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North Pole updates: Ice packs and battery packs
13:30 p.m. EST Mar 18, 2004
The North Pole expeditions have been on the ice for two weeks now. If you last two weeks out here it increases the chance of making it all the way. It takes about this long to fully acclimatize to the polar environment; the skiers go into ‘expedition mode’. Daily routines are done without thought and making progress is the day’s work. Don’t think that everything will be smooth running from now on though, there are still many hang-ups and surprises encountered every day; Severe ice conditions, braking gear and vanishing supplies to name a few.
Ben reports a glitch in his power source, the charger for his iPAQ. But he managed to get it working again. “With nothing to lose, I opened it up with my Leatherman, thinking there might be a loose connection. Only there's a whole bloomin' circuit board in there. Yikes. After a few minutes of poking, I found a soldered connection that had snapped. I knew I had to fix it, and after nearly two hours of bodging with a safety pin, a red hot knife blade, some super glue and a few other odds and ends, IT WORKS!” No iPAQ means no dispatches, so this was definitely a priority for the day.
Bettina and JG report some dicey conditions, like capsizing ice blocks. After finally crossing a big lead they found themselves trapped on an island. In this weather the ice changes by the minute “Just after passing [the lead], the ice behind them started to pack. Huge ice blocks rose behind them and JG started filming it. They could feel the ice beneath their feet shaking. The ice block they had just used as a bridge, drifted into another ice block and turned up side down, vertical. It was only two minutes ago, they had been passing over it!”
Wave made his best distance yet today, and dodged frostbite after dipping his leg into arctic water. “I was lowering my sledges down a thick, angled slab of ice onto a frozen lead when my right foot went through the ice up to the knee! I quickly got my leg out and ran over and patted snow on it to help absorb the sea water. I got off lucky, no water made it to my foot. Expeditions have been cancelled and toes lost from such 'accidents'.”
The expeditions spotted the helicopter today, searching for Dominick and later dropping off the first re-supply for Bettina and JG. No sign of Dominick today; the search will resume tomorrow morning. The expeditions are making good distance so be sure to check out ExWeb’s Expedition Tracker following their progress.
Five expeditions 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.
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). The other teams opted for an air drop onto thick ice.
Frederic Chamard-Boudet, fell in the water and was rescued. He was treated for severe frostbite. Dominick is missing since March 5th.
Live Photo of open water lead and ice packs made possible through ExplorersWeb's Contact 2.0, courtesy of Wave Vidmar.
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