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North Pole 2005: Ladies first! Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen to attempt Arctic crossing
Feb 25, 2005 17: 25 EST
Previously published Feb 9, 2005 18: 27 EST
Polar explorers and former schoolteachers, American Ann Bancroft, 49, and Norwegian Liv Arnesen, 51, joined forces for an Antarctica kite-crossing in 2001, when they traversed 2747 km.
Since then, they’ve kept in touch and done some shorter expeditions together. Whenever they spoke, the cold Arctic was always a hot topic.
"After Antarctica, the Artic is a natural progression for explorers"
“I used to tease Liv with the North Pole because she has never been there - and I have, 19 years ago. We used to say: "Sure, we could go to the North Pole… or beyond, why not? Besides, after Antarctica, the Artic is a natural progression for explorers,” Ann told ExWeb in an interview yesterday.
The women set a date and now they are ready for what they consider to be the most physically challenging expedition of their careers.
"Our intention is to do a land-to-land crossing, but we might get an airlift"
On Feb 21, 2005, Ann and Liv will do a 1725 km ski crossing from Cape Arktichevsky in Russia to Ward Hunt Island in Canada, via the North Pole. Although not unsupported (they use kites and an air drop at the NP), if they succeed, they will become the first women to complete the Arctic traverse.
The real obstacle to achieving a pure traverse is the open water channel that might be open at the beginning of the trip. In the chat with Explorersweb, Ann said:
“We will decide when we get there. Our intention is to do a land-to-land crossing, of course, and we will do our best to find any possible way to ski through it. We also have specially designed Dry suits we can use to swim through open channels. However, if the initial open water is 50 kilometers wide as it was last year, and we see no way to cross it without seriously risking our lives, we will rather be airlifted to the other side of the channel.”
Example to thousands of children
“Crossing an open lead in too dangerous conditions would be irresponsible, not just for our own sakes, but as an example to the thousands of children following our expedition day by day through internet.” The expedition’s daily dispatches are expected to be followed by young students in many schools.
With fierce weather, polar bears, open channels, and large ice drifts, any Arctic expedition is scary enough. However, last year’s tragic events and the length of the trip the women are attempting demand them to prepare for some extra dangers.
Argos for tracking and sat phones for back up and reports
The first problem is communication. Liv and Ann are taking Argos beacons to register their position and send messages, but have been experiencing problems with the devices.
“We’ve been talking with Argos people pretty often during the last months,” Ann said. “They have assured us there will be no problem. However, if the beacon fails, we are taking along two satellite phones to send daily dispatches.”
15 meter sails
The second problem is the length of the trip. Ann presumes it will take from 100 to 115 days. Even though they’ll use a resupply, each woman still must haul heavy sledges over the changeable and often nightmarish surface of the frozen sea of thin ice, rubble, and pressure ridges.
“We are taking along 15 meter sails, but we don’t expect to use them that much, as the terrain is so rough. We could only take advantage of them if we crossed on a wide patch of regular ice, but that we will not find often,” says Ann.
Fast travel needed
If they are delayed, they could find themselves on the ice when Borneo Base closes down end April. From that moment, they won’t be able to receive airdrops or, even worse, be airlifted in case of trouble. Helicopters from Borneo operate from Russia to the NP.
For the second half of their traverse, the girls will depend on Twin Otter planes from Canada. The problem is that the Twin Otters no longer fly to the pole after mid May, so the women must be either fast or self sufficient.
“We really believe that we can finish on time and reach NP by April 21. It’s not easy, but not impossible either, and we’re going to try. However, we will see how the conditions change while we are on the ice.
We will be in contact both with Borneo and the Canadian Pilots, and they will let us know when they won’t be able to land on the ice anymore. If we were delayed, and the pilots could not operate, we would have to make a difficult decision. Again, I must say that we must think both of our safety and the pilot’s, too.”
American Ann Bancroft Bancroft, 49, and Norwegian Liv Arnesen, 51, will make an attempt to cross the Arctic Ocean. They will begin late February from Arktichevsky in Russia and trek the 1725 km to Ward Hunt Island in Canada, where they expect to be by early June. This team will use sails for travel and a resupply.
Liv was the first woman to ski to the South Pole (unsupported) and both women made a 2747 km long kite-supported crossing of Antarctica together.
In 1986, on the Steger International Polar Expedition, Ann and the team skied and dog sledded to the North Pole from Drep Camp (Ellesmere).
There have been several Arctic crossing but only one unsupported, accomplished by Norwegians Torry Larsen and Rune Gjeldnes in 2000, departing from Cape Arktichevsky. No woman has ever completed the Arctic crossing, with or without resupplies. Only one woman has skied to the North Pole without support.
Image of Liv and Ann at the South Pole, courtesy of the expedition.
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| | Arctic wrap-up: Adventure family kites 162 km, reaches halfway point May 23, 2005 |
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