Two Norwegian Scientists Exploring the Arctic Ocean via Hovercraft

Two Norwegian scientists are on the expedition of a lifetime in the Arctic Ocean. The two men – 73-year old Yngve Kristoffersen and his partner Audun Tholfsen – have been exploring the mostly-unknown region of the world between Canada and Greenland aboard a hovercraft since last August, braving extreme cold, inhospitable weather, and months without sunlight for their research.

The 18-month long project has a number of goals, not the least of which is mapping a massive deep-sea ridge that runs from Ellesmere Island all the way to the North Pole. But they are also searching for a large meteorite that is believed to have crashed into the ice millions of years ago, as well as conducting research into what the Arctic was like back then, when the water was much warmer, and unique species of sea turtles and crocodiles lived there.

The two men have been living in a small hovercraft for the past four months, using it not only as their means of transportation, but also as a mobile research lab. The hovercraft is a vehicle that is well suited for travel in the Arctic, where the ice can get so thick at times that only specially equipped ice breakers are capable of breaking through. Riding on a cushion of air generated by two large turbines, their sturdy craft glides along above the ice however, rarely encountering any surface conditions hat it can't maneuver over or around.

The scientists will often park the hovercraft on an ice flow and stay stationary for days while they take samples of the ice and record atmospheric conditions. At other times, they're on the move, off to another location to explore a new area of the Arctic. As they go, they have witnessed the way the ice moves, breaks apart, and shifts, giving them a rare glimpse of the powerful forces that are at work at the top of the world. During their time exploring this part of the world, they have discovered indications of a tectonic fault line in the region and spotted a strange new species of fish that resembles an eel living in the cold mud of the sea floor. They have even stumbled across a Russian submarine patrolling the Arctic as well.

In a few months, Tholfsen will be airlifted home and replaced with another scientist, but Kristofferson will stay for the entirety of the expedition. You can follow their ambitious mission at the expedition's official website, which has more information about their goals, and regular updates on the team's progress as well.

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ExWeb Talks North Pole Logistics with Victor Boyarsky

A few weeks back we received news that Kenn Borek Air has ceased operations in the Arctic. The company, which goes by the motto "Anytime, Anywhere...Worldwide" has been a stalwart on the Canadian side of the North Pole, shuttling explorers to and from the ice for years, and helping with the logistics of operations in that part of the world. But its sudden departure from the scene has left some teams in the lurch. Several groups had already contracted with Kenn Borek for the 2015 and 2016 Arctic seasons. Those intrepid adventurers are now wondering what they can do to overcome this obstacle, with some considering jumping to the other side of the planet, and skiing to the North Pole from Russia instead.

With that in mind, ExWeb caught up with Victor Boyarsky, the owner of VICCAR, a company that specializes in logistical support in the Arctic and Antarctic. Boyarksy's organization offers assistance on both the Russian and Canadian side of the ice, although at this point, VICCAR will only be able to offer rescue operations and evacuations from the ice, as the company mostly works out of the Barneo Ice Camp, which is erected every year on an ice flow located around 87º or 88º N latitude.

In the interview. Victor provides some history on the Russian Start to the Geographic North Pole, which is traditionally located at 81º.2N, 95.5ºE. Originally, that point was a good place to store fuel and other supplies for helicopters heading into the Arctic, but it also became a place to drop skiers off as well. The fueling point is still used by aircraft on their way to Barneo, but in 1995 it was first used to launch an expedition to the North Pole as well. It has been used routinely since that time as the starting point from that side of the ice.


ExWeb indicates that they have inquired with other airlines to see if anyone will step up to fill the vacuum created with the departure of Kenn Borek, but so far no one has said they'll begin supporting the North Pole skiers. That means that explorers planning on heading to the Pole may have to shift to the Russian Start instead, or abandon their plans of going to the North Pole altogether. Without air support, not only will it be incredibly difficult to get to the starting point on Ellesmere Island, it could be incredibly dangerous to try to operate in the Arctic without the safety net of a rescue flight coming to retrieve them.

Skiing to the North Pole has always been an incredibly difficult endeavor. In fact, I believe it is the toughest expedition in the world today. At the moment, it seems that there will no longer be any operations conducted from the Canadian side of the ice, at least for the foreseeable future. Whether or not we see more expeditions heading to the Russian side remains to be seen.

With the North Pole season just a few months away, it will certainly be interesting to see how this will all unfold. My guess is, we'll see a few expeditions cancelled this year, and possibly rescheduled for 2016 instead. It is likely to be a quite season in the Arctic in 2015.

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Kenn Borek Air Ceases Operations in the Arctic

For years, Kenn Borek Air has supported expeditions to some of the most far flung destinations on the planet. In fact, the company's motto is "Anytime, Anywhere... Worldwide." They may have to amend that in light of recent news involving the airline, as ExWeb is reporting that the company has ceased operations in the Arctic, and will no longer support teams heading to the North Pole. 

In a brief article posted to its website, ExWeb wrote the following:

"Rumour has been confirmed that Kenn Borek Air, operating from Canada, will not be flying any North Pole expeditions to their start points, or pick them up at the North Pole, or anywhere in between for emergency purposes, in the foreseeable future. 

Explorersweb has asked Kenn Borek for a statement, and will publish it as it becomes available."

At this time, that is all that is known about this story, but it still is a significant one. For years, Kenn Borek Air has been the logistical lifeline for expeditions heading to the North Pole from the Canadian side of the ice. The company flew skiers to their starting point, and often picked them up at the Pole as well. In recent years however, very few expeditions were able to reach 90ºN, and thus the pilots for  Kenn Borek were forced to retrieve explorers out on the ice. With the changes that have been occurring in the Arctic over the past few years, that had to increasingly more challenging.

Until we get a statement from Kenn Borek, it is hard to say exactly why this decision was made, but I'm sure the unstable conditions, and added expenses, of operating in the Arctic played a major role. Weather conditions in that part of the world seem to be getting increasingly worse during the traditional Arctic expedition season, making it all the more difficult to operate as well. Safety for both the pilots, and the explorers on their way north, are obviously one of the big concerns.

It seems rather unlikely that another airline will step in to pick up the slack, which means those hoping to ski to the North Pole will have to do some from the European side of the ice. The Russian government handle a lot of the logistics for Arctic explorers on that side of the planet, although there are a few other alternatives as well. In recent years, going to the North Pole on skies has become one of the most difficult endeavors in exploration, and without Kenn Borek, it has just gotten a little more challenging.

Hopefully we'll get more information about this development in the near future.

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Expedition 720 Degrees: Circumnavigating the Globe East to West, and Pole to Pole

An ambitious new expedition is about to get underway in the next few weeks that if successful, will set a new standard for human powered journeys around our planet. Adventurer Angelo Wilkie-Page is  about to attempt a double-circumnavigation of the globe, first going east to west, and then north to south. He has dubbed this amazing endeavor Expedition 720 Degrees, as he'll not only pass through all lines of longitude in his travels, but latitude as well.

The 29-year old South African will start his journey in Los Angeles in just a couple of weeks, and he'll first head north by bike across the U.S. and Canada, before arriving in Anchorage, Alaska. From there. From there, he'll travel by sea kayak across the Bering Strait, then ride his bike once again across Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Monaco, France, and Spain, before eventually arriving in Lisbon, Portugal. On the third leg of the journey, Angelo will row across the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to Brazil, where he'll then ride out of Rio toward the southernmost tip of South America, before turning back north toward his starting point in L.A. When he reaches that point, he'll then be halfway finished with the expedition.

The next phase of the journey will start in New York City, with Angelo traveling north into Canada, and eventually on to the North Pole, before turning back south and arriving in Norway. This stage will be completed by bike, rowboat, and on foot, as the South African attempts to complete the very difficult task of reaching 90ºN under his own power. Once he has reached Norway, he will then cycle across Europe and Asia, turning south into Thailand, where he'll once again start rowing through Malaysia, past Australia, and eventually ending in New Zealand. From there, he intends to hop across the Southern Ocean, and begin a traverse of the Antarctic via the South Pole. When he has completed that arduous leg, he'll cross over into Ushuaia, Argentina, and ride his bike back to New York City, completing the final leg of his journey.

Angelo estimates that he'll cross through 48 countries on this expedition, covering a total distance of 115,000 km (71,457 miles) along the way. He'll row or paddle across four oceans, and nine seas, while also crossing six deserts, including the five largest in the world. Along the way, he hopes to set a new record for east-west circumnavigation, and become the first person to complete a Pole to Pole circumnav that crosses four antipodal points and four Equator crossings. He also is looking to become the fist to complete both circumnavigation attempts under his own power, and set a record for the most distance covered along the way too.

At the moment, Wilkie-Page is getting ready to launch the expedition, and will be in the U.S. soon to start his amazing journey. While he is of course looking forward to the adventure, he is also making this attempt for a cause as well. Angelo hopes to raise $1 million for Heifer International, a nonprofit looking to stamp out poverty and hunger in developing nations around the world.

You can follow Angelo's progress on his website and Facebook page. This will certainly be one incredibly undertaking. Good luck!

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