Arctic Update–No Joy Up North…: Still no sign of North Pole soloist Dominick Arduin, but a helicopter with a thermal imager will start looking for her later this week.

Meanwhile, Ben Saunders isn’t having such a good time…

From Friday: “I was psyched up for a big-mileage day today, but the Arctic had other ideas. Really nasty rubble ice this morning and a nice big open lead (area of open water) this afternoon.

It was about 100m wide, ran to either horizon and was just starting to freeze. I tested the ice with a ski pole. Click… click… splosh. Too thin to ski over. I skied east for a bit, then decided to use my drysuit – the ice conditions on the far side looked perfect. I clambered into the orange suit and headed off on all fours. The far bank seemed a million miles away and the surface was like a badly inflated air bed – I was sinking in all over the place. A few metres out, my knee went through, followed in slow motion by the rest of me. It sounds scary, but the water is warmer than the air, and the suit keeps me stone dry. It was like swimming in creme brulee – no way was I going to get the sledge across as well. So I decided to call it a day, wait for it to freeze properly tonight and make an early start tomorrow.”

From Sunday: “Overnight I’d drifted back to where I was THREE days ago and it was so cold this morning that I thought my toes might get frosbitten INSIDE my sleeping bag. The wind was still blowing, although not as hard as yesterday, so I thought I’d better get on with the job. What a day it turned out to be – headwinds, -39 (before windchill), ridiculous rubble ice, snot, sweat and tears.”

So, let’s see how Wave Vidmar is getting on. Wave, dude, how was your weekend?

“Did I happen to mention IT’S COLD IN THE ARCTIC?!! I’ve come to manage -35c without much issue, -25c is nearly balmy, but when the temperature dips below -45c, it’s downright cold! Last night I believe it dipped below -50c…This morning I got out of the tent and tended to my sledges. Two hours later when I went back out I noticed open water near my tent, it wasn’t there two hours earlier. A lead opened up just to the South of me, only 25 yards away!”

Doesn’t Arctic trekking sound fun? Check out the Explorer’s Web North Pole Expedition Guide to get the full, sick picture (“Thin and dangerous ice is commonly black, whilst thick, old, frozen and safe ice is light in color. Check ice safety by poking it with the ski pole. One poke–too thin. Three pokes before going through the ice is fine. Two pokes–be prepared to possibly fall through and move fast”).

I feel a morbid fascination, but no envy whatsoever, as I track these ongoing struggles in the high latitudes. I guess there is a reason this isn’t called “The FrozenAss Chronicles”…



Thin Ice: “Hmmm. I’m having trouble remembering why I am doing this….”

(Photo: Explorer’s Web)