Fact of the Day:

The Polar Circles mark the latitude where for one day in summer  the sun never sets and conversely in winter the sun never…

You might remember that about three months ago we ran a light-hearted Jazz Hands competition. The idea was borne after Ice Team member Ian Prickett’s impromptu decision to pull the pose at the start line. Well, there have been some successful competitions along the way (the on-going photo competition to win Sir Ranulph’s Montana jacket is a case in point – check here to see an album of entries…

Last week, we posted a video featuring Brian Newham explained the process of melting snow into water for drinking and cleaning. In this video Richmond Dykes talks us through the systems in place for generating electricity for the Ice Train, including the two 240V generators, the battery store and how the team have planned against fire and crevasse falls. For the technical and the not-so-technica…

The sun is getting closer and for once there is only low drift so we can see the horizon. This shot was taken from the door of the living caboose and is looking north towards the Sør Rondane mountains which we must pass through on our journey back to the coast.

The highest mountain in Antarctica is Mount Vinson 4,892m (16,050 ft) and is in the Ellsworth Mountains. It was first climbed in 1966.

The great explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was buried at Grytviken on the sub-Antarctic island off South Georgia, at the request of his widow Emily. On 27 November 2011, the ashes of another lauded explorer, Frank Wild, were interred on the right-hand side of Shackleton’s grave site. An inscription nearby reads “Frank Wild 1873–1939, Shackleton’s right-hand man.” Photograph by Tim…

Today we are offering you the chance to win Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Montane jacket in our latest photo competition. It is the actual jacket which he wore on The Coldest Journey expedition (see image) before he was forced home with frostbite and is therefore a genuine artefact of polar exploration history. The Ice Team are currently camping in perhaps the most remote place in the world. So our…

CampNice While it Lasted – a blog by Spencer SmirlYesterday, the 14th of June, was a rare day for us here at our winter camp. It was the third of three consecutive days of no wind.  Not only was the air as still as stone, the sky was clear as well. I couldn’t remember the last time I witnessed the sharp edge of the horizon in the distance. The thirty plus days of howling wind spins the snow…

During winter the sea around Antarctica freezes and this area of frozen sea can be greater than the size of the continent.

Temperatures of around minus 56C might not be too comforting for the Ice Team right now, but at least the winds have dropped aenough for them to be been able to get outside for more than just the briefest moments. Over the weekend they had the combination of low winds (and therefore no drift), clear skies, a small setting moon and aurora activity which lasted throughout the night. This photo…