South Pole - Page 4

Project Antarctica: Nothing Left to Prove. Hardcover.
by Grishkov Igor (Author), Klimov Sasha (Editor)

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A group of Russian businessmen, members of the Leaders’ Club, set off for the Antarctic on December 20. One of their goals is to draw attention to Russia’s studies of the Antarctic and to test Russian-made communication equipment in extreme conditions.

Expedition participants also intend to hoist the Russian flag at the highest spot of the Antarctic and conduct a series of medical and biological studies. The expedition involves some 200 people and 34 research organisations.

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PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon. Can you hear me?

LEADERS’ CLUB PRESIDENT, AGENCY FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES NEW BUSINESS DIRECTOR ARTEM AVETISYAN: Yes, we can hear you. The Leaders’ Club expedition welcomes you to the vast expanses of the Antarctic.

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Thank you. Hello, everyone.

I remember you were telling me about this expedition in Moscow, and bearing in mind that your expedition is of a national scope, I would like to recall that our compatriots Faddey Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev pioneered Antarctic exploration.

Besides, next year, I believe, we will be marking 60 years since the first Soviet expedition to the Antarctic. Thus, overall we have significant experience in this exploration. This is a very interesting, unique part of the planet.

Unfortunately, not everyone who wanted to take part in the expedition managed to do so. Only yesterday, I spoke to my aide Andrei Belousov. He is disappointed he could not join you because of his workload, though he had the necessary training.

I am glad that you have managed to bring this expedition to fruition. I know you have planned many events and many people are taking part in this work.

Could you please remind us of what you intend to do, including the testing of Russian-made radio and video communication equipment.

ARTEM AVETISYAN: Mr President, we are actually testing the equipment now. This is the first ever TV link-up between Moscow and the Antarctic. Nobody has ever done it before.

This was made possible thanks to Russian engineers. A large part of the equipment we are using was made in Russia.

We have set camp here, 16,000 kilometres from Moscow, and tomorrow we are setting out to the highest peak of the Antarctic to hoist the Russian flag there.

We have representatives of medium size businesses here from various sectors of the economy, and our goal is not only to hoist the Russian flag, but also to test Russian equipment at the peak.

We will also conduct a series of medical and biological experiments to study human sensitivity to hypoxia at high altitudes. We also plan to collect water samples from the highest peak of the Antarctic. They say it is the cleanest water in the world, and we believe it can extend human life.

Also, it is no secret that for a year now the Leaders’ Club has been making sample purchases. Now we have made a sample purchase here in the Antarctic and found a discrepancy: tourists here are taken around by Russian pilots on board legendary Russian Il-76 craft. However, the travel agencies are foreign, and the aircraft servicing companies are also foreign, while the number of tourists is significant – around 6,000.

We would like to create Russian tourist infrastructure to popularise Antarctic travel in our country. If you do not mind, Mr President, we would like to discuss this with you in Moscow, and if you support the idea, the Leaders’ Club is willing to take on the job.

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Fine, let us do that.

Naturally, wherever you go you always find areas where you can apply your creative and business-like approach. I never had any doubt about that. See, you have found something even in the Antarctic. How are you planning to see in the New Year?

ARTEM AVETISYAN: We should be at an altitude of some 4,000 metres on New Year’s Eve, so we intend to contact Russian entrepreneurs in all the remote areas of Russia. That is actually why we brought all this equipment. We have a Russian-made radio station that we will also be testing. And we will be wishing everyone a happy New Year.

VLADIMIR PUTIN: I see.

I would like to wish you good luck and all the best in the New Year, success in your work and in reaching the peak. Please pass on my best wishes to all the expedition participants.

I know that about 200 people are involved in your work and 34 research organisations have been supporting it in one way or another.

Please convey my best wishes to the marine and aircraft crews. I wish you all the best. Happy New Year!

ARTEM AVETISYAN: Thank you, Mr President. Happy New Year to you!

VLADIMIR PUTIN: All the best! Good-bye and good luck!

Hello! This is Alex Abramov from Antarctica. Today we plan to start to the High camp. We turned almost all their tents, collected products and so on ... packed as horses. And now, after half an hour we will begin to climb in the upper camp, High camp. From which tomorrow, about 9:00, we should start to climb for the summit. Weather is good, favorable ... so all is well. Goodbye! Next link will be .... It is not known when. So Long!

Alex Abramov sent some pictures from Punta Arenas

The whole team of the 7 Summits Club Antarctic expedition gathered at last. Everybody is happy and joyful. It is obvious that everything will continue to be well and good!

Tomorrow it will be a busy day, we have to pack up all things and go to the Island Magdalena to communicate with the penguins.

Today we walked to Punta Arenas:

Alex Abramov,
Dmitriev Sergey,

Kharazova Irena,
Belkovich Vladimir,
Merkulov Ivan,
Merkulov Evgeny,
Tommas Pelland,
Utvenko Alexander,
Janczarski Pawel,
Zimin Youri,
Kravt Evgeniy...

Alex start of a new season in Antarctica. He is flying to Punta Arenas for its preparation. It will be three groups of the 7 Summits Club...

7 summits, Hello! Dima Ermakov from Punta Arenas. Yesterday, early in the morning we arrived here from Antarctica. The weather is fine, the sun shines. Today almost all the participants departed, except me. Our expedition is over. Antarctica will not surprises us more this year. The 7 Summits Club has completed its work on the Ice continent this season. With two successful expedition on Vinson, one Last Degree, and one of the volcano Sidley. So we have a fine finish. We are happy and glad that soon we'll be seeing family and friends.

Best Regards! Dima Ermakov, a guide of the 7 Summits Club

Seven Summits, hello! This is Dima Ermakov from the South Pole. We're OK, yesterday we reached the South Pole. Today we went on an excursion tour of the Base (Amundsen-Scott). It was interesting, of course. Now we are “sitting on the suitcases”, waiting for a plane that can not fly yet because of the weather in Union Glacier. We rest, take pictures. Everything is fine. Best regards!

Seven Summits, hello! Dima Ermakov from Antarctica. Today it was the second day. The first day as we landed, we went a little bit, .... Yesterday we passed 15 km. Now we have morning, today we will have a third day running. All participants feel good. In general, we are all normal. Weather until favors. Cold, true, but then the sun shines all the time. Hello!

Hello! Dima Ermakov from Punta Arenas. Today, all the members have arrived, finally. Our expedition practically already begun. Tomorrow we will have introductory briefing. All products , all things, everything is ready, packed and purchased. Actually we are sitting on suitcases .

If all goes well, the day after tomorrow we will fly. Weather make us happy. Pilots are flying almost every day. So I hope it will be all according to plan and we come in time. All is well, Hello! FromPunta Arenas, Dmitry Ermakov.

Pictures from Vitaly Simonovich, who this year climbed Mount Vinson, Mount Sidley and made Last Degree  to the South Pole. Real master of photo !

Next week President of Russia Vladimir Putin will officially visit theRepublicofChile. According some information he with President Chili Pinera will fly toAntarctica. No comment yet.

Season Wrap from ANI.

ANI was delighted to welcome the President of theRepublicofChile, Sebastian Pinera Echenique, to Union Glacier today. President Pinera has a strong interest inAntarcticaand has made several visits to the continent but this was his furthest trip south (79S) and the first to the extreme edge of the Chilean sector (80W).

The visit is one of several that, according to Pinera, "...symbolize our deep commitment as a country to the Antarctic continent.Chileis going to strengthen its presence and its contribution so that this continent can enable us to address the future and develop science and tourism.” The President has made similar visits to the Antarctic Peninsula with the Presidents ofUruguayandEcuador, all of whom are members of the Antarctic Policy Counsel (CPA).

Part of the purpose of this visit to Union Glacier is for the President to see potential locations for a new Chilean station in the area, to be operated by the Fuerza Aerea de Chile (FACh). During a recent visit toLondon, President Pinera signed an agreement to strengthen scientific cooperation between the British Antarctic Survey and the Instituto Antartico Chileno (INACH).

During his stay at Union Glacier, President Pinera visited the FACh summer camp and met several of our ANI team. He was welcomed in particular by ANI's Operations Manager and our Chilean staff. It was great day for them and a great day for ANI. We’ve gained greatly over the years by visits from Chilean scientists from a number of research institutes, and look forward to continuing cooperation with them.

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The ANI Ski South Pole Messner team has arrived at the South Pole and other expeditions supported by ALE/ANI are closing in. It's been a tough go for many. Early season conditions were cold and windy, with very hard travel surfaces. A number of teams broke sled runners, skis, or tent poles and had to make field repairs of their equipment. South of 85S through to 88 10S, teams on both the Hercules Inlet and Messner Start routes have encountered enormous sastrugi that has slowed their progress. Veteran ANI guide, Hannah McKeand, reported very high, close packed sastrugi, the worst she has seen in years. Not surprisingly, the rough terrain, wind and accumulated long days of skiing are starting to take their toll with many teams reporting aches and pains. But spirits are generally good and despite feeling tired, the teams keep working away to close the gap on the Pole.

ANI SKSP-Messner - Hannah McKeand and Eero Oura

Congratulations to ANI guide Hannah McKeand (UK) her teammate Eero Oura fromFinlandwho have arrived at the South Pole! The two arrived on January 9, after a strong and steady expedition, covering 12-14 nm per day. Like other teams they have had to contend with broken sled runners, the hard, rough surface and enormous sastrugi. They were happy to cross 88S on December 30 and even happier to reach 88 38S and 'very very flat ground'. Hannah has now completed her sixth South Pole expedition, re-confirming her distinction of skiing to the South Pole more times than anyone else.

More about ANI SKSP-Messner

Aaron Solo AcrossAntarctica- Aaron Linsdau

Aaron's goal was to be the first American to ski solo from the coast ofAntarcticato the South Pole and back without aid, resupply or shelter. He set off from Hercules Inlet on November 1, hauling a heavy sled and facing very cold, windy conditions which slowed his pace. Equipment issues and illness further delayed his progress. Unfortunately the slow start meant that he has had to give up the return trip and he is now focused on reaching the South Pole.

Webpage: blog.aaronlinsdau.com/

Ice Ski 2012 - Solo to the South Pole - Vilborg Gissurardottir

Vilborg is only eight days or so from reaching the South Pole. The Icelandic skier began her 730 mile (1170 km) trek at Hercules Inlet and has been methodically chipping away at the mileage, hitting her 20 km (12.4 miles) goal day in and day out, despite the conditions and changes to the Antarctic surface. Vilborg is skiing solo and will be the first Icelandic woman to ski to the South Pole. Her expedition aims to raise awareness and money for Life Benefit, a charity that aims to improve gynacological facilities and services for women and their families during pregnancy, delivery and post-partum.

Webpage: www.lifsspor.is/blogg/ (Icelandic)

Ice-Walk - Roland Krueger

Roland Krueger skied to the South Pole with a Hvitserk expedition in 2005. Now the German expeditioner is skiing the Messner-Start route solo, unsupported, and unassisted. Roland has kept up his mileage despite a broken sled runner, huge sastrugi, and route finding challenges. Between 85 and 87S he traversed east to avoid the sastrugi, found himself in a crevasse field and had to work back west onto a safer route. He's now out of the sastrugi, approaching 89S and looking forward to reaching the Pole!

Weblog: explorerslog.mobi/xlog/index/509

Richard Parks

Wales' rugby hero Richard Parks was the creator of the 737 Challenge and was the first person to climb the highest mountain on each of the world's 7 continents and stand on all 3 poles within 7 months. He returned toAntarcticathis season to ski solo, unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. Richard was delayed heading toAntarcticawhen his equipment didn't arrive in time. Fortunately a friend tracked down the shipment in aUKwarehouse and hand carried most of his gear toChile. He was able to borrow a sled from ANI, fly intoAntarcticaand begin his trek on December 18. Richard kept a positive attitude and has been skiing a strong 17-18nm per day since then, aiming for a 35 day expedition. His daily ANI updates range from "All good" to "Long day, but a good day" or for a change, "Really good day". His January 01 blog entry describes a particularly tough day where he fought his way through wind and white-out, wanting to 'pull the plug' every step of the way, then ends with this summary, "I am shattered. Sometimes mountains, the outdoors, nature, gives you an experience that just hits a little deeper than normal, that was one today it was an awesome experience."

Webpage: www.richardparks.co.uk

Cycle South - Eric Larsen

Polar Explorer Eric Larsen has previously skied to both the North and South Poles, including guiding a trip for ANI in 2008. He was hoping to complete the first bicycle traverse from the coast ofAntarcticato the South Pole and back to raise money for the Davis Phinney Foundation and their efforts to use bicycles to help improve the lives of those who live with Parkinson's. www.davisphinneyfoundation.org/giving/donate/ Unfortunately, after just eight days, he had to make the difficult decision to turn around and head back to the coast.

"I had been making steady progress south (20-25nm per day) for the past eight days and travel has been difficult but not impossible...as I started to calculate my mileage south of 85 degrees, I realized that due to an increased amount of climbing, headwinds, and consequently sastrugi and drifts, my daily mileage would realistically be closer to 10 nautical miles per day. At that rate, my chances of making the pole before my food ran out (as well as the end of the season) would be zero - meaning a costly extraction by ALE somewhere before the pole. Now I've taken a lot of chances in all kinds of shapes and forms but this was not a chance I was willing to take. I cried in my tent for a long time when I finally decided.

I made one last attempt at biking south before crashing in the soft snow, I yelled and screamed and punched my fist in the snow. I was exasperated. Then, I got up and looked around. The wind had picked up substantially, but all around there was just snow. Just like always.Antarctica. I laughed to myself. This was not the first time that this icy place has turned back an expedition."

Webpage: www.ericlarsenexplore.com

Ski Last Degree

Several ANI and other groups are skiing the Last Degree to the South Pole this season. Teams on this challenging expedition are dropped off at 89S and ski 60nm (110km) to the South Pole, pulling sleds with all their supplies and camping out on the polar plateau. We would like to send our congratulations to the teams who have completed their expedition and our best wishes to those currently in the field.

More about ANI Ski Last Degree

ANI ClimbAntarctica- Ralf Laier

Most people visitAntarcticaonce. Some come back for a second visit. And then there are those - like Ralf - who can't seem to stay away. Ralf completed an ANI Ski Last Degree expedition to the South Pole in 2010 and fell in love with the pristine beauty of the continent. He returned with ANI in 2011 to climb and explore theHeritageRange, achieving 10 first ascents in three weeks. Now he is back for a third season inAntarctica, with more first ascents and pristine peaks. On his 2012 tick-list were Mt Allen andMountLiptak, which he summitted with ANI guides Todd Passey and Pachi Ibarra.

More about ANI Climb Antarctica

First photos from Alex Abramov

Hello! Now 9 p.m. by Chile time. Our team is, without loss, came to the South Pole. So, we are five. We are at the South Pole. Congratulations to all with Ortodox Christmas. Today we also will celebrate it. Hooray! Tomorrow we plan to fly to the Union Glacier. It is likely the 10th of January we'll be in Chile. Today the weather was really bad. We even got lost a bit in the blizzard. But we managed to find the pole. All is well. Goodbye!

Hello! This is Alex Abramov from Antarctica. Today we managed to get out from the Union Glacier base and to start our route. So, we are now on the way to the South Pole!  We feel great, everything is OK, excellent, we all are alive and well. Today, we made 8 kilometers. It was just the first day, we had to use our work. So, tomorrow we have to go for 12 kilometers. Goodbye!

Hello!  Alexander Abramov reports from Antarctica. Our team of five people going on the route Last Degree.   Today is  December 30, and  tomorrow, December 31, in the morning, we want to fly out  the route to celebrate the New Year  on the way to the Pole. All is good. Food, tents ... Today we practiced how to put up tents, assorted products, poured gasoline in cans, all equipment prepared. We will try tomorrow morning to fly the route.

 If not, we'll have to meet the New Year inAntarcticawith the team of ALE. It is also good, here there are a lot of young, beautiful girls. Good bye! Next time we will   contact you from  to route. Bye!

Alexander Abramov met in Punta Arenasa  a new group. They went through all the procedures and are ready to take off at Union Glacier. Their program is Last Degree on ski.

Edward, Alex, Sergei, Roman in a briefing before leaving for Antarctica.

Another member, Vitaly, is waiting for the group at Union Glacier.

Alex Abramov met a new group of the 7 Summits Club inPunta Arenas. They came for the program Climbing Mt. Vinson. The team consists of: Anatoly Stegney, Vitaly Simonovic, Dmitry Sokov and Alexander Lozhkin. Our Guide Olya Rumyantseva awaits them in theAntarctica, at the Union Glacier base..

Today, the company ALE organized a briefing and our team listened all in pure American English. This was the first hard test.

Alex had a friendly conversation with Mike Sharp, co-owner of ALE.

By Matthew Priceю BBC News. The team face a 2,000-mile journey acrossAntarctica, which they hope to start in March next year.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is leading a team of five other explorers in a quest to achieve a feat no other human has managed - to walk across Antarctica in the near permanent darkness and super low temperatures of winter.

Phase one of The Coldest Journey expedition - which aims to raise millions of pounds in donations for the Seeing is Believing charity to tackle avoidable blindness - begins later when the icebreaker SA Agulhas sets off from the River Thames.

The journey from a wintry Thames to the ice shelf ofAntarcticawill take just over a month.

During their sea voyage, team members will obtain data on marine life, oceanography and meteorology.

On Thursday afternoon, after a suitable send off, the SA Agulhas will weigh anchor and slip beneathTowerBridgeon its way to the world's coldest continent.

The expedition force is led by the man known as the world's greatest living explorer - 68-year-old Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

It's an expedition that's been in the planning stages for years, Sir Ranulph says on the bridge of the ship, while looking at a map of his route.

"The idea came up about four-and-a-half years ago. We started approaching the Foreign Office for permission to go and we finally got it 10 days ago."

Aboard the SA Agulhas is a giant crane. It will be used to lift some 200 tonnes of equipment onto the ice ofAntarctica.

The BBC's Matthew Price has been aboard the SA Agulhas to see how preparations have been going

It consists of three huge industrial sledges - each with a modified shipping container placed on top.

Inside two of them are living quarters, and supplies. In the third, a science lab.

Behind these there'll be another 14 smaller sledges, each transporting fuel.

That will power the two bulldozers that have been specially re-equipped for this expedition, in the hope they can drag the entire team across 2,000 miles of some of the world's most inhospitable terrain.

In front of this whole procession, two skiers will lead the way, pulling a small ground-penetrating radar system that will help them locate crevices. That will be crucial if they are to make it across.

The expedition proper - from the Russian base of Novolazareskaya to theRossSea- is due to begin on 21 March and is expected to take six months.

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Supplies

165 rolls of toilet paper (12 sheets per man per day)

20kg of dried egg

7,300 tea bags

4,400 packets of soup

30 toothbrushes

230kg of chocolate

600 metres of rope

15 pairs of boxer shorts per man

Boots with electrically-heated insoles

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"The vehicles are a bigger potential problem than the people," believes Sir Ranulph. "Minus 80 could be damaging to lung tissue when you're breathing while skiing."

But he says that, "in the vehicles you have steel and rubber which don't like minus 70 - never mind when they're towing everything - so there is an unpredictable element there".

To get Foreign Office permission to go toAntarcticathey had to prove they could be self-sufficient. That's why the vehicles must be used to tow everything they might possibly need. In the Antarctic winter there's no way of being rescued.

Sir Ranulph wants to beat Norwegians to new Antarctic record

"That means everything from vehicle spares down to a toothbrush," says Brian Newham, who'll be on the team crossing the continent, and who's also been organising the gear for the expedition.

He's even been counting the number of sheets on a toilet roll.

"We're taking 165 rolls. That's one for all of us for every 2.25 days," he says.

Is that enough?

"I'd better have it right," he smiles.

Everything they take with them will be removed from the ice at the end of the expedition. Including the human waste.

There's enough food for each of the six-person team to last 365 days if it's necessary. They hope it won't be.

The food consists of specialist dried fruits, sports nutrition products, and normal dried foods like lasagne. They can't take tins with them as they'd freeze and burst.

"I can't say I think we can make it," admits Sir Ranulph.

"I don't know it's possible - it's rather like the Americans when they went to the moon. Was it possible? They didn't know."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20619050

Fox News

Departure

December 11 (Tuesday) at 14:00 in the ITAR-TASS /Tverskoy Boulevard, 2, 2nd Floor / will be a press conference on the topic "The Russians on the highest peaks of the continents." Recently, the popularity of the "7 Volcanoes" is growing. We are talking about the conquest of the highest volcanoes all continents over the world. InRussiathere are two people who are close to this performance - Alexander Abramov and Vyacheslav Adrov. In addition, Vyacheslav Adrov holds 2 records ofRussia/ Russian Book of Records / associated with the activities at altitude.

In a press conference we will meet: Honorary Polar Russia, vice-president of the Russian Geographical Society, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Museum Victor Boyarsky, master of sport mountaineering, multiple conqueror of Everest, the head of "7 Summits Club" Alexander Abramov, recordsman of the "Book of Records of Russia" Vyacheslav Adrov.

Vyacheslav Adrov

An article about this (in Russian)

http://www.abajour.ru/files/92-99_198.pdf