Pushing the Envelope
Feeling fairly excitable after having experienced the cold chamber at close to -60C, wrapped in an incredible down-filled cloud, it wasn’t long before Hugh and I struck upon a fanciful idea: to fully understand the benefit of the amazing technologies used to maintain our team on the ice at super low temperatures, we wanted to see how long we could last in normal civvy clothing. Ian Prickett had…
Dark Side of the Room
I can honestly say that it is FAR more comfortable being in an ice chamber at -58C wearing four pairs of trousers, two pairs of socks, one and a half pairs of gloves, goggles, insulated snow boots, two sets of thermal hats, an ear buff, three tops and one of the thickest down jackets available to man, than it is wearing the above at room temperature. It was a godsend just to get in the freezer.
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Ouch!
One of (or rather, nine) the reasons why we are doing the equipment tests today. Severe frostbite could threaten the entire expedition, so getting the right gloves is paramount. With that said, the poor individual in this photo ended up this way after spending a day taking photos of the team during preparations in Sweden with fingertip-less gloves. Thankfully, the feeling is starting to com…
Interviews
After one of the Ice Team’s two mechanics had to pull out of the expedition for personal reasons a month ago, we have been looking for a suitable replacement. Today, the four short-listed candidates from Finning UK are here at Millbrook for a series of tests and interviews, to see who’s the best choice for the expedition. As well as having to be highly trained in the use and maintenance of…
Millbrook Cold Chamber Testing
Well, we’ve made it. After a hideously early start, Tris and I hurtled down the M1 to arrive at the testing site for 7.45am, where we met the rest of the team and the guys from Millbrook. Ran turned up five minutes later having driven down from Gleneagles, setting off at 1am. After a quick breakfast in the warm canteen we’ve shifted down to the preparation room outside the cold chamber. This…
