Status Update

Image by Ian Prickett

After two days of painstakingly surveying and preparing a route across an especially difficult crevasse field, the Ice Team was finally able to get on the move again today and overcome the treacherous terrain. The team has spent most of the last two days identifying and filling in large holes in the blue ice with the Cats to enable safe passage and this comes with it a fair degree of frustration and stress for the team, so there was understandable relief at making it across safely and without incident.

Today’s move was done as six units, with both Cats pulling each unit, and much of it was done on the winch cable. The Ice Train is now out of the known crevassed area. In Brian’s words, whis section has been the most difficult of the journey so far.

The intentions for tomorrow is to relay for 1.25km which will take the team to the end of the current recce’d route. At the same time, two of the team members will carry out reconnoissance further south to the edge of the blue ice area with the view to establishing a safe route.

Although the team has only moved 500m south today, this is a significant achievement and an example of the team unrelenting perseverance in extremely difficult circumstances.

Today’s vital statistics:

Current position: S72 44′ 23.6″, E023 38′ 07.0″

Altitude: 2690m

Distance travelled today: 500 metres

Temperature: -37C

Wind speed: 32 knots