North Pole Russia: It's over - all teams evacuated!
Apr 2, 2005 18: 02 EST
Previously published Mar 31, 2005 15: 49 EST
Here's a first detailed report, this one from Ann Daniels home team:
Ann is evacuated from the ice. Her dream of reaching the Geographic North Pole is shattered.
After 20 days struggling against the Arctic elements, polar bears and Russian bureaucracy, this morning Ann was given no choice but to climb aboard a helicopter and be flown from the ice. She had thought that the helicopter was flying in to resupply her.
Ann has been on the ice for 20 days and in that time covered 121 nautical miles. This left 399 nautical miles to go, a realistically obtainable target in the 40 days remaining to her. But, at 08:00 GMT this morning she was informed that her dream, of being the first woman to have walked to The Geographic North Pole solo, was not to be.
A phone call
Due to strong head winds and wind shattered ice, Ann endured the hardest day of her expedition yesterday, travelling only 8 nautical miles in her 11 hour walking day. This morning she was waiting in her tent for her food resupply to be air lifted in. Two hours before the drop was due, she got a phone call to say that the helicopter was actually coming in to lift her off the ice and take her back to Siberia.
Safety procedures would potentially be jeopardised
A little over 36 hours ago, Ann’s base team were made aware that because of a conflict in the region between logistics operators, the expedition's safety procedures would potentially be jeopardised.
Subsequently Ann’s base team were notified very late last night that a decision had been made by her logistics organisation, Cerpolex, in conjunction with the Khatanga organisation and Government of Taymir to evacuate all expeditions travelling from Russia to the North Pole.
Differences had not been resolved
This was an escalation of the problems which arose in Krasnoyarsk and Khatanga delaying her expedition by 16 days at the departure. Unbeknown to Ann these differences had not been resolved and ultimately resulted in the evacuation plan implemented today.
Ann is safe yet very, very disappointed that her dream to reach the North Pole have been cut short in such a manner. Ann feels that she gave her all every day for the first 20 days and that had she been given the opportunity, she would have been able to reach her goal.
Ann is now safely on land in Sredney, northern Siberia. She flies onto Khatanga tomorrow and home, to be reunited with her family and friends, towards the end of next week.
In a repeat of last year, this year's North Pole teams organized by French outfitter Cerpolex, suffered extended delays before they were airlifted to the ice.
In a recent Moscow meeting between polar veterans, local personnel and authorities, it was revealed that Cerpolex held no agreement with the Borneo Base for monitoring and rescue of the current expeditions. All in all 26 people discussed the situation of permits and the preparations to build the Borneo Base. The Border Guard Administration and FSS of Russia confirmed that Cerpolex did not conclude any agreements with Center Polius concerning the use of Borneo for monitoring and rescue (if necessary) of the expeditions. This could potentially become hazardous for the teams who had started out from Arcticheskiy.
To avoid this situation in the season of 2006,the authorities ordered all permitting organizations to develop strict rules within the next month for all North Pole logistics operators; primarily focusing on the operators obtaining all the permits requested by Russian law. Authorities are now calling for regulations of the NP tourism industry, and for Bernard Buigues - the chief of Cerpolex - to be banned from the area altogether.
Image courtey of Ann Daniels home team.
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