The Blog

Q: Did you consider removing some of the spikes on the CAT treads to increase the pressure per spike thus driving them further into the hard ice and reduce the slipping that you encountered on the “blue ice”? When you stop and winch, is there some extra anchor you deploy to keep from sliding? (by Peter) A: We have considered reducing the overall quantity of spikes on the D6N Tracks. It is a…

Before the answers, a note on the picture: Rob thought people would prefer this stunning picture he took of the aurora rather than his own face. Thanks Rob, we do!! (this bit was NOT written by Joanna – she would have loved a pic of Rob!) 1.  What was your favourite subject at school? Not really a subject, but gymnastics, athletics, and rugby were the things I enjoyed the most. Academically,…

Q: What is the Ice Teams’ unanimously favourite guilty pleasure when you get downtime? (by Gina Callini) A: In the modern world communications are often taken for granted but given where we are and the fact that we are totally isolated in a polar winter we are incredibly lucky to have an Iridium Pilot satellite system with both voice and internet access. This is our window to the world and it…

Here are some meteorological stats which Brian Newham has pulled together covering the 87-day period when the sun was down (9th May to 3rd August):   Average temperature            minus 41 C (-42 F) Minimum temperature         minus 55 C (-67 F) Maximum temperature        minus 23 C (-9 F)   Average wind speed             27 knots  (31 mph) Minimum…

A lot of people have given up their time, energy and in some cases money to help bring this expedition to life – and not just the people on the website’s biography pages. While the level of input varies enormously, even a modest assistance can have a very meaningful effect on the expedition as a whole. Ash and Dia Morton (pictured) bought the fabric for and made the depot flags which hav…

The aurora australis, commonly known as the southern lights, is a glow observed in the night sky created by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere. The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar winds that pass by Earth are directed by the Earths magnetic field into the atmosphere. The amazing photo below was taken by the Team back…

Quick pic from Antarctica. A lovely day here. 10kts and -40c. It almost feels like spring! By Brian Newham…

We’re not quite sure when you are going to get to dip your toes but we are thinking of you. Great commitment and a lot of hard work already under the speedos for a very worthy cause. Good luck and go, go, go! [Tris and Hugh from Operations HQ will be swimming the English Channel at some point between now and September 4th as part of a four-man relay to raise money for Seeing is Believing. If you…

Q: Why didn’t you use a helicopter? (by Lorna Wright) A: The challenge was to try and cross the continent on the surface during the winter. Helicopters and various fixed-wing aircraft do operate in the Antarctic in the summer months but even then they are often at their limit in terms of the conditions. They all leave the continent at the end of the summer because in the winter its too cold and…