The Arctic-Arc: Excellent Progress!
Tent and sledge
© International Polar Foundation
The good weather is back and there is daylight 24 hours a day. Alain Hubert and Dixie Dansercoer are taking advantage of this favourable weather in order to catch up their delay and move faster than ever towards the North Pole: they managed to beat the record of their trip by progressing over 25 kilometres in a single day!
Several factors can influence the distance our two explorers cover in a day. Among other things, one could mention for example, the snow quality which influences the ease with which skis and sledges slide; the ice thickness, because thin ice can brake at any time forcing explorers to progress carefully; big channels of open water (or "leads") that have to be crossed or bypassed; or, conversely, "compression ridges", those enormous entangled barriers of ice which can prove to be very hard to cross, etc.
The ice drift is a parameter which can either help or hinder the progress of an expedition. Meteorologists can forecast the direction of this drift only a few days in advance, as it is the case also for meteorological forecasts.
The weather and the number of daylight hours are particularly important factors because they determine the amount of time Alain and Dixie can spend out of their tent, progressing on the ice.
At the beginning of the expedition, days weren't very long and our explorers could only make headway 5 or 6 hours a day. Also, cold temperatures and wind can sometimes bring them to a stop after 3 hours, in order to warm up in the tent. If a bad storm breaks out, they can be stuck in their tent for several days even, just waiting for the weather to improve.
Fortunatly, right now the expedition is lucky : daylight is lasting the whole day through, the weather has improved, it is a little warmer out and the ice is flat and thick. They have therefore decided to spend more time on their skis: nine hours instead of seven. As a result, they made 25,2 km progress yesterday, the longest distance to be covered in a day ever since the departure. "Not even the leads could stand in our way", said Alain, "We managed to cross them by leashing the two sledges together, so as to make a sort of catamaran. This does, of course, take some time, but we were once again particularly motivated."
The two explorers are in great form and their spirits are high, especially since the first supply point is nearing more and more (they should be resupplied around April 10). The North Pole is now only 413 kilometres away.
