Arctic Agonies–Wetass Hero Dominick Missing…: It’s a brutal season up on the Arctic ice. French-born Dominick Arduin wanted to become the first woman to trek solo to the North Pole. To do that, and get into the record books, she had to start from terra firma. So when she faced 50 kms of open water off Cape Arkticheskiy instead of the usual pack ice she made a gutsy, gutsy decision: instead of accepting a helicopter ride over the open water with some of the other adventurers–and giving up on her ambitions–she decided to try and paddle across in a kayak. Arduin estimated it would take her two days when she set off last Friday. But strong winds and storms quickly swept into the region and she hasn’t been heard from since. Russian authorities are desperately looking for her but their helicopters have been grounded until tomorrow by the bad weather. It’s not looking good…

Meanwhile, Frederic Chamar-Boudet (who also turned down the helo ride and tried to ski around the open water) barely escaped with his life after falling through some thin ice without his drysuit on. Frederic suffered severe frostbite of his hands and feet, but Russian rescuers managed to find him and helicopter him to safety. The rest of the Arctic adventurers hunkered down in their tents to ride out the blast. It’s very, very ugly up there on the ice pack. Here are some excerpts from Wave Vidmar and Ben Saunders, written at the height of the storm:

Wave: “It’s blowing 30kts, with gusts of 50-65kts. I was going to continue on in-spite of the weather, but my tent is difficult to put up when it’s calm, which could be dangerous or deadly in a storm. Visibility is very limited (about 40 feet), and yesterday I saw a huge expanse of open water just to the East…

Night is upon me, which means darkness and more cold. The ice forming inside my tent is violently shaken off by the winds, and lands uncomfortably on my face. The winds have intensified and no longer is it just gusting 50-65+ – I hope my tent holds-up, I don’t fall into the frigid ocean, or be crushed by colliding ice.”

Ben: “Telltale signs you’ve chosen the wrong holiday destination no. 12: you start using your freshly filled pee bottle as a hand warmer before tipping it away…

Last night was unreal – the kind of weather I’d expect in Antarctica rather than up here – howling, battering, tent pole-flexing winds and blown snow part-burying the tent. The good part is that the storm blew me TEN nautical miles north in 24 hours. It was hard to tell with the tent flapping around, but at times I’d swear I could feel the ice moving. I didn’t sleep much, but thanks to my trusty Hilleberg tent, I’m still here. Amazing.

My thoughts today are also with Frederic Chamar-Boudet and Dominique Arduin…Sometimes the Arctic is the most beautiful place on earth. Others, it’s the scariest.”

Stay tuned…



Beautiful….And Scary

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