"7 Summits + 2 Poles" project news

Our guides Dima Ermakov and Viсtor Bobok have send a short message from the slopes of Mount Vinson. Today their group had climbed the top of the tallest summit of Antarctica. At the top there were five members and two guides. Members: Konstantin Beirit, Pavel Kostrikin, Ivan Rudenko (Russia), Yury Lukjanov – (father and daughter from Kazakhstan).

Seven Summits Club, hello! Dmitry Ermakov and Victor Boboc from under the Vinson massif. Yesterday, we arrived safely at the Vinson base camp ... and now we are making comfort accommodation here. Today we are going to go to the first outing…

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I Vinson (16-29 Dec). Mount Vinson. The tallest of Antarctica.

1 Beirit Konstantin

2 Kostrikin Pavel

3 Lukjanov Yury - Kazakhstan

4 Lukjanova Nadezhda - Kazakhstan

5 Rudenko Ivan

The guide 1 - Bobok Victor

The guide 2 - Ermakov Dmitry

Lyudmila Korobeshko from 7 Summits Club expedition to the South Pole on skis ... So today, December 19, our small group, it's Sasha Viktorov, George Kuzmin and Lyudmila Korobeshko, are still located on Union Glacier. Yesterday we said goodbye to our group, which flew up the base camp of Mount Vinson. We are waiting for our flight to the "Last degree" and made an outing to the glacier. We did a test for skis and sleds. We are even a little pleased that lingers in the Union Glacier camp, because we are wellfed. All feel great. We look forward to tomorrow's departure. Bye everyone!

7 December 2011: Remarkable records were set across the board at the seventh running of the Antarctic Ice Marathon races, the southernmost marathon in the world, over the weekend. More than 40 competitors from 15 countries gathered on the frozen continent to take part in half,-marathon, marathon and ultramarathon races that would test the resolve of the most steely of running enthusiasts.

The events, which are held at Union Glacier camp, are the only official foot races within the Antarctic Circle on the mainland continent. This year’s event was particularly special as it coincided with the Centenary year of Man reaching the South Pole. On 1 December, Clement Thevenet (FRA) dominated the men’s marathon (42.195km) distance when running a record time of 3:47:07. In amazingly bright sunshine and temperatures of -18C, the Frenchman led from start to finish to take the title ahead of the USA’s Alvin Matthews and Matthew Von Ertfelda.

Yvonne Brown (GBR) was a worthy winner of the women’s race in 4:26:10, finishing ahead of two previous North Pole Marathon winners, Emer Dooley (IRL) and Alison Hamlett (GBR). The first three finishers broke the previous female record.

On 2 December, the Antarctic 100km began at 13:00 GMT and it took Thevenet a mere 12:09:06 hrs, another new Antarctic record, to add the title to his marathon victory. It was a colder affair with windchill temperatures dropping down to about -25C and the prolonged exposure causing two competitors , including Thevenet, requiring IV fluids after the race. Former winner, Mark de Keyser (BEL) was a very close second with Dave Deany (AUS) third.

To round off the record setting weekend, Richard Donovan (IRL) ran an epic 100 miles in a day (24:35:02 hrs) to coincide with the Centenary year celebrations. Darkness was not a problem for the Irishman as there are 24 hours of daylight in the interior of the Antarctic at this time of year.

Registration is now open for next year's Antarctic Ice Marathon & 100k trip, which is scheduled to occur from 19th - 23rd November 2012. For full details, see www.icemarathon.com.

MEN'S MARATHON

1. Clement Thevenet (FRA) - 3:47:07 hrs

2. Alvin Matthews (USA) - 4:38:19 hrs

3. Matthew Von Ertfelda (USA) - 4:52:58 hrs

4. Simon Abrahams (GBR) - 4:56:49 hrs

4. Joey McBreary (USA) - 4:56:49 hrs

6. Krzysztof Szachna (POL) - 5:02:50 hrs

7. Dave Kennedy (USA) - 5:06:42 hrs

8. Errol Damelin (GBR) - 5:14:30 hrs

9. Taco Jongman (NED) - 5:23:00 hrs

10. Doug Carrell (USA) - 5:44:26 hrs

11. Christopher Duff (USA) - 5:53:58 hrs

12. Rusty Berther (AUS) - 6:02:12 hrs

13. Ray Miller (USA) - 6:16:29 hrs

14. Riet Van de Velde (BEL) - 6:28:31 hrs

15. Ladislav Simek (CZE) - 6:29:52 hrs

16. Michael Parrott (CAN) - 6:39:06 hrs

17. Michael Bartl (GER) - 6:51:46 hrs

18. Jeremy Cashen (NZL) - 7:28:10

19. Tom Cashen (NZL) - 7:28:11 hrs

20. Mark Kooijman (PHI) - 7:31:18 hrs

21. Don Kern (USA) - 7:53:38 hrs

22. Sebastian Armenault (ARG) - 8:09:41 hrs

23. Anand Anantharaman (IND) - 8:45:40 hrs

* George Nichols (USA) ran a marathon on 2 December in 8:30:12 hrs

WOMEN'S MARATHON

1. Yvonne Brown (GBR) - 4:26:10 hrs

2. Emer Dooley (IRL) - 4:41:30 hrs

3. Alison Hamlett (GBR)- 4:46:39

4. Elizabeth Chapman (GBR) - 5:43:57 hrs

5. Sarah Ames (GER)- 6:35:58

6. Mala Honnatti (IND)- 7:11:26

7. Sophie Woo (NED) - 7:31:18 hrs

8. Rebecca Frechette (USA)- 8:43:50

9. Linh Huynh (CAN)- 8:44:53

* Bonnie Bailey (USA) ran a marathon on 2 December in 8:30:12 hrs

ANTARCTIC 100 KM

1. Clement Thevenet (FRA) - 12:09:06 hrs

2. Marc de Keyser (BEL) - 12:14:18 hrs

3. Dave Deany (AUS) - 13:48:14 hrs

4. Brent Weigner (USA) - 15:41:04 hrs

5. Matthew Von Ertfelda (USA) - 20:03:42 hrs

100 MILE POLAR CENTENARY RUN

1. Richard Donovan (IRL) - 24:35:02 hrs

WHITE CONTINENT HALF-MARATHON

1. Chad Bruce (CAN) - 2:30.32 hrs

2. Matt Kirby (GBR) - 3:01:01 hrs

*******

Richard Donovan, 42, from Galway in the west of Ireland, began his challenge in numbing sub-zero temperatures in Antarctica on January 31 and finished in Sydney just five days, nine hours and eight minutes later.

"What he did was staggering, quite remarkable," John O'Shea, founder and chief executive of third world charity Goal, told AFP, adding that the money raised would help the charity's work in Sudan's Darfur region.

"It is extraordinary given the conditions and the time scale involved. I can't believe he managed it. I am in awe of what he achieved to bring attention to the tragedy of Dafur and to alleviate the suffering there.

After starting in the Antarctic, Mr Donovan got on a plane to South Africa and completed a marathon in Cape Town. He then flew to Dubai and ran another one, completing three marathons in two days.

Braving snow storms that shut down London on Monday, Mr Donovan completed his fourth marathon there before going to Toronto in Canada for his fifth. Then it was on to Chile for a Santiago marathon and finally to Australia.

Over 129 hours, Mr Donovan endured extreme temperatures and only slept in the economy class seats of airplanes between continents, said Mr O'Shea.

In total he ran 183 miles and flew tens of thousands of miles.

"It brings into focus how little the world does and how much one man does for Dafur. He feels almost as strongly as I do about the lack of an adequate international response in Dafur where 400,000 people have died," Mr O'Shea said.

Goal has been working in Sudan since 1985 and spent about 18 million euros (£15.7 million) there on aid in 2007.

In 2002, Mr Donovan became the first person in the world to run a marathon at both the North and South Poles.

He now organises the northernmost marathon on earth, the North Pole Marathon, and the southernmost marathon on earth, the Antarctic Ice Marathon.

Mr Donovan has won the South Pole Marathon, the Inca Trail Marathon, the Everest Challenge Marathon, the Antarctic 100km and the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race.

Sergey Kovalev is the leader of climbers from Donetsk (Ukraine). In the big interview he declared the nearest plans. He intends to continue a program «Coal of Donbass at the highest summits of the world». Last year Sergey has finished the program of 7 Summits. In this autumn, he was a leader of expedition on Pumori and Ama-Dablam. Now Kovalev dreams to carry out a new expedition on Everest in the spring of 2012. The idea consists in the following: the representatives of four cities of Ukraine in whom European championship matches on football will take place, have together climb the tallest peak of the world. They should make the first kick on a ball at the top of Mount Everest. Cities: Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk and Lvov. Now the main business is to get an interest of sponsors, and qualified climbers are in Ukraine.

Bobok, right from the center of Antarctica. Today, December 14, Igor and I, together, two years later, and after 100 years since the first man reached the South Pole, we arrived at it. We are just happy with what is happening ! Ahead is a rich cultural program, meeting with Prime Minister of Norway, the whole ceremony of the meeting. We are all very well, all is well. Life has gone right! All ardent greetings! Byu!

 Here Bobok Victor from Antarctica. All is excellent for us! We are in ten kilometers from the South Pole. Now we lie in tent and we will be waiting for the ceremony "the Entry on the Pole", on 14th of December. That is all – we have crossed our 250 kilometers. And now a day of rest that we deserve.  We brush up, clean up. And as I have already told, we wait for an input ceremony. Everything is OK. We made it ! The last 10 kilometers we get in any case, any weather. But - on December, 14th.

All ardent greetings!

Victor Bobok and Igor Grishkov

Victor Bobok and Igor Grishkov continue their journey to the South Pole. They go independently, separately from the Norwegian expedition. «For today we have passed 24 km, it remains for three days. If to look on a map, consider on a straight line, it remains 55 km form 250 km on start. In a reality it will be 60 - 65 kilometers with all detours and obstacles.

We go in accuracy along Amundsen's camps. We read his diaries, we are verifying. The weather as it isn't strange, is the same as hundred years ago. Sometimes the horizon merges with the earth and the sky, then it is visible nothing. Temperatures - approximately from -20 to, one time -50 The most difficult was in the beginning of our way, due the absence of acclimatization at height and heavy sledge!

An altitude of a point of disembarkation was 3150 m., and the Pole, approximately 3800 m.

Every day we worked from 5-30 a.m. till 10 p.m.. The wind somehow blew, 12-19 meters per second, a real storm. So we have managed in this wind to remove our tent, to pass 8,5 km and to put it again! In the beginning we carried sledge on 50 kg everyone. But the sledges become now easier, we eat, we burn fuel down.

We hope to reach the Pole on December, 14th under the Russian flag with shouts «Forward!». Exactly 100 years after Amundsen.

Now we observe a bad weather, as in Amundsen's diaries.

All greetings!

Victor Bobok and Igor Grishkov

Yesterday Alexander Abramov and Dmitry Ermakov have taken off for the South America for preparation of the main part of the Antarctic season. The large quantity of luggage has demanded big efforts to push in the plane. The season program will be strained, and in Antarctica there is no place to buy there. So work, nerves, time – all should be spent, including in advance. Lyudmila Korobeshko will take off for Chile on Monday. So for time, this South American country becomes the main site of our Club.

During change in Madrid the friendly meeting with the Spanish climbers has occurred

The schedule of groups for the Antarctic summer

I Last Degree (16-29 Dec). The South Pole. Last degree.

1 Viktorov Alexander

2 Kuzmin George

The guide - Korobeshko Lyudmila

I Vinson (16-29 Dec). Mount Vinson. The tallest of Antarctica.

1 Beirit Konstantin

2 Kostrikin Pavel

3 Lukjanov Yury - Kazakhstan

4 Lukjanova Nadezhda - Kazakhstan

5 Rudenko Ivan

The guide 1 - Bobok Victor

The guide 2 - Ermakov Dmitry

III Vinson (29 Dec-12 JAN).

1 Ko Kan Fai - Hong Kong

2 Liu Wai Ming Haston - Hong Kong

3 Viktorov Alexander

4 Demjanenko Igor

5 Dudko Sergey

6 Krasnov Dmitry

7 Murtazina Dzhamilja

8 Tcherkashin Igor

The guide 1 - Bobok Victor

The guide 2 - Tsang Chi Sing John - Hong Kong

IV Last Degree (05-19 JAN) the South Pole. Last degree

1 Jovovic Dragan - Serbia

2 Kuznetsov Dmitry

3 Pankratenko Vladimir

The guide - Ermakov Dmitry

Victor Bobok from Antractica. For 8 days we have passed more than 100 kilometers. And it remains about 140 km to the Pole. In this time, all was occurred that Antarctica can give. From a full calm and good weather: a minus thirty one, without wind, the sun … To a storm with parameters of 13-19 meters per second. And in this weather we have managed to remove our tent, to cross about 8, 5 kilometers. And we could put this tent. So all is good, greetings from Antarctica! By ! So long!

Yesterday the climbers group of our 7 Summits Club expedition under leadership of guides Ludmila Korobeshko and Denis Savelyev has climbed the top of Kilimandzharo and has gone down in hotel. Almost all members have reached the highest point. Going downwards was record on time, it has ended safely only after midnight.

According blogs of our Norwegian colleagues and Victor's short message, the group left on a route. More than week they have spent on the basis of Union Glacier. And before the delay for a week was in in Punta Arenas. At first, the weather was bad, then malfunction of the plane, then – emergency flight to Vinson. Backlog from the schedule makes almost half-month. The commands which have left on a route earlier, is successful moving on Amundsen and Scott ways. Our expedition only begins the program. Within two days the group has been transfered from the Union Gleacier on the glacier of Axel Hejberg, to the foot of Peak of Nansen, the ascension on which is a part of the obligatory program of the Norwegian anniversary. Our well trained group started quickly forward, covering up to 25 km a day. High tempo for heavy loaded people.

Some pictures from Union Glacier >>>>>>>

Today, rain fell all day. Our group rose from Mandara Hut to Horombo. Everybody wet, but came to the shelter in a good mood. In the evening all members and guides take a preventive medication. Mainly in the form of whiskey. A guide Denis Saveliev dried stuff on a local, very colorful kitchen. This process is facilitated convergence of Russian and Tanzanian peoples. For tomorrow the weather will be better. It will be a day of acclimatization, with return for overnight to the Horombo camp. The group will go in the area of picturesque cliffs Zebra Rocks and in the afternoon they will rest and prepare for the next step.

This is a joint group of “Bank Plus” (Russia) and "Tsesnabank" (Kazakhstan)

JSC "Bank Plus" begins the conquest of the great peaks of the world. We want to draw attention to the development of a extreme sport among Russians - mountaineering.

Leaders of our bank are professionally engaged in climbing the mountains around the world for many years. We plan to cover these sporting events in the media, to attract interest in the sport a wide audience: to show the colorful mountain scenery of the world, infecting people in the spirit of conquest with elements of primeval nature…

On Thursday, representatives of ALE warned that we should be ready by 6 a.m. Friday. In fact, the departure from Punta Arenas took place around 3 p.m. local time. The adventures began. Our IL-76 and the flight to Antarctica, for beginners, this is a real adventure. Landing, as always, was not soft.

Alas, the first news from the owners, was not good. Axel Heiberg Glacier area, where the group must deliver the following by a smaller plane, is closed by clouds. Again, wait! Now, on the base of Union Glacier. All members are eager to do something, go on skis, walking through the neighborhood. Conditions are excellent, the temperature is about minus ten, around us - magnificent mountains, good snow. And on Sunday evening, representatives of ALE promised flight on Monday.

Before the beginning of the expedition, Victor Bobok gave an interview to the company BASK, which equipment has proved itself very well in our Antarctic expeditions.

PR Newswire: Mega Tourism Resort Project in North Caucasus Mountains Becomes First Russian Entry to Win a Prestigious International Commercial Real Estate Development MIPIM Award

HONG KONG. /PRNewswire/ -- The development company overseeing construction of a massive system of ski, beach and natural health spa resorts covering 50,000 sq km in the North Caucasus Mountains, stretching 1,200 km from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and bordering Asia, was named the first Russian winner ever of a renowned MIPIM global real estate competition.

 Northern Caucasus Resorts Company (NCRC) executives will accept the award, based on innovative, technical, environmental and architectural merits, in the Central & Western Asia Futura category at the annual MIPIM Asia awards ceremony here on Nov. 16. MIPIM, short for Le Marche International des Professionnels d'Immobilier, is the premier world promoter of the international property trade. Eighty entrants from 15 countries are involved in the contest, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia and the UAE.

 "Asia-Pacific investors seeking to diversify outside their domestic markets to mitigate risk and secure higher returns will find great opportunity within our unique plan for developing a sustainable tourism industry in the mountains on our country's southern border with Asia," said NCRC Chairman Akhmed Bilalov. "We expect many also will be attracted to the chance to participate in the first major step in a proposed new national strategy to use public-private initiatives in tourism to spur much-needed economic growth in depressed regions of the Russian Federation."

 Moscow-based NCRC was established last December to drive the massive tourism project, which will create up to 300,000 new jobs. A collaboration with the federal government, the development is part of a long-term strategy to address the economic lag that underlies social tensions in the North Caucasus region. The plan includes industry, agriculture and youth vocational training reform.

 With the explicit support of President Dmitri Medvedev, the federal government initially capitalized the bold undertaking with a $2.0-billion allocation for development of transportation, communications, electrical power and other infrastructure. NCRC is actively pursuing investment from financial institutions and global property developers. The ten-year project is anticipated to require up to $30 billion to complete all phases, including a cluster of five world-class skiing and five modern seaside resorts, as well as an array of health spas that will take advantage of the area's legendary healing mineral and hot springs.

 To facilitate international and domestic investment, the Russian government has designated the entire 50,000-sq-km development area a special economic zone (SEZ). State guarantees will cover up to 70 percent of investments for three to ten years. The state will impose no corporate or transportation taxes for the first ten years, no land taxes for five years and no VAT tax will be applied on equipment imported into the SEZ. The project offers opportunities for foreign companies interested in hospitality, health and wellness, food and beverage, retail, real estate, logistics and warehousing industries.

 "The success of this grand and important project depends on investment being thoroughly diversified and international," said Laurent Vigier, director of European and international affairs for Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC). The French state-owned banking group and long-term investor has signed a strategic joint venture with NCRC to provide advanced technical, legal, planning and environmental expertise to support the project. "The current outreach to the Asia-Pacific investment community is a major and critical step toward generating a broad and effective portfolio of investors for the North Caucasus," added M. Vigier, who will join NCRC executives here to present the tourism project.

 About 20 French companies have already expressed interest in investing in ski lifts, hotels, airports, mountain tunnel and other construction projects. The first investment from Asia came Nov. 2 in the form of a joint venture with Korean Western Power Company to build up to five power and heating plants in the region, integrating renewable energy sources from wind and solar generation. The investment is worth approximately $1.0 billion.

 NCRC's skiing resorts, the centerpiece of the overall project and including the tallest peak in Europe, Mt. Elbrus, will open between Dec. 2012 and Dec. 2015, in time for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the neighboring Black Sea coastal town of Sochi. Once completed, the North Caucasus ski cluster will become the world's third-largest ski destination, rivaling famed resorts located in the European Alps and the North American Rockies. With over 2.9 billion people in Russia, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia living within a five-hour flight from the ski resorts, over ten million tourists of various income levels are expected to visit the mountains annually.

 Company representatives will be available for one-on-one meetings with representatives of the financial, business and media communities. To schedule a business session, please contact Pavel Achikyan: +7 916 199-5313 or pavel.achikyan@gmail.com; for media interviews contact Mark D'Anastasio, +1 202 550-1235 or +7 985 999-3855, mdanastasio@emcommunicate.com

 A video of the ski resort cluster project can be viewed at

For additional information about the company visit www.ncrc.ru. A press briefer can be found on the MIPIM Online Media Center site: http://www.mipim.com/en/mipim-asia/press/press-kits-and-releases/

Project "Bank Plus on top!" begins November 23. Teams of "Plus Bank" (Russia) and JSC "Tsesnabank" (Kazakhstan) with guides of 7 Summits Club Ludmila Korobeshko and Denis Saveliev depart on an expedition to the tallest point in Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania).

JSC "Bank Plus" project begins to conquest the highest mountains of the world. Management of the Bank wants to attract attention to the development of mountaineering among the youth.

Bank Plus is an initiator and an official sponsor of the program "High-speed records on the 7th highest peaks of continents". Plus Bank is sponsoring the Captain of Red Fox Asia Team Andrey Puchinin , who entered in 2011 on the Russian national team on skyrunning.

The project "Bank Plus on top!" will be covered on television and print media to attract interest in the adventure sport a wider audience. We want to show the colorful mountain scenery of the world, infecting young audience a spirit of conquest wilderness.

The first in Denmark ... Stina Glavind became the first woman in Denmark, which managed to complete the program "Seven Summits". July 14, 2011 she went to the finishing summit of the list - Carstensz Pyramid. She is 36 years old, grew up and lives on the island of Bornholm, far enough away from the capital. Stina is a manager of Carlsberg, which has helped her in raising funds for trips.

On May 22, 2010. Mount Everest. "It was one of the greatest experiences of my life..."

"The purpose of life, you define yourself. I'm happy to have found a hobby, and I managed to get away from everyday life, from coffee with cream and Dancing with the Stars on TV."

Shawn Dawson: Seven Summits - the seven charitable projects

Shawn Dawson - a successful Canadian businessman. He walked up the steps a business career: starting with restaurants, then retail and real estate, then in the media business. Once, friends invited him to go with them on Mount Kilimanjaro. Traveling to Africa has changed the priorities in life of Canadian. He became closely acquainted with the organization Habitat for Humanity, a charitable group engaged in construction in poor African countries. The idea was born - to climb seven summits for charity. And the seven charitable projects add on to the project climbs. Dawson has created a special fund called the Dream Mountains, to implement their plans.

http://www.dreammountains.com/

Seven Summits program is completed and a positive balance amounted to $ 142.114. This amount has gone to seven charitable projects. But the work continues. Dawson gathers a group of track to the foot of Mount Everest, maybe he will come up with something more interesting.

Dawson completed the program climbing Carstensz, which had reached on May 4, 2011. Finnish climber Atte Miettinen was with his team, one of those who are currently studying Punto Arenas waiting for a flight to Antactica.

For the whole Finland

In fact, Veikka Gustafsson (b. 01/14/1968) represents the whole Finnish climbing. A professional mountain climber, he achieved a lot: 14 eight-thousanders without artificial oxygen, and without permanent partners. Frankly, I do not know what he miss and had climb for the seven summits yet. At least he was at Vinson before..

Veikka – the high-class climber

It is not surprising that Atte Miettinen invited Veikka to joint climbs on top of missing the "seven". Namely: Vinson, Aconcagua, McKinley and Mount Everest.

Atte lives for many years in Dubai with his wife an Englishwoman. His business projects related to information technology, and thus transcend political and geographical boundaries. Miettinen also started with two trips to Mount Kilimanjaro. Then there was Elbrus, attempt to Aconcagua and this year - Carstensz. Despite a decent amount for their own accounts, Atte had found for his project quite good sponsors. Red Bull is among the sponsors - http://sevensummits.fi/

As it often happens, the schedule of departures to Antarctica isn't maintained. A departure of expedition SYDPOLEN AMUNDSEN-JUBILEUM 2011 have postponed and it is clear that for a long time. Cargo flight will be the first by turns. It delivers to the Union Glacier a heavy bulldozer for runway alignment. Members of expedition, including Victor Bobok and Igor Grishkov have gone for some days to national park Paine, to feet of fantastic towers of Torres, to glaciers running directly in the sea. The delay will take into question possibility of achievement of a pole in a holiday on December, 14th. The group has spent one night in a mountain hut and next day was already in Punta Arenas (on the average 5 hours' journey).

Well-known climber from the Southern Tirol, a guide and the head of climbing school Hans Kammerlander (born 1956) finishes a series of trips on cities of Austria and Germany. Public lectures and performances come to an end usually with conversations with journalists. On a traditional question on plans, the traditional answer follows: I am going to Antarctica to finish the program of "Seven Second Summits” . To made it, Kammerlander should climb only one, but really hard mount of Tyree. The second summit of Antarctica has only two successful expeditions and seven climbers on the top ….