the course of
the day but seemed to be stabilizing by evening. They have been
drifting rapidly to the west and anticipate passing over the Prime
Meridian overnight. The dogs had a chance to play off leash again
today and had a ball! Annie said it felt more like dogs romping
in a dog park than the hard working dogs they are on a daily basis.
The team eagerly awaits the new members and getting back on the
trail.
April 15:
Current position is 88° 59' 85" North; 12° 29' 98" East.
They had a good day being back on the ice. Before breaking camp,
they had a visit from a solo North Pole trekker, George, from Switzerland.
They enjoyed visiting over a cup of tea and wish him the best on
his continued journey.
They encountered their first open water lead and had to negotiate
quite a detour to get across it. When crossing, Dennis spotted
a lone seal and was able to capture it on film.
The temperature has been quite warm +12° F (-11° C) with
fairly strong winds. The barometer continues to drop and the forecast
for tomorrow is for snow, blowing snow with lower visibility and
a fair amount of wind.
The plan for tomorrow is to meet up with the one degree dogsled
expedition team at 89 degrees. Depending on their drift, the team
may stay put in camp till the other team joins them. They are
looking forward to joining forces with the other team and continuing
their trek of the last degree to the North Pole. Listen to the
live update from team member Dennis Woods.
April
14:
Current position is 88° 51' 06" North, 014° 44' 4" degrees
East. The team took a layover day today but still drifted approximately
4 nautical miles north. They were ahead of schedule and as noted
in yesterdays audio update, had camped at the edge of a major rubble
field- pressure ridges as far as the eye can see. Their weather
deteriorated overnight and they woke up to the tents flapping in
the wind. The wind was 10-15 mph in the morning with gusts up to
20+. They also had very poor visibility. Negotiating through rubble
fields with big pressure ridges is tricky enough in good conditions
but extremely challenging with limited visibility and strong winds.
At times when the team went out to walk around, they found themselves
falling as it was almost impossible to see the contrasts in the
ice elevations. They relaxed in their tents all day and took a well
deserved break. The dogs even had a 20 minute off leash play time
which they thoroughly enjoyed and deserved. The team enjoyed a delicious
dinner of “Spitsbergen Spaghetti” and hope that the weather
will improve tomorrow. The barometric pressure earlier in the day
dropped precipitously but seems to be leveling out in the evening
and the winds are subsiding somewhat. Listen below for all the details.
April 13:
Current position 88° 47' 48" degrees North, 16° 15' 02"
East.
Another beautiful day with great weather. They passed some amazing
ice sculptures. The dogsledding was very fun and Alan reportedly
looks like Evil Knievel on the back of the sled, getting it back
upright after it tilts to a 70° angle. They are drifting North
and East. Click the button below for the full audio update.
April
12:
Current position is 88° 39' 90" North, 15° 50' 99" East.
Dennis Woods called in the update tonight. The team made excellent
progress again, covering 10 NM. Conditions have been fantastic-
veteran polar guide and Polar Explorers’ director Annie Aggens
tells the team it doesn’t get any better that this! And she
certainly knows, having been guiding Polar expeditions for close
to a decade. They report traveling through landscape that looks
close to Jurassic in nature- ice sculptures resembling dinosaurs,
leaping dolphins, big fins etc. Alan Bussey is becoming a professional
musher with Tommy’s help. They are enjoying a fine dinner of
lasagna imported from England- many thanks to Dennis’ wife!
Click the link below to hear all the details.
April
11:
Current position is 88° 30' North. The team had a wonderful
travel day today. Conditions were excellent, the kind of day you
dream about for Arctic travel. Sunny, clear, excellent visibility,
a slight wind from the south that helped push them north. They
did encounter some pressure ridges and had a few falls on the bumpy
ice but still had a lot of fun. The temperature was around -25°
C (-13° F). They passed some beautiful ice sculptures and
frost flowers in the ice. After a great meal, they’re tired
and ready for a well deserved night’s sleep.
April
10:
Alan Bussey (Berkshire, UK) called in the update today- click below
to listen. The team was ready and eagerly awaiting their charter
flight from Longyearbyen to Borneo this morning. They had a very
smooth flight and reported that the dogs all did very well. They
arrived in Borneo around 1:00 PM Longyearben time (all times in
these updates will be local time in Longyearbyen, Norway). They
unloaded and prepped their gear and had a chance to explore Borneo
a bit. They left Borneo around 5:00 PM and proceeded to their current
position at 88°19' N, 14° 22' 06" E. The ice is currently
drifting to the east with a bit of a southerly drift. The conditions
are beautiful- no wind, lots of sunshine, clear skies, temperature
-22° C (-7.6° F). They are excited to begin their official
trek to the Pole tomorrow and look forward to a wonderful night.
April
9:
Dennis Woods (Surrey, UK) just called in an update right before
going to bed. Everyone is all packed, and rearing to fly out tomorrow
at 8 AM to Borneo, the ice station where we launch all our expeditions.
Weather reports show that it's going to be cold, -30° C (-22°
F), with the pack ice flowing away from the pole at a few hundred
meters per hour.
April
8:
Annie called in her first update from the Dogsled & Ski Expedition!
Click below to listen:
"HI, this is Annie, and it is April 8
- the start of the 2-degree dogsled expedition. We kicked off our
expedition with a really nice dinner tonight, and had a great time,
and we're off to bed for a busy day tomorrow. We're going to spend
the day going over all sorts of logistics, and supplies, and all
sorts of things - go meet the dogs, and we're really looking forward
to it. We'll be in touch with more exciting news tomorrow, so check
back in. Bye."
March:
We are in final preparations for our upcoming expedition to the
North Pole. As we speak, over 1000 lbs of food and gear are being
packed and shipped to Norway. Make sure to check back starting April
8 for the latest on the expedition!
2008
North Pole Champagne Flights
Polar Explorers has several variations of Champagne
Flights to the North Pole this year. Some guests are participating
in the Expeditionary Champagne Flight which includes one night at
basecamp Borneo (see update from April 10). Others are taking
part in a special version of the Night at the North Pole Champagne
Flight. This program includes one night at Borneo, skiing a short
distance to the North Pole and overnighting at the North Pole (1st
update on April 11). Then we have the standard Champagne Flight
involving the flight from Longyearbyen to Borneo, helicopter flight
to the North Pole, returning to Borneo and then back to Longyearbyen
all in one day (1st update April 11). As you can see, if you are
interested in any type of adventure to the North Pole, we have quite
an array of options. Just give us a call or send an email and we'll
find the right one for you!
April
12: Special Night at the North Pole Champagne Flight
The team left Borneo by helicopter and put down on the ice at 1:00
PM. It was another beautiful day with lots of sunshine, good visibility
and great ice conditions. Temperature was -23 to -26 C (-10 to
-15 F), light winds from the northwest leading to a slight southerly
drift. They made great progress covering 10 km (5.4 nautical miles)
in less than 4 hours and reached the North Pole. Those familiar
with Arctic travel know that this is a great pace! They made camp
and enjoyed a 6 course meal replete with spicy Szechwan soup.
They look forward to a good sleep and flight back to Longyearbyen
late tomorrow afternoon. Click below for full details (in English
this time).
April 11: Special Night at the
North Pole Champagne Flight
Rick Sweitzer, Cao Jun and their intrepid team of explorers from
China (Li Xing, Yu Liang, Liu Aiming, Zhang Yundong, Wan Jie and
Li Zhenfu) arrived at Borneo today. The position of Borneo is
currently 88 19.88 degrees North, 14.08 degrees East. They report
perfect weather with light winds out of the s
