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Breaking news: Kites on Ice MADE IT!
Jan 11, 2005 12: 41 EST
It's a beauty! The kids, their mom and a couple of British friends just completed one of the most clean and remarkable expeditions in South Pole expedition history.
Today at 3.30PM (UK time) the team successfully completed their 70-day, 1,380-mile (2,220 km) expedition that started on the Antarctic coast at Hercules Inlet on November 2, reached the South Geographic Pole on December 23 and finished back at the coast at Hercules Inlet today.
Only ones left
The boldest SP expedition of 2004, these kids, their mom and two friends were skiing from Hercules Inlet unsupported to the Pole - the only full distance unsupported expedition left this year after all other aborted their attempts.
104 nm (192.73 km) in one day
Once there, they took out their kites - and flew back round the clock all the way to Hercules Inlet at Antarctica's coast.
Only a few days ago, they kited for 12,4 hours, covering a distance of 104 nm (192.73 km)! That's incredible, even more so when considering the physical exhaustion the skiers faced after their initial unsupported trek to the pole.
The only guide in the world of unsupported expeditions
With this, Matty is the first American to ski unsupported to the South Pole. Her kids are the youngest to ski to the Pole supported or unsupported. Matty is also the only guide in the world of unsupported expeditions.
Hilary and Conrad have accomplished the longest Antarctica/South Pole expedition undertaken by a Brit without the use of motorized vehicles.
And the entire gang has done the first full return trip on skis.
A long, long trek
Their entire trek was 31 miles (50 km) longer than that made by Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud in an Antarctic traverse from Berkner Island to the Ross Ice Shelf in 1993.
If you skip all tractor, ski-doo and dog expeditions, Antarctica has only been crossed by 10 people. Although those traverses were longer, they all used kites from start to end.
Team ExplorersWeb would like to extend our big congratulations to an outstanding performance and our thanks for a wonderful ride!
Canadian/US polar veteran Matty McNair, 53, was leading daughter Sarah (18) and son Eric (20). Joining the expedition were Hilary and Conrad Dickinson.
A business, two kids, and The Poles - polar guide, Matty McNair does it all. She is the world's foremost polar guide and the first American to ski unsupported to the Pole.
Matty wrote an excellent book about the first woman’s expedition that she and Canadian Denise led to the North Pole (supported). The other women went in a relay, and Matty/Denise were the only one to ski the entire distance. Yet the other women asked the two guides to step out of the picture shots at the NP arrival. When asked about this incidence, Matty said: It really does not bother me. What is important to me is that I know that I did a good job."
Only last fall, Matty guided an all-male group to the South Pole.
Eric lives out on the east coast, studying engineering at Acadia University, thinking of continuing into design or architecture. However he is much more interested in computer graphics. When there is no wind for kiting, he spends his time in front of his computer designing web sites.
Sarah is the youngest on the team, recently turned 18. Feisty and keen to try everything, she tried kayaking in the Canadian junior National, ("I swam"). She loves to snow board ("getting up my courage to do the half-pipe") and have ice climbed with mom. Favo music group: Red Hot Chile Peppers.
Conrad Dickinson (49) relishes the challenge of running his own businesses, but his heart is in the outdoors. He especially enjoys encouraging young people to develop their potential.
Hilary Dickinson (51) is from Hexham in the northeast of England. She likes to do triathlons, bike time trials and fell running.
Did you know?
Sarah and Eric are Paul Landry's kids. Paul is currently leading the Perpetual challenge (TransAntarctica, 1600 km).
Denise was guiding the current supported team including Hannah and Craig.
There has never been a return trip Hercules Inlet-SP-Hercules Inlet on skis. The closest were Marco Cornelissen and Wilco Van Rooijen (NL) in their awesome but shorter Patriot Hill-SP-Patriot Hill trip in 2000. They too skied in and sailed out.
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| OneWorld expedition: It's over Jun 3, 2005 | | Vancouver to Moscow - 1 year anniversary! Jun 2, 2005 | | Arctic wrap-up: The Single ski Weight Watchers Greenland program Jun 1, 2005 | | Arctic wrap-up: Rain and world record May 31, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week in Review May 30, 2005 | | 12 year old doing well on Greenland ice cap crossing May 27, 2005 | | Vagabond update - Polar bears, 200 candles and ice melting in Inglefieldbukta May 26, 2005 | | Arctic wrap-up: Polar hygiene, and Napoleon on ice May 26, 2005 | | Contact GEO hits Greenland May 25, 2005 | | Iridium: "Invalid battery - matches found, 0" May 24, 2005 |
| | Arctic wrap-up: Adventure family kites 162 km, reaches halfway point May 23, 2005 |
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