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North Pole update: 7 hour search ended, sat phone data analyzed
08:48 a.m. EST Mar 11, 2004
In good weather conditions, two helicopters swept the ice for 7 hours today with no traces of Dominick found. The area searched by the rescue flights included the distance she could have covered if skiing unaware of the failure of her positioning beacon.
Experts are now analyzing data from the two satellite phones that she carried with her, trying to track cut off or disconnected calls made by her, for clues of her position.
The helicopters will continue the search tomorrow.
Five expeditions have set out for a North Pole expedition this year, all from the Russian side. Wave Vidmar to be the first American to ski solo and unsupported to the North Pole. Frédéric Chamard-Boudet to do the same for France. British Ben Saunders attempts a first solo, unsupported crossing. Danish/French duo Bettina Aller and Jean Gabriel Leynaud ski to the pole with support and French/Finnish woman Dominick Arduin attempts the first solo, female North Pole trek with support.
The global warming of the recent years have posed increasingly harsher conditions for North Pole expeditions. The skiers have faced more and more water, even taking to swim the Arctic ocean to reach their goal. Some have brought canoes to paddle, especially when going from the Russian side.
Last Friday, a big open water lead just off the starting point posed the first immediate problem for this years expeditions. Two solo skiers, French/Finnish woman Dominick and Frenchman Frederic decided to ski/paddle across the huge, 55 km semi open water area, in an attempt for a clean North Pole expedition (which must start from land).
Dominick estimated that her crossing to solid ice would take at least 2 days. An avid canoeist living in Arctic Finland, she is used to cold and water. She brought 10 kg of snow with her for fresh water, a canoe and a dry suit.
Several North Pole teams reported issues with their ARGOS positioning beacon. Dominick's beacon transmitted only faint signals.
Monday night a storm hit the area. The temperature was -40C/F, with strong winds. for 24 hours. Expeditions reported a drift of 1km/hour (15 miles/day) NorthWest, with a visibility of around 40 ft. There are large patches of thin ice and dangerous ice walls like the one that consumed the Russian Research station.
Frederic Chamard-Boudet, fell in the water and was rescued, but Dominick is missing since Friday.
Image of Dominick and a sat picture of the open water area off Cape Arkticheskiy.
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