The Arctic Arc: 4300 km on Skis in the Arctic, They’re off!
Alain Hubert and Dixie Dansercoer
© International Polar Foundation
Alain Hubert and Dixie Dansercoer left this morning. A helicopter droped them off on the ice, several kilometres away from cap Arktichewski in Siberia. They are beginning a four-month adventure on skis across the Arctic. They will first try to cross the Arctic Ocean, passing by the North Pole, and will then travel to the southernmost tip of Greenland, ending up more than 4300 km away from their starting point.
The first part of this expedition is the most dangerous since it is going to be done on sea ice. Global warming has caused Arctic sea ice to melt away in the last few years, making the crossing of the Arctic Ocean on foot (or on skis for that matter) more and more difficult. Soon, it will be impossible to cross it at all, because the ice will have completely disappeared. In the last 30 years, 8% of Arctic sea ice has melted!
Many recent expeditions to the Arctic have had to be interrupted because of poor sea ice conditions. The expedition that Alain and Dixie are attempting is certainly a big adventure!
The begining of the expedition will not be easy since the explorers will start their journey when it is still night in the Arctic. During winter in the Arctic there is not a single ray of sunlight for several months as that part of the Earth is tilted away from the sun! Additionally, meteorologists have forecasted a heavy snowstorm for the next four days in the area the explorers are leaving from. Alain and Dixie will have to face violent winds, heavy snow and poor visibility (1 to 4 metres)!
In order not to delay their departure, Alain and Dixie have decided to leave straight away before the bad weather arrives, even though this means they will have to brave the snowstorm. "If we stay here," Alain said on his satellite phone, "we are going to be stuck for at least three or four days. No way! We would rather be one the ice already and try to move ... " Every spring the Arctic sea ice starts to melt. They have to make good time if they want to complete their journey...
