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Liv Arnesen no stop at Patriot Hills
19:41 p.m. EDT Oct 9, 2003
With several female British ladies trying to go to the South Pole solo and unsupported this year - the question arose; if successful, would they become the first females in the world to do so? A check with AdventureStats showed that Liv Arnesen had done this trip years earlier - but stopped over in Patriot Hills.
Since a few years back, AdventureStats has started to compile polar statistics. The need has been urgent. The adventure world is one where great humans (with great egos) fight for attention, sponsor money and fame. The lack of set standards and checks of proof have resulted in many a false claim and half truths. The result has been that real achievements sometimes have lost respect with a confused general public and media, whilst individuals with big PR staffs got all the credit (and funds for future expeditions).
The task to sort out what actually have been accomplished in the polar areas is not easy. When it comes to mountains - it's pretty straight forward: You reach the summit or you don't. In the polar areas however, there are often personalized starting and ending points, various means of support and rationalized post-expedition goals. Many are upset with false heroes, but fewer brave enough to help uncover the truth. Mistakes in the initial statistics are made and will continue to be made before the reality finally materialize.
One such mistake was concerning Liv Arnesen's first female solo and unsupported trip to the South Pole. Camp staff had it that she had stopped over in the camp on her way to the Pole. Not true, said Liv in her mail two days ago. AdventureStats rechecked with the staff and - in fact - Liv is correct. This means that Liv Arnesen stands as the first woman to ski to the South Pole, alone and unsupported.
We appreciate the effort of the camp staff, polar farers and AdventureStats to sort this matter out. It's a great help to get the facts straight. But more important than the first's and the correct numbers, is the give back to the polar community. Such give back is to help others who follow in our foot steps and, which is more, to encourage honesty and integrity as we go.
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