Antarctica 2014: Faysal at the South Pole!

There was surprise news out of the Antarctic today, where kite-skier Faysal Hanneche has checked in from the South Pole, bringing an end to his very long, and sometimes frustrating expedition. Faysal set off from Russian Novo station back on November 14, and has struggled mightily with poor surface conditions, incredibly bad weather, and a lack of wind for much of his journey. After two months out on the ice, he is now on his way back home.

I've been following Faysal's progress in my regular Antarctic updates ever since he got underway. In recent days however he did not share his daily distances, and while reading his reports is seemed that he was not covering the mileage that he had hoped for. This led me to believe that he was still a very long way from the Pole. In fact, his last mention of any distance was back on January 7, when he indicated that he still had 674 km (418 miles) to go. It seems he was making great progress after all, and was able to reach his destination with plenty of time to spare.

Faysal reports that he reached the Scott-Amundsen station at 11 PM French time last evening. He was greeted by the crew there, and welcomed inside the station, where he was able to get a warm meal and some rest. His stay at 90ºS will be a short one however, as he reports that he'll fly back to Union Glacier today, where he'll soon catch a flight back to Punta Arenas, Chile as well.

Congratulations to Faysal on completing this long and difficult journey. He rarely had anything go in his favor on this trip, and I'm sure it is a huge relief for him to now be done.

Meanwhile, the trio of Are Johnson and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel are back on the trail today. After a resupply, their sleds are heavier than they have been, but the clock is ticking on their return journey from the Pole, and they must now average 40 km (24.8 miles) per day to reach their end point in time to catch the final flight off the continent. That will be a tall order, but today they managed to hit that number exactly after 11 hours of skiing. The next two weeks are going to be incredibly tough for this team, but if they can reach Hercules Inlet before January 28, they'll become one of the few squads to ski to the South Pole and back again. The race is on.

That's it for today. The Antarctic season is nearly at an end, with just some climbing teams on Vinson to follow and one or two teams still skiing. Updates on the season will be more infrequent now that there is less to report, but I'll still follow the progress of those last explorers and post about their final push to the end.

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Antarctic 2014: Faysal Still Waiting for the Wind, Newall on to Vinson

The number of teams to report on in the Antarctic has now dropped considerably. Most of the squads have wrapped up their expeditions by now, and are heading home. But there is still a few weeks to go before the frozen continent shuts down for the season, and there are still a few teams trying to accomplish their goals out on the ice.

As expected, the four-person team led by Robert Smith that included Paula Reid reached the South Pole over the weekend. The group reached 90ºS on Saturday at about 5:20 PM local time. Traveling along the Messner Route, the squad took 46 days to cover the 890 km (553 mile) journey. There has been no update since their arrival, but if the weather has held as expected, the group should be back at Union Glacier by now, and preparing to fly to Punta Arenas to start their trip home.

Meanwhile, kite-skier Faysal Hanneche continues to struggle on his expedition. He began at the Russian Novo station and has been trying to make his way to the South Pole, but the winds have simply not cooperated in recent days. In his most recent dispatch, Faysal talks about how he had to ski without aid all day, only to make camp and have the wind pick up. Hoping to cover some distance, he quickly broke camp once again, only to find that in the low light he wasn't able to make out the sastrugis or other surface obstacles. After falling twice in 500 meters, he decided to call it a day, and made camp once again.


It is clear that Faysal is starting to feel frustrated. He had intended to kite ski to the Pole, but without wind, his plan has not come together as he had hoped. As a result, he still has hundreds of kilometers to go before he is done, and the deadline for the season is closing fast. To make matters worse, he still hasn't raised all of the money he needs to get a return flight off the continent. According to ExWeb, he has set up a fund raiser page here to do jus that. He needs to come up with 3000 euro ($3530) in order to get a flight back to South America.

Newall Hunter wrapped up his solo expedition to the South Pole last week, but he isn't done with the Antarctic just yet. He has since moved over to Mt. Vinson, where he has already climbed up to Camp 2 in his attempt to summit that mountain. If the weather holds and he is feeling physically fit enough, a summit bid is likely by this coming weekend.

Finally, Are Johnson and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel took a rest day yesterday as they geared up for their final push back to the coast. They have already skied to the South Pole, and are now on their return journey back to Hercules Inlet. They now have 14 days to wrap up their expedition, and still have 570 km (354 miles) left to go. That means they have to ski 40 km (24.8 miles) each and every day just to get to their end point on time. That's a tall order, particularly when they are already exhausted, and they have not been hitting those distances with consistency in recent days. Hopefully the rest day will give them the energy they need to cover the final portion of their journey.

January 28 is the absolute last day to catch a plane out of the Antarctic. If the teams have not finished by then, they will have to be picked up where they are at, and taken off the ice. That leaves them just two weeks to finish. The clock is ticking, and for several of these explorers it is going to be a tough push to the end.

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Antarctica 2014: Two More Teams Arrive at the South Pole

The number of teams skiing to the South Pole has been reduced by two, as more skiers arrive at 90ºS. With the end of the Antarctic expedition season nearly in sight, things are starting to wrap up at the bottom of the world, and while it is almost time to pack it in again for another year, there are still a few hardy souls out on the ice.

Earlier this week, Ian Evans and his squad reached the South Pole, arriving at about 5:45 PM local time on Tuesday, January 6. The team, which also consisted of guide Keith Heger, and Brits Andy Styles and Bradely Cross, made the journey along the Messner Route, covering some 890 km (553 miles) in the process. The team set off on November 24, which means it took them almost exactly 44 days to finish the sojourn across the ice.

In his final report, Ian says that he is now the oldest Canadian to ski to the South Pole. He also indicates that there was no major outpouring of emotion when they reached the finish line, just a numb feeling and a sense of relief that the journey was over at last. He reports that he and his teammates are completely exhausted, with no energy left in the tank. Fortunately, he has already flown out to Union Glacier, and should be on his way back to Punta Arenas, Chile soon as well.

They're not the only team to wrap up their South Pole excursion this week. The four-person squad that includes Paula Reid should finish their journey today as well. As of last night, the team was just 14.5 km (9 miles) from the Scott-Amundsen station, which they reported seeing before clouds set in. That means they should finish early today, and could potentially catch a flight out to Union Glacier this afternoon too. The weather is predicted to take a turn for the worse however, so they may ended up stranded at the Pole for a few days instead.

Congratulations to each of these men and women. Skiing to the South Pole is quite an accomplishment, and each of them should be very proud of their efforts.


Meanwhile, Faysal Hanneche continues to struggle, with the wind. The kite-skier has not had much luck in having strong gusts to help pull him to the Pole, and as a result, he still has hundreds of miles to cover before he is done. As of his last report, Faysal indicated that he still had 674 km (419 miles) to go before he is done, and with time running short, that may be a tall order. If the winds turn in his favor, that is more than doable, but considering how much he has struggled so far, a successful end to his expedition is not guaranteed.

Sastrugis are not helping his cause any either. Faysal also reports that he has been battling the ice ridges that accumulate on the surface for the past few days too, and they have taken their toll as well. Going over or around the sastrugi can be time consuming and energy sapping work, which is coupled with the frustration of frequently falling down. Still, Henneche continues to press ahead and is determined to give his best effort until the very end.

Finally, the team of Are Johnson and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel continue to steam along on their return trip to Hercules Inlet from the South Pole. They are now on Day 55 of their expedition, and have covered another 35.5 km (22 miles). They report that the weather has warmed some, allowing the trio to ski without the need for wind jackets today. They hope to reach their final supply depot in the next few days, and after that it will be clear sailing back to the coast. They're also racing against the clock to a degree, but considering how well they are moving, it seems that they will be in a good position to wrap up the expedition before the season closes at the end of the month. 

That's all from the Antarctic for today. Soon there will be only a few teams left to report on. I'll still keep updating on their progress. 

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Antarctica 2014: Frédérick Dion Completes Antarctic Traverse

We have another update from the Antarctic today, where one explorer has made history, and others continue to inch closer to their ultimate destination at the South Pole. It now appears that within the next few days the number of expeditions that we'll be following will drop significantly, as the end of another season looms at the bottom of the world.

We'll start with an update on Canadian kite-skier Frédérick Dion, who has now reached the Antarctic coast at Hercules Inlet after more than 54 days out on the ice. During that time, he has traveled from the Russian Novo Station to the Pole of Inaccessibility, then on to the Geographic South Pole, and back to the coastline. His route has covered 3620 km (2250 miles), as he set four speed records along the way.

The expedition was not an easy one for Frédérick, especially in the final day. According to his home team, the explorer kite-skied for 24 hours and 53 minutes straight, covering an unbelievable 627 km (389 miles) in the process. During that time, he managed to catch winds that exceeded 100 km/h (60 mph), which can be extremely dangerous for a kiter.

Apparently, the expedition wrapped up over this past weekend, and Fréd has already caught a plane back out to Punta Arenas, Chile on Sunday. That means he is off the ice and headed back to Canada for a much-deserved rest.

Congratulations to Fréd on an amazing expedition through one of the harshest and most challenging environments on the planet.


Meanwhile, elsewhere two other teams are fast approaching the South Pole. Yesterday I indicated that Ian Evans' squad should reach 90ºS any day now, and while we continue to wait for word of their arrival, another team is closing in on the end too. The four-person group that includes Paula Reid has crossed the last degree and is now making its way to the finish line too. They expect to arrive sometime on Friday, wrapping up their journey at long last.

With those teams quickly approaching the end, that will leave just solo kite-skier Faysal Hanneche and the team of Are Johnson and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel out on the ice. Faysal continues to press on towards the South Pole after struggling to make meaningful progress early on. But the winds seem to have turned in his favor, and he has picked up the speed in recent days with a sense of urgency in his movements. Meanwhile, Are, Stéphanie, and Jérémie have already been to the South Pole and are now skiing back to their starting point on the coastline. They are making good progress, but have a long way to go until they are done too. The next few weeks should prove interesting as these remaining explorers race the clock to the end.

That's all for today. More updates as the news warrants it.

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Antarctica 2014: Newall Hunter at The South Pole!

The Antarctic expedition season is starting to draw to close, with just a few more weeks to go before it wraps up for another year. While it hasn't been quite as active on the frozen continent has it has been in recent years, there have still been some tremendous efforts put forth by the skiers heading to the South Pole, and elsewhere. While most of us enjoyed the arrival of the New Year with friends and family, the explorers in the Antarctic have continued to press ahead towards their goals. That includes one skier completing his journey at last, while others are starting to draw near as well. 

Yesterday, solo-skier Newall Hunter arrived at the South Pole after spending 40 days out on the ice. He wrapped up his journey at approximately 3:30 AM local time, which mean he reached 90ºS only to find the entire research station there asleep. Fortunately one of the liaison officers noticed his arrival, and actually went out into the cold to meet him and snap a few photos. Newall than went inside where he found some cookies, a Coke, and a comfortable chair waiting for him. It was the first time he had sat down on a piece of furniture since he set out on his journey. He now plans to fly back to Union Glacier later today, and then wait for a flight to Punta Arenas, Chile before heading home. 

Congratulations to Newall on a job well done. He managed to ski from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole in just 40 days. That's a solid effort to say the least.

Meanwhile, Ian Evans reports that his team is nearing the end of their journey as well. As of Friday, when he made his last dispatch, the squad was a mere 49 miles (79 km) from the Pole, which means they could arrive as early as today. That arrival won't come soon enough, as Ian has indicated that the expedition has taken its toll, and he is feeling physically worn down from the challenges of skiing for hundreds of kilometers across the harsh, unforgiving landscape that is the Antarctic. 

Elsewhere, kite-skier Frédérick Dion is on the final approach to Hercules Inlet, and is picking up speed in the process. In his most recent dispatch, Fréd reports that he covered 190 km (118 miles) in a single day, which left him just 410 km (254 miles) to go before he is done. That report came last Friday, which means if the winds held over the weekend, he could very well be back on the coast today or tomorrow. Hercules Inlet will mark the end of a remarkable journey for the Canadian, who began by first traveling to the Pole of Inaccessibility from the Russian Novo Station, then proceeding on to the Geographic South Pole, before heading back to the coast at Hercules. It will certainly have been quite a whirlwind tour of the Antarctic. 

Fellow kite-skier Faysal Hanneche is finding the winds blowing more favorably for him in recent days as well. After struggling through the early stages of the journey, he is now picking up speed greatly. In his latest dispatch he indicates that he covered 125 km (77 miles) in single day, which is a massive increase over what he has been doing previously. With the clock ticking on the Antarctic season, he needs to continue to capture these winds, as he still has quite a long way to go before he is done. He has however, passed the point of receiving assistance from his logistics company operating out of Novo. That means that if he reaches the South Pole, he'll have done so unassisted, something that he can be greatly proud of. 

Finally, the trio of Are Johnson and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel are now 52 days into their expedition and are on the return trip from the South Pole back to the coast. Today they picked up their second re-supply, and enjoyed some fine snacks and treats as a result. The return journey is going much better as they are now heading down hill. As a result, they skied 41 km (25 miles) today, and are feeling very strong and in good spirits. 

That's all from the Antarctic today. More updates soon. 

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Antarctica 2014: Skier Evacuated From the Ice

I'll be making just a few posts today as we head into a long post-holiday weekend. But there are a few stories that I want to share none the less, including some updates from Antarctica where one skier has called for an evacuation. 

ExWeb is reporting that Swiss skier Vincent Piguot, who is traveling to the South Pole with a guided team, has asked to be picked up from the ice. Vincent is part of a group that includes guide Robert Smith, and teammates Paula Reid, Arabella Slinger, and Julian Thomas. According to the report, Vincent isn't in an emergency situation, he simply can't take the grind that comes along with skiing for miles across the frozen landscapes of the Antarctic day in and day out. The team has stopped for a few days to wait for a plane to come pick him up, while the rest of the group will continue on towards 90ºS. 

Elsewhere, Frédérick Dion continues his journey to Hercules Inlet. After visiting both the Pole of Inaccessibility and the Geographic South Pole, he now heading towards the coast, where he will complete his traverse of the Antarctic continent which began at the Russian Novo Station. A few days ago he managed to knock off 143 km (88 miles) in a single day, and as of his last update, he had about 607 km (377 miles) yet to go. Yesterday he enjoyed the New Year with a rest, but he should be back on the trail today. 

Fellow kite-skier Faysal Henneche continues to struggle to catch the wind however, although he has now elected to try a different strategy. Faysal is attempted to use longer ropes on his kite, with the hope that it will allow him to float the sail a bit higher, and pick up some breezes that have eluded him so far. This brings some risks with it, but at this point of the expedition he is more concerned with making progress. As of his most recent dispatch, Faysal should have crossed the 80th degree by now, which means he still has 10 degrees to go before he is done. That is still a long way to travel, and the days of the Antarctic season are starting to run short. 

That's all for today. Next week I'll get back to a regular posting schedule, and share updates on more of the skiers in the Antarctic. 

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Antarctica 2014: Frédérick on the Home Stretch, Others Press Forward

It has been another busy couple of days in the Antarctic, where the teams of skiers continue to press on towards their goal despite difficult and trying circumstances. The South Pole has now seen several visitors this season, but others are still heading towards the bottom of the world as quickly as they can.

We already knew that the trio of Are Johnson, and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel had reached the South Pole in time to celebrate Christmas. They arrived at 90ºS on Christmas Eve, and after spending a day recharging their batteries, the team has already struck out on their return journey to the coast. They have an additional 1100 km (683 miles) to cover on their way back to where they started, so while they were happy to reach the Pole, it was only the halfway point of the expedition.

Since resuming their journey Are, Stéphanie, and Jérémie have encountered poor surface conditions, with lots of soft snow, which has made for tough going. Additionally, they received a resupply at the South Pole, so now their sleds are very heavy once again. That said, the return journey should be an easier and faster one, as they will be traveling down hill, and over ground that they are already familiar with. Still, they are feeling the physical demands of the expedition more than ever, and it is going to be a long, slow haul to get back to the coast.

Canadian kite-skier Frédérick Dion also reached the South Pole, arriving at that point on Christmas Day. It took him nine days to travel the more than 800 km (500 miles) from the Pole of Inaccessibility to 90ºS, and while he was happy to add another milestone to his journey, Fréd isn't quite finished yet. He has already started on his journey to Hercules Inlet along the coast, which will be his final destination for what has been a long and difficult journey. He hopes to wrap up the final leg of the expedition in just five days, which would put him at Hercules by tomorrow. The winds will need to be working in his favor for that to happen, but even if he doesn't nab that record, there are several others he has the potential to set, including the fastest traverse ever. We'll have to see what his final numbers will be, but it looks like he'll wrap up the expedition later this week.


Fellow kite-skier Faysal Hanneche continues to press on towards the South Pole as well, although he hasn't found the winds to be quite so helpful as Frédérick. It has been slow going for sure, and often he is reduced to skiing without the use of his kite. Faceless last dispatch came on December 24, a day during which he only covered 6 km (3.7 miles). Frustration and exhaustion seem to be his biggest challenges, and with a long way to go before he is done, it isn't clear yet whether or not he'll actually reach 90ºS. Hopefully the winds will turn beneficial once again, and he can start covering longer distances at last.

Solo skier Newall Hunter is closing in on the Pole, and should arrive there sometime within the next week. As of yesterday, he had just 150 km (93 miles) to go until the finish, and since he is covering approximately 25 km (15 miles) per day, that would put him at the Pole around January 3 or so. It won't be easy covering those final miles however, as he too reports soft snow, which is making it harder to pull the sled. Still, he is just 34 days into this journey, and making great progress. Reaching the end in about 40 days would be an impressive accomplishment for sure.

Ian Evans and his team crossed the 88th degree this past weekend, inching them ever closer to the South Pole. He reports that the 60 nautical miles (111 km) between the 87th and 88th degree were by far the toughest of the journey. Not only did they continue to climb up the Polar Plateau, but they encountered plenty of sastrugi along the way. These hard ridges of packed snow and ice are obstacles that must be overcome by the skiers, as they make progress incredibly difficult and slow. Still, they hope to reach the finish line in another week or so as well, provided everything continues on schedule.

That's all from the Antarctic for today. More updates coming later in the week.

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Antarctica 2014: Are, Stéphanie, and Jérémie at the Pole and Near Disaster for Frédérick

Just a quick update from the Antarctic today to share the news that Are Johnson, and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel have arrived safely at the Geographic South Pole as expected. The team skied the final 26 km (16.1 miles) today to arrive on schedule. It took them 39 days, 6 hours to complete the journey, which began back on the Antarctic coastline, and traveled along the Messner Route.

The trio have already begun celebrating Christmas Eve at 90ºS, where they've had a tour of the Antarctic research station and a good meal while chatting with the staff assigned to the base. They'll now spend the next couple of days resting and recuperating, before they start their 1100 km (683 mile) return trip to the coast. While they are happy to have reached the Pole, it is only the halfway point of their expedition, and they still have a very long way to go before they are done.

Meanwhile, kite-skier Frédérick Dion is on his way to the South Pole, and should arrive there today or tomorrow as well provided the winds stay in his favor. A few days back though he had a very close call that could have resulted in a true polar disaster. While he was kiting, strong winds lifted Fréd and his kite completely off the ground, and tore the guide lines that run between him and his sled. Ultimately he was tossed into the air and pulled 300 meters, finally coming to a halt on the snow and ice.


But since he was no longer attached to his sled, he wasn't sure where it was, and in the featureless landscape of Antarctica, it can be incredibly difficult to get your bearings, and spot a tiny object, which just so happens to be white as well. As you probably already know, in the Antarctica the sled is the explorer's lifeline. It carries his or her food and fuel, their tent, spare clothing, emergency equipment, and so on. Without it, Fréd would have been stranded quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, after 20 minutes of searching, he was able to locate the sled and continued on his way. It turned out to be quite a productive one at that, as he ended up covering 127 km (79 miles), pulling him ever close to the South Pole in the process.

Our other kite-skier, Faysal Hanneche, continues to struggle with the wind and is making much slower progress towards the Pole. As of now, he is across the 77th degree, which means he still has a very long way to go before he is done. A few days back he was able to cover 51 km (31.6 miles) in a single day, which is far faster than most skiers can go, but he isn't putting up the impressive distances that we've seen out of Frédérick. Both men started at the Russian Novo station, with Fréd first skiing to the Pole of Inaccessibility before turning to the the Geographic South Pole. It now looks like he'll arrive well ahead of Faysal, who has battled poor weather much of the way. Hopefully the winds will continue to fill his kite, and he'll be able to start making more steady progress moving forward.

Finally, after 29 days out on the ice, Newall Hunter has reached the top of the Polar Plateau, and is now heading due South to the Pole. He reports that the actual temperatures in the Antarctic at the moment are about -10 to -20ºC (14º to -4º F), which isn't too bad. Unfortunately, the wind adds to the chill in the air, making it incredibly uncomfortable. Newall says that while moving it is easy to say warm, but stopping for a break can be painful. Fighting off frostbite is a constant battle, and in his latest dispatch he reports that his chin actually froze to the inside of his mask today. That sounds painful and incredibly cold indeed.

That's all for today. My next update will come after Christmas. Hopefully there will be more good news to post at that point.

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Antarctica 2014: Frédérick Turns Toward the South Pole

As we head into the weekend, the Antarctic explorers continue to press ahead as best they can. Nearly everyone who is out on the ice at the moment now has the same goal – the Geographic South Pole. But no one is particularly close to 90ºS just yet, although several are closing in rapidly.

We'll start with an update on Frédérick Dion, the Canadian kite-skier who just wrapped up his journey to the Pole of Inaccessibility. Fréd reached that point at the start of the week, and for a time it was unclear where he would go next. But with plenty of food and fuel, he has decided to ski to the Geographic South Pole as well. After suffering days without wind, he now finds that the breezes have turned in his favor, and as a result he's making great time once again. Today he knocked off 175 km (108 miles), which must seem incredible after he struggled for so long. That puts him 590 km (366 miles) from the South Pole, so just three days away if the winds hold. But that isn't likely to happen, so it may take a bit longer. Perhaps he will reach the Pole by Christmas. In the meantime, the explorer is said to be in in fantastic spirits and enjoying his time in the Antarctic, having found renewed vigor after finally reaching the POI. In fact, he is enjoying it so much, that he is even pondering skiing back to Hercules Inlet after he has reached the South Pole.

Elsewhere, Faysal Hanneche is also kiting to the South Pole, and finding the winds to be far more fickle at his location. He's managed 150 km (93 miles) for the entire week, and is now 1747 km (1085 miles) from his goal. That is still a long way to go, but he remains confident that he'll be able to cover that distance in good time. Having started at the Novo station, he is approximately halfway to his destination. Hopefully he'll get solid winds soon to help propel him along. For now, he is happy to e out of the whiteouts and enjoying some clear days for a change.

Newall Hunter is also enjoying some much improved weather and surface conditions, which are allowing him to pick up the pace some as well. Now on his 24th day out on the ice, he managed to cover 28km (17 miles) with clear skies and relatively calm winds, and smooth snow. This is in contrast to a few days ago, when he could barely see the tips of his skis as the whiteout enveloped him. Those days are long, difficult, and hard on the morale, but they are part of the process of skiing to the South Pole.


The team of Are Johnson, and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel, experienced their coldest day of the expedition thus far. It was -50ºC/-58ºF with the windchill, which is just down right cold even when you're wearing the proper gear. The trio has now reached the top of the polar plateau, and are mostly skiing on a flat surface now, but with a nasty headwind, it was slow going the entire day. They still managed to cover 28.5 km (17.7 miles). That puts them at about 136 km (84 miles) to the Pole, which would put them on pace to finish their expedition on Christmas Eve. We'll have to see if they make it by then, as that would be the best present possible. 

Finally, Dutch adventurer Manon Ossevoort (aka Tractor Girl) is now just 300 km (186 miles) from the end of her journey. You may recall that she and her team reached the South Pole a few days back by driving to that point in Massey Ferguson tractor. It was slow going getting to 90ºS, but the return trip has gone much more smoothly. They should reach the Novo station today or tomorrow, and begin preparations for heading home. If the weather holds, they may be back with their friends and family for the holidays. 

That's all for today. More updates next week as we should get our first skiers arriving at the South Pole at long last. 

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Antarctica 2014: Frédérick at the Pole of Inaccessibility!

The 2014 Antarctic season is far from over, but one polar explorer wrapped up his journey earlier today by reaching a goal that had eluded him for days. Kite-skier Frédérick Dion has reached the South Pole of Inaccessibility at long last, becoming the first person to travel to that point solo and unsupported. He also managed to achieve the POI in record time, despite having to wait for the winds to return over the past week or so.

Fréd set out from the Russian Novo station on November 10, and arrived at the POI on December 15. Over the course of those 35 days, he crossed 3000 km (1865 miles) of some of the most remote and difficult terrain on the planet. Along the way, he face temperatures that plummeted below -50ºC/-58ºF, intense blizzards, equipment failure, and a fire that nearly burned up his tent. He also has suffered frostbite and numerous other minor physical ailments, just so he could get the opportunity to stand at what just might be the most remote place on the planet.

The Pole of Inaccessibility is a place on the Antarctic continent that is defined as the point that it furthest from the coastline in all direction. In this case, that point sits at 82º06'S, 54º58'E, which is roughly 878 km (546 miles) from the Geographic South Pole. In the past, only two other expeditions have managed to reach this place on foot. They include the team of Paul Landry, Henry Cookson, Rupert Longsdon and Rory Sweet who made the trip in 48 days back in 2006, and Eric McNair-Landry and Sebastian Copeland did the same journey in 55 days in 2011.

Fréd managed to cover much of the distance at a fast pace, using his large kite to capture the wind, and pull him across the ice at a high speed. In fact, he traveled so quickly that by December 5, he was just 100 km (62 miles) from his destination. Unfortunately, the winds disappeared, and all of his momentum came to a halt. For several days he waited for the winds to return, but they were either nonexistent, or blew in the wrong direction. He tried skiing without the kite, but made little progress. This weekend, the winds turned in his favor again, and he was able to complete the final leg of the journey.

In the dispatch announcing his arrival at the POI, Fréd indicated that he has enough food and fuel to survive for another 30 days on the ice, so it appears that he won't be packing his bags for home just yet. Where exactly he'll go has yet to be determined, although it is possible he'll head over to the Geographic South Pole, or could be returning to Novo station. He seems in good spirits, and is eager to continue his adventure on the frozen continent.

Congratulations to Frédérick and his support team on accomplishing their goal.

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Antarctica 2014: Frédérick on the Move, POI Still Out of Reach

Just another quick update from the Antarctic today, where Frédérick Dion continues to struggle on his final approach to the Pole of Inaccessibility. After 31 days on the ice, he is now just 65 km (40 miles) from his goal, but those final kilometers are proving to be the most difficult of all.

Because he is kite-skiing to the POI, Fréd generally made very good time in the early days of the expedition, sometimes covering more than 100 km (62 miles) in a single day. But as he neared the end point of the journey, the winds have either turned against him, or been completely non-existent. For the past week, he has been able to make hardly any headway at all, although on Wednesday he was able to kite for about a half day, making some progress at last.

In yesterday's Antarctic update I mentioned that it was a bit unusual for a polar explorer to simply sit and wait for the winds to return. Most would pack their kite away, and continue under their own power, covering as much distance as they could while pulling their pulk full of gear behind them as they go. Apparently, Frédérick isn't particularly fond of cross country skiing, as is mentioned in his most recent dispatch. He finds it tedious, difficult work, and even back home in Canada it is not one of his favorite activities. Never the less, yesterday he decided to give it a go, and managed to cover about 18 km (11 miles), inching him ever closer to the Pole of Inaccessibility.

Unfortunately for Fréd, the weather forecasts don't bode well for fast progress to the POI. It appears that the winds will remain calm over the next few days, which means if he wants to continue to make progress, he'll probably have to resort to skiing instead. At the moment, it doesn't appear that he'll wrap up the expedition this weekend, although if the winds to shift in his favor, that could change.

For those unfamiliar with the Pole of Inaccessibility, it is a the point that is located the furthest from the coastline on the Antarctic continent. In this case, that point falls at about 82º06'S, 54º58'E, which is approximately 878 km (546 miles) from the Geographic South Pole. The POI is considered one of the most remote places on the planet, and if he is successful, Frédérick will be the first person to kite-ski to that destination solo and unsupported.

But first he has to get there, and at this point it is tough to say when that will happen. Eventually the winds will turn in his favor, and he'll wrap up these remaining miles very quickly. I'll post an update when he does.

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Antarctica 2014: Tractor Girl at the Pole, Frederick Still Stalking the POI

It has been another couple of busy days in Antarctica, where the teams are pressing ahead with their expeditions, despite conditions continuing to be challenging at times. Yesterday we had our first arrival to the South Pole, marking the end of one journey, while a kite-skier patiently waits for the wind to return.

We'll start today's update with news about Dutch adventurer Manon Ossevoort aka Tractor Girl. It has been a dream of Manon's for some time to drive a tractor to the South Pole, and on Tuesday she accomplished that feat at long last. The journey covered more than 2500 km (1553 miles) over 17 days, starting at the Russian Novo Station. Along the way, they encountered incredibly tough weather and surface conditions, which slowed progress to a crawl and extended the trip for a few extra days. Now, they'll take a little breather, before beginning the long journey back to the coast.

This expedition was not only conducted to give Manon a chance to realize her dream, but was also meant to commemorate the 1958 journey to the South Pole by Sir Edmund Hillary. The legendary explorer led the first motorized expedition to that point, after he and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to summit Everest five years earlier.

Congratulations to Manon and her entire team on reach the South Pole. Enjoy the drive back.

Elsewhere, Canadian kite-skier Frederick Dion continues to patiently wait for his opportunity to wrap up his expedition as well. The winds have not been in his favor in recent days, and while he is now just 90 km (56 miles) from the Pole of Inaccessibility, he can't quite reach the finish line. A few nights back, he was awakened by the stirrings of the wind, only to find that they were blowing in the wrong direction. So, for now, he sits and waits for his opportunity to forge on. In the meantime, he rests, reads, and eats.

It is a bit unusual for a kite-skier in the Antarctic to simply wait for the winds. Most explorers would at least continue to make progress by skiing under their own power, although that is much more of a physical challenge, and travel is at a very slow speed compared to when they are kiting. I'm a bit surprised that Fred hadn't prepared for this possibility, and isn't at least covering a few kilometers each day in an effort to get closer to the POI. Hopefully the winds will turn in his favor soon.


Faysal Hanneche is also kite-skiing in the Antarctica, although he is headed to the Geographic South Pole instead. He has had issues with weather and wind so far too, but continues to press ahead as best he can. In his recent dispatches from the ice, he has shared his early inspirations for visiting the polar regions of the planet, and discussed his training as well. For a solo-skier, it can be a long, lonely journey that starts well before they ever hit the ice. Faysal is also hoping for the return of the winds soon, so he can speed along on his progress too.

The team of Are Johnson, and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel, continues to press forward on schedule. The team crossed the 87th degree yesterday, as they inch ever closer to the South Pole. They also covered 29 km (18 miles), which is their best day yet. They hope to reach their second resupply point today, and then take a rest day tomorrow, as they prepare for the final push towards their goal. So far, morale seems high, and spirits are good, despite extremely cold temperatures and howling katabatic winds. 

Newall Hunter is also making great progress, reaching Thiel Corner on his 16th day out on the ice. The Corner is the point where the Messner Route to the South Pole joins with the Hercules Inlet Route, so now he's squarely headed for 90ºS. After covering 25 km (15.5 miles) yesterday, he now had 570 km (354 miles) to go before he reaches his finish line. Still a long way off, but progress has been steady, and all milestones are important. 

It has been a few days since Ian Hunter last updated his expedition blog, and at the time the team was making its way up the Polar Plateau. That is long, slow work, that requires plenty of physical effort and stamina to complete. Once they reach the Plateau however, it is smooth sailing (relatively speaking) to the Pole. For the Canadian, the most challenging thing so far has been the complete lack of change in the environment. Ever night they camp at a new site, which looks nearly identical to the one from the night before, and the night before that. The Antarctic can try your patience and morale in many ways, and the unending white landscape can wear on the explorers after a time. With any luck, in his next update Ian and his team will have crawled closer to the Pole, and have their spirits lifted by their progress. 

That's all for today. More Antarctic updates as news breaks.

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Antarctica 2014: Pole of Inaccessibility Kite-Ski Update

We have a quick update from the Antarctic today, where we've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of kite-skier Frédérick Dion at the Pole of Inaccessibility. As of Saturday, the Canadian was just 100 km (62 miles) from the POI, which led me to speculate that he may have arrived there on Sunday or even yesterday, but had not sent a dispatch to announce the completion of his expedition. Late yesterday he shared an update on his location however, and we now have a better idea of exactly where he is at at the moment. 

As of yesterday, Fred had made very little progress towards his final goal. Monday's dispatch indicated that he still has 97 km (60 miles) to cover before he is through. Apparently, the winds are at a minimum right now, and unlike some other polar kite-skiers, Dion doesn't do much skiing when he doesn't have any wind. Thus, over the past few days he has only covered 3 km (1.8 miles). Until the winds return, he isn't likely to go very far.

Fortunately, as he was wrapping up his satellite phone conversation with his home team, the winds reportedly started to gust. Whether or not he actually was able to catch them, and cover a decent amount of distance, remains to be seen. For now, we'll have to wait for another progress report, but once the winds pick up once again, it shouldn't take him too long to cross the final distance to the POI. 

For those who haven't been following along, the Pole of Inaccessibility is defined as a point on the Antarctic continent that is the furthest from any coastline. That makes it incredibly remote, and difficult to get to. Fred started his expedition at the Russian Novo station, which sits near the coast. Now, he is approaching another Russian research station which is actually at the POI. That point is found at 82º06'S, 54º58'E, which is roughly 878 km (546 miles) from the Geographic South Pole. 

It is tough to estimate when the Canadian explorer will arrive at his destination. Until the winds return, he'll continue to make slow, or no progress. Typically, kite-skiers will continue to trudge forward, even when they have no wind, by skiing along without the use of their kite. Progress is obviously much slower, but at least they continue to knock off some miles. Because Fred is not covering much in the way of distance without the wind, it could be several more days before he is done.

I'll post an update on Fred's progress as the news warrants. 

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Antarctica 2014: Frédérick at the Pole of Inaccessibility?

It was another busy weekend on the frozen continent, with teams pressing forward on their attempts to ski to the South Pole, or other destinations in Antarctica. As you might expect, challenging conditions persisted over the past few days, but that didn't stop the explorers from making progress, with one skier potentially etching his name in the record books.

As we start the week, we're awaiting confirmation of the current location of Canadian kite-skier Frédérick Dion. As of Saturday, when he posted his most recent dispatch, Fred was just 98 km (60 miles) from his goal – the Pole of Inaccessibility. That means, that with a little luck and some strong winds, he may have reached that point yesterday, or could finish up the expedition today. Until we get confirmation from his home team however, we'll just have to wait for the news of his arrival at the POI.

For those who haven't been following Frédérick's progress, the Pole of Inaccessibility is defined as the point on the Antarctic continent that is the furthest from any coastline. In this case, the POI is found at 82º06'S, 54º58'E, which is about 878 km (546 miles) from the Geographic South Pole. The POI is considered to be one of the more difficult places to reach on the continent due to its remote location, and once Fred reaches that point, he'll be the first person to do so without resupply, with a start from the Russian Novo station. I expect we'll get confirmation of his finish by tomorrow or the next day, so stay tuned for updates.

Meanwhile, Faysal Hanneche continues his kite-skiing expedition as well. He also started at Novo, and will traverse the continent to Union Glacier, with a stop at the South Pole along the way. When last we checked in with Faysal, he was tent-bound and waiting out a storm. Over the weekend, he returned to the trail, making slow, but steady progress, towards the Pole. On some days, he is able to use his kite to catch the wind, and cover excellent distances. On others, the wind is nonexistent or too rough to kite, so he presses forward under his own power instead. Yesterday was one of those days, but as with all polar explorers, Faysal takes what he can get.

The team of Are Johnson, and Stéphanie and Jérémie Gicquel, are now 24 days into their journey to the South Pole. They are skiing at a solid pace, generally knocking off between 23-24 km (14-15 miles) per day, despite challenging conditions. They have been climbing steadily uphill to the Antarctic Plateau, and making good progress, but temperatures remain cold, with high winds creating whiteout conditions throughout the day. They should reach the top of the Plateau in another day or two, and then it will be straight on to the Pole, with the weather and surface conditions providing the biggest challenge moving forward.

South Pole solo-skier Newall Hunter is battling whiteout conditions as well, which has made for difficult going now that he has entered his first crevasse field. As you can imagine, navigating through this section of ice can be difficult under the best of conditions, but when visibility is cut down to nothing, it can be a terrifying, nerve-wracking affair. Just how bad was it? Newall says that he couldn't even see far enough to pick a place to pitch his tent for the night. He had to walk over an area multiple times to ensure that it was flat and safe before he could proceed with building the tent. It was so disorienting that he fell a few times, and was only able to maintain his orientation by staring at the tips of his skis. In other words, these whiteout conditions are incredibly difficult for the skiers, and exhausting to continue through. Fortunately, the weather is expected to improve over the next day or two.

Updates from Paula Reid have been sparse so far, but her team continues to press forward towards the South Pole as well. As of this morning, she was checking in from just past the 84th parallel, so she still has plenty of distance still to go. One of the team mates commented on the temperatures that are being reported by their tracking device, which indicate much warmer weather than expected. But the device sends an update from inside the tent, which is a warm and cozy refuge from the Antarctic conditions. On the trail, the temperatures are hovering around -20 to - 30ºF (-28 to -34ºC), with the windchill making it even worse.

Finally, Manon Ossevoort continues her quest to drive a tractor to the South Pole. She has now crossed approximately 2150 km (1335 miles) in 16 days, which puts her about 2550 km (1584 miles) from her goal. The team is considerably behind the schedule they had set for themselves, but are counting to press forward none the less. Originally they had planned to be at the South Pole yesterday, but with 300 km (186 miles) yet to go to get to that point, it will be another few days before they arrive. Then they'll begin the long arduous trek back to their starting point, across terrain that has been described as some of the worst that Manon's veteran support team have ever seen. Snow conditions are said to be soft, and the heavy tractor is sinking into the powder, making it incredibly slow going, and unstable at times. Still, they are pressing ahead, and hope to reach 90ºS later this week.

That's all for now. More updates as the news warrants.

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