Speed record attempt to solve North Pole controversy
Oct 27, 2004 15: 23 EST
British explorer Tom Avery will lead a four-member team to the North Pole in a bid to solve the so-called ‘greatest polar mystery of all time.’ In this three part ExWeb series we introduce what might be the coolest NP expedition next year, to solve a riddle that has been stirring the Arctic community for decades.
5 final days - one of the big question marks
“We're basically recreating Peary's disputed expedition to the North Pole, same route (Cape Columbia), small teams of Canadian Inuit dogs, sleds built on exactly the same design as Peary's, and 4 food and fuel caches placed at exactly the same point as Peary's (Goodsell/MacMillan Camp at 84.29N, Borup Camp at 85.23N, Marvin Camp at 86.38N and Bartlet Camp at 87.47N).
One of the big question marks over Peary's journey to the Pole was the 5 days it took him to reach the Pole from Bartlett Camp - a journey of 133 miles. If we get favorable ice and weather conditions, we will try to match Peary's sprint for the Pole,” Avery told ExlorersWeb.
Wooden sledges
Their dream is to prove the Peary skeptics wrong and match the 38 day record. In nearly a century of polar exploration, the fastest journey to the North Pole since Peary’s took 42 days. Paul Landry (on a Antarctic traverse this year) used dogs and modern gear such as GPS in an attempt to match Peary's time line.
The “Barclays Capital Ultimate North team” comprises: 28 year old polar explorer Tom Avery from Sussex:; South African born Andrew Gerber, American Matty McNair (Paul Landry's wife, currently also up for a South Pole expedition), and George Wells from Suffolk.
Intensive training began earlier in this year to ensure they are fully prepared and at their optimum fitness levels. The team have also traveled to Baffin Island where they have been using dog teams and wooden sledges.
The team will set out on February 26, 2005 for the final preparations on Baffin Island (Northern Canada). March 12 they will fly to Resolute Bay, Canada and, weather permitting, begin the expedition on March 14. 38 days later (April 20) they hope to reach the Pole setting a new world record and prove Peary right.
Find part 2 and 3 of this story in the links section.
Picture of Tom, courtesy of Tom Avery.
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