Rowing Team Preps For Arctic Ocean Crossing

A team of American adventurers is preparing to take on the Arctic Ocean next year, and if successful in their venture, they will become the first group to row non-stop across that body of water. That aptly named Arctic Row 2012 is scheduled to get underway in July of next year, and if you're looking for something to do next summer, maybe you can join the expedition.

The team of rowers currently consists of Paul Ridley, Collin West, and Neal Mueller. All three already have some impressive credits on their adventure resumes. Ridley, for example, has already rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean, while West is a top adventure racer, and Mueller has climbed the Seven Summits and swam the English Channel. They're hoping to add a fourth member to the squad before they embark and interested parties are encouraged to e-mail team@arcticrow.com for more information.

The row will begin in Olafsfjorour, Iceland and end in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. The team will cover approximately 1100 miles and expect to be done in 20-30 days depending on weather conditions. To accomplish that goal, the four-man team will row non-stop, 24-hours a day, with two-man rotations spending two hours on the oars at any given time. Their specially designed boat has been built to take on the rigors of the Arctic Ocean and features two cabins – one for the crew to sleep in and one to store their gear.

While the team does plan to row the Arctic Ocean in the July, that doesn't mean that the conditions will be all that easier to endure. Even in the height of summer, temperatures will hover around freezing and the water will be colder still. High winds, choppy seas, and unexpected storms will all conspire to thwart their progress, which is why no one has ever made this journey before now.

I'll follow-up on the expedition as we get closer to the launch next July and follow along with the team as they make their crossing. It should definitely be one adventure to keep our eyes on.

Row To The Pole Team Reaches Destination

A few weeks back I posted a story about the Row To The Pole Team, which was made up of six crew members who were attempting to become the first people to row to the Magnetic North Pole. At the time, they were just setting out from Resolute Bay, Canada and were taking to the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. Now, more than three weeks later, they are approaching the finish line.

The team, which is led by polar explorer Josh Wishart, has battled cold weather, high winds, and plenty of drift ice on the way to their destination. In total, they will have covered approximately 450 miles on their way to the Pole, which is located in the waters of the Arctic Ocean itself. Reading the updates from their blog, it is clear that his hasn't been an easy trip, as weather conditions haven't been favorable much of the time.

Officially, the team is rowing to the GPS coordinates of 78°35.7N 104°11.9W, which is actually the location of the Magnetic North Pole back in 1996. Unlike the Geographic North Pole, which is located at 90ºN, the Magnetic Pole is moving, and has continued to do so for some time. Now, 15 years after it was recorded at this location, it has now drifted further north and east. In 2005, the Pole was estimated to be located at 82.7°N 114.4°W, and is now believed to be moving towards Russia at a speed of about 35 miles per year. That means that the destination that the team is actually rowing to is nowhere near where the atual Magnetic North Pole is located. This has, as you can imagine, caused a stir amongst some in the adventure community.

So, while I congratulate the team on reaching their destination, as rowing through the Arctic Ocean is never an easy feat, I can't help but wonder what it is they have actually accomplished. They did reach a point on the map, but that point doesn't really hold any kind of significant relevance to any other. I salute their adventurous spirit and attitude, and I commend them for facing the elements to complete their voyage, but I'm not sure that they actually achieved what they set out to do, which is to Row To The Pole.

The video below shows what the conditions are like for them today as they approach the finish. They've left behind much of the ice and the winds have calmed some as well.

The Row To The Pole Is Underway!

Over the weekend the Row to the Pole expedition officially got underway when the six-man crew, led by polar explorer and ocean rower Jock Wishart, set off from Resolute Bay in Canada. The team will now spend an estimated six weeks out on the Arctic Ocean, as they attempt to complete the first journey to the Magnetic North Pole by rowboat.

Wishart is joined on this journey by veteran sailors and explorers that include Mark Delstanche, Billy Gammon, Rob Sleep, David Mans, and Mark Beaumont. The team will row in three-hour shifts with the hopes of covering the 450-mile distance in as short of time possible.

According to the dispatches on the expedition website, everything is going better than expected at the moment. The weather has been great for their launch, and the winds have remained low, with temperatures in the 55ºF/13ºC region. That isn't likely to last however, as even in the summer, the weather can be unpredictable in the Arctic. Their latest dispatch reports that they have successfully crossed the Wellington Channel, a leg that they had predicted would be more challenging than it actually turned out to be.

Their first two days on the water have been mostly trouble free, with just a few chunks of floating ice to avoid. The crew has taken that opportunity to get use to their vessel however, and they now feel like they've learned the "personality" of the boat, which will serve them well moving into the more challenging sections of the row.

Not to be confused with the Geographic North Pole, which is located at 90ºN, the Magnetic North Pole is the spot in the Northern Hemisphere that our compasses point to. The location of Magnetic North continues to shift over time and, according to the Row to the Pole website,  is currently located at 78°35.7N 104°11.9W. 


Of course, a journey such as this one is made a bit more manageable thanks to climate change, which has reduced the size of the pack ice and made the Northwest Passage more navigable, particularly in the summer months. Still, this will be a difficult journey for the crew the further they head north, and ice is likely to still be an issue the closer they get to their goal. 


I'll post updated on their progress in the days ahead. Good luck to the team!

Mark Beaumont Joins Team Rowing To Magnetic North Pole

Long distance cyclist Mark Beaumont has ditched his bike in favor of a rowboat and oars. The man who once cycled around the world and rode from Alaska to Ushuaia, will set out on six-week long epic rowing expedition to the Magnetic North Pole that is scheduled to begin later this summer.

I first wrote about his row to the magnetic pole last summer, when the team was still being built. The expedition will be led by explorer Jock Wishart and will depart from Resolute Bay and make its way 450 miles north into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. If all goes as planned, the team will set off on August 1st, and they are busily finishing up their training now.

According to his website, Beaumont was asked to join the rowing team by the BBC, who will have him film the journey while also taking his part in rowing as well. The expedition hopes to demonstrate how global climate change has impacted the polar regions, and capturing that on film will help with that cause.

In addition to Wishart and Beaumont, the specially designed arctic rowboat will also be manned by Mark Delstanche, Billy Gammon, Rob Sleep, and David Mans, all of whom have extensive experience on the water.

This should be a great adventure to follow when it gets underway in a few weeks time.  Find out more about the expedition at RowToThePole.com.

Circumnavigating Ellesmere Island Update: Slow Going In Thick Ice

Adventurers Jon Turk and Erik Boomer continue their epic expedition to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island by kayak. The two men set out last month with the hopes of becoming the first team to accomplish that feat, and while they continue to make good progress, the remote Canadian island has lived up to its reputation for being one of the harshest and most challenging environments on the planet.

In late May, Jon and Erik reached the Eureka Weather Station after covering 338 nautical miles in just 23 days. At that point, they were on schedule and well situated to continue their journey. Now, a couple of weeks later, their experiencing the harsher conditions of the arctic, as the cold weather has kept the pack-ice from breaking up, and slowed their progress significantly. In fact, in their latest blog update, we're told that progress could slow to as little as 1/2 mile per day, thanks to the very thick and dense ice that refuses to break-up thus far this year.

The expedition has reached a critical point, as the two men have rounded the northwest corner of the island in what is considered the most treacherous leg of the journey. Because of the conditions there, and the fact that they expect progress to be slow, Jon and Erik are now carrying 50 days worth of food with them, just in case it is some time before they can restock their supplies. They're hoping that the warmer weather will arrive soon however, opening up the passages through the ice and speeding their progress.

Ellesmere is part of the the Queen Elizabeth Islands and is located in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. In order to successfully circumnavigate the island, Jon and Erik will need to cover 1485 miles, which is expected to take them roughly 100 days to complete.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Explorers Off The Ice

The 2011 Catlin Arctic Survey came to an official end last week when the Explorers Team was finally picked up from the ice. That team, consisting of Ann Daniels, Tyler Fish, Adrian McCallum, and Phil Coates, had been traveling south from the North Pole towards Greenland for the past six weeks.

Last Wednesday, the team had nearly given up on finding a suitable landing area for a plane to land to complete the pick-up. The ice was thinning and there were more and more open leads of water, which made travel problematic for them on foot, let alone allowing a plane to land. While they would, on occasion, find patches of ice long enough for a landing, they were often not thick enough to support the weight of an aircraft.

Eventually they did find a proper piece of ice, and the evacuation plane was able to locate them and pluck them off the ice. From there they were flown to Eureka weather station for a brief overnight rest, before continuing on to Resolute Bay, and eventually home. After two months of travel in the Arctic, they were no doubt ready to get back to the comforts of their own beds.

Their evacuation from the ice officially brings to an end the 2011 Catlin Survey, which focused on the health of the pack ice this season. In addition to the Explorers Team, there was also an Ice Base Team, which consisted of scientists and researchers, who stayed at a permanent base for the length of the study. Both teams collected a variety of data and measurements, which will now be turned over to climate scientists to study. The hope is to get a better understanding of how the loss of ice in the Arctic Ocean can affect the weather in both North America and Europe.

To my knowledge, the Catlin team was the final group that was still out on the ice when they were picked-up. It was a long and very challenging season in the Arctic, and it is clear that climate change is altering the place dramatically. I honestly believe the days of skiing to the North Pole, at least in the classic sense, may be behind us. Yes, we'll continue to see Last Degree journeys for some time, but the big polar expeditions to the North Pole may be behind us. At the very least, their days are numbered.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Heading Home!

The 2011 Arctic Season, what little there was of it, is quickly grinding to a halt, as the Barneo Ice Station closes for another year, and several last minute expeditions had to be scrubbed. As anyone who follows these polar adventures know, this was a particularly strange and challenging year, with no one making the full journey to the North Pole. But the severe, and at times odd, weather conditions didn't prevent the Catlin Arctic Survey teams from doing their job for a third straight year.

For the past two months, the survey teams have labored away in the Arctic. One of those teams stayed at an ice base that was constructed specifically for the project, while the other team traveled by skis from the North Pole to Greenland. Both teams spent time collecting important data on how climate change is affecting the Arctic and the healthy of the ice there. That data will be used in research that will potentially give us insights into how changes at the North Pole can have an effect in Europe and North America as well.

According to their latest blog post, the Catlin Arctic Survey team is now packing up their gear and preparing to head home. The scientists and researchers at the Ice Base expect to be evacuated from the ice this weekend, provided the weather cooperates. With most of their work done, and their ice core samples and other data packed away, the group took time out to celebrate the Royal Wedding today.

Meanwhile, the Explorers team doesn't quite have it so nice. Over the past few days, they've been struggling with finding a route towards their final destination, and as they go, they're encountering more and more open leads, that is to say, large sections of open water. That has required them to don their immersion suits, climb into the frigid waters, a swim across the water, pulling their gear in inflatable rafts behind them. As you can imagine, this is a time consuming, and tiring, process that has left them physically drained at this stage of the expedition.

Despite the conditions, which have included nasty weather and total whiteouts, the team remains strong and focused, with good spirits. They're still heading south of course, and hope to reach their destination soon.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Ann Passes A Milestone On The Ice

Up north, in the frozen environs of the Arctic, the Catlin Arctic Survey team continues to plug away at their mission, despite incredibly bad weather and sub-zero temperatures. While the Ice Base Team conducts their research and takes readings of the environmental conditions there, the Explorers Team is heading south towards Greenland, checking the health of the ice on the Arctic Ocean as they go.

One of the members of the squad, Explorer Team leader Ann Daniels, has just passed a significant milestone. Yesterday marked Ann's 365th day on the frozen Arctic Ocean. She has been a member of the Catlin Survey team for each of the past three years, spending weeks out on the ice, assisting in the imporant research that the organization has conducted each Arctic season. But prior to that, she had already made a successful journey to the North Pole (and South Pole for that matter!) and she still longs to complete a solo expedition to the top of the world. Spending a full year of her life on the Arctic Ocean is quite an impressive feat however, and one that deserves a tip of the hat. Clearly, Ms. Daniels has a thing for cold places.

A few weeks back the Explorers were dropped off at a point not far from the North Pole and they have been traveling south ever since. Their mission this year is to take measurements of the ice and see what impact global climate change is having on the region, and how those changes are effecting weather in North America and Europe. So far, the team has traveled about 120 miles over 25 days in the Arctic, with -42ºC/-43ºF as their coldest temperature to date. This post that lists their stats say that they've also burned a combined 800,000 calories and shot about 28 hours of footage for a documentary on their journey.

The team is now approaching the half-way point of their expedition, and still has a long way to go before they reach Greenland. They'll also probably face more open leads of water as they travel south, but so far everyone is feeling good and progress has been strong. At least while they're traveling south, the drift is usually working in their favor!

North Pole 2011: Update On Prince Harry

Yesterday I posted the scary story of the runway, located at the Barneo Ice Camp, had broken under the weight of a landing plane, which has caused all kinds of trouble in the Arctic. For now, there are no planes getting in or out, and the Russians are trying to find a suitable ice patch on which to build a replacement landing strip. As I noted in that update, Britain's Prince Harry was scheduled to be picked up from the ice yesterday, but he remains with his Walking with the Wounded team as they make their way to the North Pole.

Harry is in no danger of course, but he was expected to be plucked from the ice via helicopter yesterday, and flown back to Barneo, where a jet would take him home. He had hoped to go all the way to the North Pole with his mates, but military obligations, not to mention family obligations, require him back in the U.K. That won't be happening for at least a few days however, despite what the video update below says.

Building a new runway is going to take a bit of time, and the last we heard there was a blizzard hitting the area. That means very little work has been done in the past 24 hours, likely delaying the Prince's departure even further. There are high hopes however that he can at least be on his way home this weekend.

The story of the runway cracking simply further underscores the challenges of traveling in the Arctic. The pack ice is getting increasingly thinner and there are more and more open leads of water these days. If things continue at the rate they seem to be going, we'll all be able to visit the North Pole on a cruise ship soon.

Update: It seems the prince is headed home after all. According to this Reuters story, he was picked up by a helicopter and returned to Barneo late today. The article says that the cracked runway was "repaired," but doesn't offer much detail beyond that. Hopefully they can avoid any further incidents like the one that occurred yesterday, and the base can remain safe through the next few weeks.

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North Pole 2011: Trouble At Barneo

So just how bad is it in the Arctic this season? We already knew that all the explorers traveling to the North Pole from the Canadian side of the ice called off their expeditions due to the extremely bad weather, but it seemed that for the most part it would be business as usual at the Barneo Ice Station. That doesn't seem to be the case however, as ExWeb is reporting that the runway at the temporary base has cracked and broken under the weight of a landing plane.

As I reported earlier this week, the Barneo station finally opened for business on Monday following some weather delays. The base is built each spring to facilitate travel to the North Pole, and in order for it to be constructed, a suitable ice flow needs to be located, and then a team of paratroopers are dropped onto that flow to begin construction. That includes creating a smooth runway for the planes to land on. Yesterday that runway suffered damage when an Antanov-74 plane came in for landing, cracking the ice, and making it completely unsafe to land upon. In fact, the ice broke up as the plane was touching down, forcing it to lift off and return to Longyearbyen.

Apparently the crack is so large that it extends through the entire base and as a result, the runway was immediately shut down. Another in-bound plane was diverted back to Spitsbergen and the Mi-8 Hind helicopters were dispatched to search for another slab of ice to serve as the landing strip. That search is being hampered by weather at the moment however, as high winds and snow have hit the area.

We're told that everyone in the camp is safe and that there is plenty of food and fuel to keep everyone warm and happy. But there are a number of explorers and scientists who are now waiting for an opportunity to get out on the ice. It could be a considerable amount of time before a new runway is ready, and time is a commodity that is in short supply this time of year in the high arctic.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry was suppose to be picked up from the ice today and returned to the U.K. He is now stranded there as well while they figure out the best way to get supplies and people in and out of the region. Current estimates say it could be 36 hours to two days before any kind of resolution can be had.

So, how scary would it be to come in for a landing on the ice runway, only to see, hear, and feel it break-up underneath your plane? That has to be one of the most terrifying things that you could experience. It also highlights once again how much the Arctic is changing. Exploration in this part of the world is going to be very different in the years ahead, that much is certain.

North Pole 2011: Barneo Ice Camp Is Open

Last night the first planes began arriving at the Barneo Ice Camp, the temporary base that is constructed on the ice each spring to allow explorers to travel to the North Pole from the Russian side of the ice. To build the base, a team of paratroopers is dropped out of the sky, and they begin constructing the camp, including building a land strip for the passenger planes to start arriving. The base is maintained for about 3-4 weeks, and then abandoned again for the year, and since it is built on a frozen ocean, the location of the camp is often in flux.

So what's it like to arrive at this base? Check out the video below, which was shot from the first aircraft to arrive at Barneo yesterday, carrying the first teams of skiers, including the Walking with the Wounded team and Prince Harry.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: 4 Day Storms And Moments In The Sun

The 2011 Catlin Arctic Survey continues to press ahead with their mission, despite the fact that the weather in the arctic is proving to be quite challenging this year. The team has suffered through plenty of snow and ice, as you would expect, but the scientists at the Ice Base got more than they bargained for recently when a blizzard raged for four days straight. Meanwhile, the Explorers Team are off at last, but not before conducting the most northerly interview ever with CNN.

As you probably recall, the Catlin team is in the arctic for the third straight year, where they are conducting important research on the impact of global climate change on the ice there. The project is privately funded and broken down into two teams. The Ice Base team is made up of scientists and researchers who stay at the base to take samples and measurements of the conditions there. Meanwhile, the Explorers Team have flown to a point near the North Pole and will now travel on foot to Greenland. Along the way they'll be checking the health of the arctic ice to better determine what impact the changes in the polar regions have on other parts of the world.

Life at the Ice Base is always a challenge of course, but last week it was made all the more so thanks to a storm that went on for four days. That storm brought sustained winds of 30 knots and temperatures that plummeted to -35ºC/-31ºF. Whiteout conditions were the norm, and the combination of those conditions made it difficult for the crew to conduct their experiments and take readings. Those conditions are not great to live in when you have a permanent shelter, but when you're in a tent, they really become exasperating.

The Explorers on the other hand, have made their way to their starting point, thanks to quite an effort to find them a suitable landing zone for the drop off. Before they got underway however, they took a little time for the media, conducting what is believed to be the most northerly interview in television history with CNN. You can check out the video of the interview below. Now the team, which consists of Brits Ann Daniels and Phil Coates, American Tyler Fish and Australian Adrian McCallum, will begin their 300 mile journey across the ice. It took awhile to get there, but the real work is just getting started.

North Pole 2011: Ben's Headed Home For Tea

The weather has apparently claimed another victim amongst the explorers who had hoped to go to the North Pole this season. Ben Saunders has called it quits before he could ever get out of the starting gate, making it official on Twitter a short time go.

Saunders, who hoped to make a solo and unassisted attempt on the North Pole speed record, post the following to his Twitter account:

“Ongoing blizzard at N coast of Ellesmere Island = no flights this year. Time to go home and have a cup of tea. Will update the site tonight"

So there you have it. Ben never had the chance to even get out of Resolute Bay and go to Cape Discovery, where he hoped to begin his expedition. Instead, all he could do was sit, and wait, and watch the weather. In the end though, the weather never gave him a break, and too many days have slipped by for him to safely attempt any kind of journey to the Pole.

Look for updates to his blog tonight passing on more information, but really there are few surprises here. The last report we had said that he hoped to fly out on Wednesday, but when that day came and went without an update, and then two more followed, I assumed that the expedition was probably off. Hopefully Ben can go home and regroup for next year. Perhaps 2012 will offer a bit more luck.

This surely has been an odd year for North Pole expeditions. There will be no true journeys to the Pole this year, and only a few last degree trips as well. This is likely a sign of things to come however, as the Arctic Ocean is getting more and more unstable and the weather conditions are becoming more difficult as well. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The days of going to the North Pole on foot, may becoming to an end very quickly. Maybe even more quickly than I had originally thought.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Explorers Complete First Phase Of Survey

It's no secret that conditions in the Arctic have been especially challenging this season. In fact, there are few explorers out on the ice at all. But that hasn't stopped the Catlin Arctic Survey team, who have returned to the great white north for another year as they press forward with collecting data on the implications of climate change on the region.

Much like last year, the Catlin Arctic Survey consists of two teams, the Ice Base Team, which consists of scientists and researchers who stay at a stationary base, and the Explorers Team, who are traveling through the Arctic collecting data samples along the way. That team hit a milestone on Tuesday when they completed the first phase of their journey by arriving at the Ice Base.

Traveling to the base was no easy endeavor however, as the four members of the team had to cross the Prince Gustaf Adolf Sea, battling the incredibly bad conditions as they went. Over the course of the 77 mile journey, they had to endure -42ºC/-43ºF temperatures, high winds, and blizzard conditions. But that phase of the expedition allowed them to collect important data about the health of the ice in the region, which is a clear indicator of how climate change is affecting the ice caps.

The four explorers, Ann Daniels and Phil Coates, both of the U.K., along with Tyler Fish from the U.S. and Australian Adrian McCallum, will now set out on the next leg of the adventure. That will be a 300 mile long trek that begins near the North Pole and continues to Greenland. Along the way they'll continue to collect data that will be shared with researchers upon their return. That data will hopefully give us further insights into how changes in the Arctic are having an effect on weather conditions in Europe and North America.

North Pole 2011: Killing Time In Resolute Bay

Polar explorer Ben Saunders is still waiting to see if he'll catch a flight out of Resolute Bay tomorrow so he can finally get underway on his solo and unassisted attempt at the speed record to the North Pole. The weather has been a persistent nemesis for everyone traveling in the Arctic Ocean this season, and it continues to keep Ben stuck at the starting line rather than out on the ice where he would rather be.

The window for skiing to the North Pole is already incredibly narrow, and further delays will probably cause Ben to have to pull the plug for safety reasons. I know he is very reluctant to do that, but it just hasn't been a good season in the Arctic so far, and it's unlikely to change in the days ahead. Still, I'd like to see him at least get a chance at the record, rather than just passing time in Resolute Bay

And what does Ben do while he's there? Check out the video below to see how his days have been passed while he waits for his turn.


Ben Saunders - Killing Time from Ben Saunders on Vimeo.

Eric and Sarah McNair-Landry To Kite-Ski The Northwest Passage!

I caught this story this morning while catching up on the latest news over at Explorers Web. It seems the brother-sister team of Eric and Sarah McNair-Landry are gearing up for yet another epic arctic expedition, this time planning to kite-ski across the Northwest Passage, a journey that will cover more than 3000km (1864 miles).

According to the expedition blog, which can be found by clicking here, the siblings reached the end of the Trans-Canada Highway on Saturday, and are now preparing for the real journey, which will trace the 1906 Roald Amundsen route through the Passage. That was the first time that it was actually successfully navigated by anyone following centuries of explorers hoping to discover a way through from the Atlantic to the Pacific north of Canada. The journey will actually begin in Tuktoyaktuk, located in Canada’s Northwest Territories. According to ExWeb, from there Eric and Sarah will travel east through Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak, and Arctic Bay, before finally reaching the finish line at Pond Inlet on Baffin Island.

The MacNair-Landry team is no stranger to adventure. The duo skied unassisted to the South Pole while still teenagers and have also kite-skied the length of Greenland and explored the Gobi Desert by kite-buggy as well. This is another long distance journey to add to their already impressive resumes, and it should be interesting to watch it unfold. There hasn't been any updates to their blog since Saturday, so I assume that they haven't gotten underway yet, but look for them to hit the tail soon. It's going to be one tough trip for sure.

North Pole 2011: Explorer Hopes To Become Youngest To The Pole

16-year old Parker Liautaud is gearing up for his second arctic expedition in as many years. The young man attempted to become the youngest person to ski to the North Pole last year, but saw his efforts thwarted by negative drift, bad weather, and other factors beyond his control. In the end, he came up 15 miles short of his goal, but this year he's back, and looking to finish what he started.

Parker will leave for the arctic in about two weeks, where he'll be attempting a Last Degree ski expedition to the North Pole. But this young man has much grander designs than just grabbing a record for the youngest person to stand at 90ºN. He is also working hard to raise awareness of global climate change, and the impact that is having on our planet, while also hoping to inspire other young men and women to do extraordinary things.

This year, Parker, and his guide Doug Stoup, will also be working in conjunction with the University of Alberta. On their way to the Pole they'll be measuring the thickness of the snow that they find along the way, and will record that data to share with researchers at the university. The hope is that the data collected will help scientists to understand the impact of climate change on the Arctic Ocean, both in the short and long term.

Be sure to follow Parker's progress when he gets underway in a few weeks. He is an impressive young man who seems focused and determined to reach his goal. Even more impressive though is his desire to use  this expedition for bigger things, namely to further his cause and to inspire others to get off the couch and contribute as well. I hope that he succeeds in reach the North Pole this year. He certainly has worked hard enough to deserve it! Look for updates on Parker's website, Facebook page, and Twitter account.

Good luck Parker!

North Pole 2011: It's Hurry Up And Wait For Ben Saunders!

Yesterday I posted a 2011 North Pole update with the news that Ben Saunders was expecting to be dropped off on the ice today to begin his attempt to break the speed record to the Pole. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and once again it is the weather that is making this a very difficult season in the Arctic.

According to an update on his blog from late yesterday, Ben says that the weather window he was hoping to take advantage of has slammed shut, and flights to Ellesmere Island are currently impossible. A weather front over Greenland is causing issues in Canada, and it appears that it will stay that way until tomorrow. Ben does say that he is now scheduled to leave Resolute Bay around noon tomorrow for his drop off on the ice, and if that happens, he can finally begin his long, cold march north.

Saunders goes on to say that this delay should still work with his schedule, although he is hoping to get well underway before the 19th of the month, as that will be the start of the Full Moon. At that stage, the moon has a greater effect on the tides, thus making travel through the Arctic Ocean, frozen or not, more difficult.

For now, Ben remains in Resolute Bay, but as you can imagine, he is eager to get started. Hopefully he'll have a little luck go his way, and he can start the expedition tomorrow. Luck has been in awfully short supply in the Arctic this season though. Like Ben, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

North Pole 2011: Ben Saunders Prepares To Go, Others Evacuated From The Ice

It certainly has been an interesting season in the Arctic. Typically by now, there are usually several teams out on the ice and making their way north, but with the weather has made that impossible, and forced a number of teams to pull the plug altogether. But that hasn't stopped Ben Saunders, who is preparing to begin his speed-run to 90ºN as early as tomorrow.

Ben has been in Resolute Bay for a few days now, where he has been finalizing his preparations for the journey and getting his gear together. According to his latest blog post, he could begin his trek north as early as tomorrow, provided the current weather window stays open. On this expedition, Ben hopes to reach the North Pole in record time, which means he's aiming to do it, on foot, in about 35 days. That's a tall order to say the least, and the conditions are not working in his favor this year. But he's ready to give it a go none the less, and after two failed previous attempts due to equipment problems, Ben is eager to reach his goal. Check out his video "Living On The Ice" below to get a sense of what he's up against.

Meanwhile, Matthew Stowers and Jules Weekes, who were headed to the North Pole as well, have been evacuated from the ice. The two men made the decision on Sunday af

ter Weekes suffered frostbite to his hand. The injury was described as not being serious at this point, but had the continued on, it would have most certainly continued to deteriorate and would most likely would have resulted in a loss of digits. The two RAF officers will now head home to the U.K. where they'll begin planning another expedition in 2012 or 2013.

With the two Brits off the ice, Saunders will likely be the only person out on the frozen Arctic Ocean. If he reaches the North Pole this season, it'll be a truly remarkable feat.




Ben Saunders - Living on Ice from Ben Saunders on Vimeo.

Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Team Is On The Ice

Despite the fact that a number of North Pole expeditions have cancelled their plans for the year, the Catlin Arctic Survey is forging ahead as scheduled. That means, for the third straight year, the organization will have explorers in the Arctic taking important readings on the impact of global climate change there.

Much like last year, this year's survey will be a two pronged affair, with an ice base being established for a team of scientists while a second team of explorers travels through the region. As of yesterday, the research team had been deployed, and they were in the process of building their ice base, which will serve as temporary research station in the weeks ahead. Already out on the ice are Ice Base manager Simon Garrod, Ice Base Guide Carolyn Bailey, Field Operations Manager Ian Wesley and scientist Helen Findlay. Over the next two months, they'll be joined by a rotating staff of other scientists, researchers, and educators.

Meanwhile, the Explorers Team is still in Resolute Bay, where they are putting the final touches on their packing and preparation work. If the weather holds, they intend to start their long, cold journey on Saturday. Unlike the past two years, when the goal was to reach the North Pole, the Explorers Team will instead cross the Prince Gustav Sea aboard a ship. Eventually, they'll leave the vessel behind however, and begin a 10-week long journey south, starting near the North Pole and heading towards Greenland. Along the way, they'll take samples of the surface layers of the Arctic Ocean which will aid in research to determine how changes to those layers is effecting the climate in North America and Europe.

Hopefully the explorers will get to head out on schedule on Saturday. The weather has been absolutely brutal in the region lately, and while things have looked up in recent days, it is always nasty this time of year.