First flight, and they’re off!

Published on 11.11.2008 - General Info

The first commercial flight aboard the Ilyushin IL76 operated by the tour operator ALE (Antarctic Logistic Expedition) touched down at Patriot Hills last Monday afternoon with an additional fifty passengers.

There are a good number of commercial (i.e. tourist) expeditions on schedule for the upcoming Antarctic season. We are confident we will catch some thrilling moments of high adventure in the weeks and months to come.

List of expeditions for the 2008-2009 season.

• Last Degree to the South Pole: Doug Stoup will be leading a number of tourists over the final 111 kilometres to the South Pole, (expedition website).
• TransAntarctic Expedition: Andrew Regan, Andrew Moon and Jason de Carteret are leading a group of polar beginners from Berkner Island to the South Pole, using motorised vehicles (expedition website).
• Finnish South Pole solo: Finnish explorer Teemu Lakkasuo will be attempting the trek between Hercules Inlet and the South Pole, solo and unassisted (expedition website).
• British SP Expedition 2008: Adam Wilton and Gavin Booth also intend on completing the route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole unassisted (expedition website).
• Expedition Earth: Todd Carmichael plans to cover the route between Hercules Inlet and the South Pole solo, on foot and unassisted (expedition website).
• Base to the SP: Tom Davenport, Steven Gates, Ross Maxwell, Kari Gundeso and the guide Sarah McNair are taking on the trek from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole with ANI as part of a commercial expedition (one of the expedition websites).
• Ice Cold in Antarctica: Jill Maxwell, Darah Horgan and two other tourists accompanied by their guide Eric Larsen will be setting out on the trek from Berkner Island to the South Pole with ANI. This is another commercial expedition (one of the expedition websites).
• Finnish SP expedition 2008: the Finnish pair of Kari Poppis Suomela and Pasi Ikonen are attempting the classic route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, unassisted (expedition website).
• SoloAntarctica: Mark Langridge's goal is the route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back again, solo, dropping off his own stashes of supplies for the return journey along the way (expedition website). 
• Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition: six descendants of the famous British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton are recreating his 1909 Nimrod Expedition (expedition website)

Other adventurers will also be pitting their courage and endurance against the icy elements of the Antarctic this southern summer, but have not yet thought it necessary to talk to the media about their ventures or translate their websites into English.

First there is the Norwegian tour operator Hvitserk, which is taking a number of tourists to the South Pole (Berkner-South Pole). Then there are the attempts being made from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole by the Brazilian Julio Fiadi and the Spaniard Chus Lago (Maria Jesus Lago Rey; 44), who was the third woman ever to reach the summit of mount Everest (8 848m) without oxygen. Finally, there is the Australian guide Duncan Chessel (38) who is taking tourists on a route through the Ellsworth Mountains not previously attempted, and the Canadian Richard Weber, who is accompanying two adventurers, Ray Zahab and Kevin Vatalie, on a speed record attempt, bidding to cover the route between Hercules Inlet and the South Pole in under 35 days.

The first flight carrying ALE clients arrived at Patriot Hills in the afternoon of November 10th. Passengers included the Spaniard Chus Lago, Adam Wilton and Gavin Booth from the British South Pole Expedition 2008, Todd Carmichael from the Earth expedition (which is already at Hercules Inlet), Mark Langridge from SoloAntarctica, the group of four tourists to be led by Sarah McNair-Landry from Hercules to the South Pole, the members of the Matrix Shackleton expedition (who still have to fly on to McMurdo), the Finnish pair of Kari Poppis Suomela and Pasi Ikonen, as well as the other Finn, Teemu Lakkasuo from the Finnish South Pole Solo Expedition. And probably some other ones too.

As we have not received any further news from ALE/Patriot Hills, we assume that all of the people on expeditions intending to cover the route between Hercules Inlet and the South Pole were taken to their starting point aboard the same Twin Otter and at the same time as Todd Carmichael. That was on Tuesday November 11th.

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