Sunday Morning Update

It’s minus 43C with 28 knot winds this morning, so things are certainly starting to get a little chilly with the Ice Team right now.

Progress has been hampered by mechanical issues with the GPR which is still not fixed. The team have been working closely with Allied Associates over email and are hoping that they are now very close to resolving the problem. Combined with the slow progress of the crevasse fields, the team is now even further behind schedule. Nevertheless, a few weeks of driving around the clock on safer terrain and flatter ascents might well be enough to get the team back on track. Of course, it is not quite as simple as this and the struggle to complete the challenge grows with every hold up. Morale remains okay, but the relentless frustrations they are having to live through each day is a continual strain.

We will know more about the GPR situation this evening, so will post more then. I am sorry we can’t give more encouraging news than this, but at least the team are all safe. Oh, and their polar clothing is working a treat!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Hugh, Operations HQ

There are 8 comments

Posted by piotr on May 19, 2013 @ 10:44 am

hold on; step by step by step, it’ll do; aniway it’s an amazing journey; thanks for making the effort of giving news.
greetings from Brest, Brittany

Posted by John Melnick on May 19, 2013 @ 10:51 am

Good to hear all safe!

Posted by May on May 19, 2013 @ 11:18 am

Thanks so much for update, especially on a Sunday morning! It is worrying when we know things are tough and we imagine the worst. Good to know it’s nothing worse than electronic gadget glitch. Driving around the clock sounds good in theory but it will call for more from the team than is humanly possible and more from the machinery than it’s reasonable to expect. They’ll need to average more than twice the diurnal SOG predicted to reach GSP on schedule, i.e. about 76 km/day, assuming they can get going full chat tomorrow! Look forward to this evening’s post. Bon courage.

Posted by Hugh Bowring on May 19, 2013 @ 4:31 pm

Hi May

Thank you for your messages. These are very good questions that you pose. We get regular feedback from the field, and I am pleased to say morale is okay. But things are very tough right now, and as you say, they have only completed a fairly small distance in nearly two months. The start was always going to be the hardest part as they are going uphill and pulling their maximum loads, Nevertheless, the extended crevasse fields were never expected to be so severe.

Best wishes,

Posted by May on May 19, 2013 @ 11:31 am

Odd! My last comment appears to have disappeared …

Posted by Prudhoe Dave on May 19, 2013 @ 1:09 pm

What time zone are the team using?

Posted by Hugh Bowring on May 19, 2013 @ 4:32 pm

Hi
They are GMT+2, which means that at the moment they are one hour ahead of time in London (BST).
Best wishes
Hugh, Operations HQ

Posted by Annac on May 19, 2013 @ 4:24 pm

Glad you still have retained your sense of humour. ‘A little chilly’ describes my camping experience this weekend. I was thinking ‘at least I’m not in the Antarctic’ as I trudged up the beach in a chilly wind yesterday. Glad the thermal clothing is keeping out the chill. Keep cheerful!!!

Sunday Morning Update