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The Poles: What's left?
Jul 28, 2004 13: 52 EST
Just about everything that can be done has been done, right? Not so fast. Unsupported skis to the South Pole and to the North Pole from both sides have been done, and expeditions continue to get out there year after year.
In the North, only one expedition has ever completed an Arctic crossing, unsupported, Rune and Torry, back in spring of 2000. These two covered a distance of 1725 km over 109 days. They arrived in Canada wearing only backpacks, with no sleds and nary a trace of all the gear they started out with. The doctor's of a small research station that examined them on arrival said that Rune and Torry were only 48 hours away from death.
In a similar feat, back in 1995, Richard Weber and Misha Malakhov skied to the North Pole, and then back with no Resupplies. While this isn’t a crossing, it is very significant. They covered over 1550 km and were out there for 123 days.
As was shown from the past spring where one Polar skier died and others had to be evacuated, an unsupported ski just to the Pole is extremely difficult – imagine what it must be like to turn around or keep going?
In the Antarctic, however, one major feat has yet to be done – a complete, unsupported crossing. Twenty-eight people have completed a crossing ranging from 2170km to 6400km, but all have been supported either with drops, dogs, parasails, snow machines, or tractors. The 6400km crossing with dogs and airsupport did the long traverse of Antarctica, starting out from the Larsen Ice Shelf and going all the way over to Mirnyj, which is at the 66th parallel and E 93rd longitude.
An unsupported South Pole ski from Hercules Inlet is about 1130 km and takes anywhere from 42 days, the record set this past spring by Fiona Thornewill, upwards of 60 days. Theoretically, the crossing from Berkner Island to the Ross Ice Shelf is doable – at 2170km, it’s just shy of twice the distance for a South Pole ski. Also, if Rune and Torry were able to cover 1725km in the Arctic, 2170km in the Antarctic is definitely within reach.
The ultimate traverse from Larsen to Mirnjy, however, is right now out of an unsupported expedition’s league – 6400km of ice to cover. Surely though someone out there has this project twinkling in the back of their heads. The sheer logistics of it all, however, is mind blowing. This would be almost 4 times the distance covered by Rune and Torry’s Arctic traverse. And they were told that if they hadn’t reached civilization within 48 hours, they would have died. Without some technological breakthrough with food and power, right now it is safe to say that this crossing, without support is impossible.
The question is now, who is going to go for the possible Antarctic crossing, unsupported? Currently, there doesn’t seem to be any takers. Fedor Konyukhov has done an unsupported South Pole ski and a supported North Pole crossing. He is now planning on an Antarctic crossing a year from now; however, it’ll be in a sailing ice-buggy.
So who is in for the last great Polar challenge?
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