The Arctic Pole 2010

13 Days Arctic Rations

We are now an hour away from setting off on our two week Arctic Expedition, around Svalbard. It’s a training expedition, getting used to the kit and getting into routine. It’s also to allow people to start to understand how the team operates in a remote area, and how it affects you. Some of the team members have done a lot of outdoor work, however some have spent no more than three nights without a roof over there heads. I’ve spent many months in camps, or in Army training areas, and have some appreciation of the hardships and annoyances of living in remote areas. I’ve also spent a month in the Arctic on expedition before, and I’ll be interested to see how the group gets on when we are alone in the wilderness.

I know there will be some issues and dramas along the way, but that’s the reason we need to do this sort of training expedition!

In the background we are waiting to hear the state of the sea ice, really it isn’t until February that we will know if the ice has formed well enough to support the expedition to the Arctic Pole. We will have a go / no go decision on the 8th (although that is not a discussion, either we can go, or we cannot!).  The decision is based on views of the ice through the sat photos, the white areas are areas of cold and ice so the more white it gets the better our chances will be!

Ice Map

The maps are updated daily at: http://weatheroffice.gc.ca/satellite/index_e.html

Under Northern Nunavut.

We will be out of contact for the duration of the two weeks, apart from the occasional satellite phone call to check in, so we will not know any news until we return. We are not too far from settlements, so any dramas and we can get back without much delay.

I’m excited, with the usual nerves I get when I have to pack everything I need to live on. If I forget something it’s going to make life a bit harder than I’d like!

I’m sure the two weeks will fly past and we will have a great time. I’m looking forward to the first glimpse of sunlight on the 30th of January, and finally getting to see the land rise out of the constant darkness!

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We are now back into the low temp, with the ambient at -11 and the windchill taking it down to -24. This is getting close to the weather we were looking for, and is setting the conditions for our two weeks trek into the wilds.

It’s unusually warm in the Arctic at the moment, and unusually cold across Europe. This is a good way of highlighting what an accurate barometer the Arctic is on the global weather conditions, it can be a crucial and lifesaving weather warning for extreme weather conditions across the globe and highlights just how important the scientific datum points were are bringing back actually are as NASA uses them to more accurately map the Arctic conditions and predict the global weather changes. This is one of the more mundane but important aspects of the monitoring of global climate change, an interesting BBC article explains the dynamics:

www.bbc.co.uk/2010/01/arctic_conditions_arctic_cause.html 

In the mean time, we practice what we need to practice. Simple things become hard, and simple things are terribly important. In the Arctic, getting a tent up in bad weather and getting a stove on are the two most important things. Doing them quickly, without getting wet and cold, will minimise the risk of frostbite. Doing it in the dark, at high winds and cold temperatures, is hard to do quickly. So we practice! Then we repack, and walk with out pulks some more. Then put up the tents again, and again, until we get slick.

We practice our knots, navigation, fitness, layering systems and other essentionals, but the tents keep us protected and the stoves give us our food and water. Without those two, in bad weather, nobody can survive in the Arctic.

Tent practice

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I’m in a bit of a hangover fudge. We scheduled a night off and spent it with dinner and drinking in the town, I feel rueful today.

It’s deceptive in Svalbard, the weather is warmer than expected and the permanent darkness makes it seem like it’s always the late evening. It’s mixed up, and does make things difficult, not least of which the subconscious thought that the day is forever ending.

We are lapsing and forgetting where we are, in the high Arctic, it seems more like a halfway house to somewhere else. We are waiting for our expedition, the locals are waiting for the sun, we sit around on an evening waiting to contact home. We all wait on the weather to change, and hope the skis will arrive soon before the snow starts to fall.

I occasionally wish I had a cigarette (nicotine dilates blood vessels, increases the risk of frostbite and decreases lung capacity so have been dropped) but content myself with soup or tea.

In the background there is running around and meetings going on, almost back to back, arranging logistics, liaising with the Royal Geographic society, checking and rechecking fuel prices (for the flights onto the sea ice). People are getting things done.

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Svalbard Map

We are out in the Arctic for 4 weeks, doing 2 weeks prep training and 2 weeks of a mini expedition. The spot we have gone to is Longyearbyen in Svalbard, which is around 814 miles from the Geographic North Pole.

Being up in the arctic we are in the arctic winter, during which there is no sun and the land is shrouded in a permanent night. Weather conditions fluctuate between -10 and -30, however the unseasonable cold snap in the UK is lead from the warm weather in the arctic. Although it was -17 on arrival, today was a warm plus 1 degrees. Temperature will drop back down on Sunday, which will mean a warmth in the UK which I’m sure you will be aware of.

The Arctic is the barometer of the weather conditions, and this counterbalance of abnormal temperature changes highlights the importance of the scientific research we are aiming to undertake. Global climate change is predictable, but must be measured in order to allow the monitoring to more accurately predict the weather cycles that are to be expected, and planned for.

The area we are training in is a favorate of polar explorers, and aside from Greenland is the one spot in the world were explorers come to train. Joining us on the exped we have one half of a two man team planning a trip to the north pole in 2012.

This first week the aim is simply to get used to the kit, and get used to different conditions. Mixed in with exercise we simply work out which clothes work for us, and how we adjust for different levels of exertion. We wear a base layer, warm mid layer and a windproof outer when working, however at the moment the weather is too warm so I am using a thin base layer and a windproof outer (I still sweat though, so have some tweaking to do).

The team in general is pleased to find out that they can keep warm in the cold, and the very low temp we have worked in (-18, -34 with windchill) we could all cope with. Although a glove mistake gave me painfull fingers for half an hour!

Next week we start with more training, getting the pulks and skis set up, and the what seems to be the biggest fear of the group immersion training where we jump into the icy water and pull ourselfs out. At the current forcast of -19 that might well prove interesting!

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Well, it’s getting a bit of a rush as we leave next Monday for 4 weeks training in Svalbard. We will be flying into the capital, Longyearbyen, and setting out from there. It’s about 900 miles from the North Pole, so the weather is great for acclimatisation.

For the first two weeks we should be able to keep in contact, and provide regular updates. For the final 14 days we will be out of contact as we go out for a mini expedition to test ourselves and the kit.

As we approach the departure date for our expedition, our story will fall into the media spotlight. Through TV, radio, and printed press coverage, our expedition will have a high public profile established before we set out. Our press is never constricted to the back pages but out there in the mainstream and prime time.

The Arctic Pole expedition can be a great opportunity for accompany to make a difference and be publicised in the media. Sponsorship does not cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to sponsor and a modest investment can work wonders for brand awareness campaigns – as well as demonstrating corporate responsibly externally and also internally to staff.

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It’s 63 days to the expedition, the down clothes are on order and will arrive (hopefully!) on the 7th of January.

The first stage of the expedition will be a trip out to Svalbard, in January, where we will spend weeks training on the sea ice. January is in the Arctic winter, and Svalbard one of the last land masses to the North in the Arctic. It should be very cold, around -45, which is perfect for training and adjusting the kit. It’s the first time the entire team will be together, with the international members meeting us for the first time. 

It means Christmas is getting overshadowed with preparation, and I have to keep the fitness training up over the holiday!

It also means the trip is becoming more real, at the start it was just an idea and now its a full scientific expedition the type of which is only undertaken once every few years by a small group of polar explorers.  It’s odd that I know I will be putting feet onto ice in January, but I’m getting excited now!

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I don’t look fit. I’ve looked fitter, thin and wiry. But the cold needs fat, as insulation and energy reserves for the long days hauling burning 8000 > 9000 calories a day.  I show the extra weight, the people who know me comment that I should be working harder, training for the expedition.

I am training, I feel fit and am fitter than I’ve been for a year. I’ve a way to go until I’m happy with the base fitness for the training in Svalbard, everything is on track though. 

I’ve decided a little insight into my training is probably called for.

My plan is to run to and from work each day. Today was a short run back from work which is around 4 miles, over mostly muddy and wet ground and very few paths. The lack of traction is good, slipping and sliding pushes you to balance and use core muscles that road running or treadmills just don’t. It also reminds the body that ground is not always stable and a footfall is not always going to find purchase, as we move onto ice that muscle memory becomes very useful. The temperature was low, 2 degrees, and wind brought a sharp chill along.

4 miles is not far, so I carry a backpack along the run to add weight. I don’t carry water. The body needs to get used to the weight, the straps and we won’t drink (can’t drink, too cold) except for morning and night.

I enjoy running with weight, it’s not something many people can do or ever should do. Indeed if you try it, without the right build up, it’s a sure fire way to get injury. It’s more stress on all the wrong muscles, any minor strain will pull away and rip important parts of you. My body is a little different, used to weight and  I know how to place my footfalls and use my stride to avoid injury. It’s not clever, it’s still a stupid way to exercise, it has the sole advantage of getting me fit faster.

When I run, especially hard runs, my memory wanders over a few things. I look at the woods and remember Army time spent freezing in a ditch, with the occasional mindless exercise counterbalanced with times my brain was taxed to come up with battle orders in less than no time. I know it can be worse, that I’ve felt worse, the burning pain in my body seems more distant then and I up my pace. I think of the other team members, other expeditions and the people training for there own reasons out in the same chilled dark evening.  I can’t help but hear the Army PTI in the back of my mind, telling me to straighten up and take deep lungfulls of air. I train by myself, but I rarely train alone.

I’m fit, I’m just carrying a little extra weight. It’s all in the plan.

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I’m happy today. I get to pose a question to Gordon Brown on BBC Radio 5 tomorrow, on John Pienaars political show from 20:30. It’ll be on the podcast too, although I should only be on for a really short slot!

Gordon Brown, Prime Minister

Still, it’s not often you get to ask the PM a question and get PR at the same time!

www.bbc.co.uk 5live

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I was sent a supportive message from our patron today, Sir Ran Fiennes, who’s currently working on his own expedition planned for 2012. I’ve no idea what his expedition will be but he’s an exceptional individual, having just conquered Everest aged 65 it’s impressive that he’s already planning some new extraordinary thing.

"Jim informs me of just how hard you are working to get this expedition off the ground which is something, as you might imagine, I can really appreciate. The fact that I am your patron makes me very proud so do keep up this tremendous effort. I know you will reap all the rewards in the end."
Very best of luck, Ran.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes – 25th November 2009

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