See our new positions map
Published on 16.04.2010 - General Info
Expeditions' positions
© International Polar Foundation
This is our 4th map showing the positions of each team still on the ice. All the expeditions have drifted eastwards. Success for Richard Weber who has made it. Smitheringale has abandonned and has been rescued by military canadian air force.
Although the spring 2010 season is not coming to an end yet, all the teams are now rushing to their target. Simply because Boyarzsky russian logistic which normally is in charge of going to the Pole to pick up the teams once arrived has decided to close Barneo station (from where the MI-8 helicopters take off to go to the Pole) on April 26th.
In the previous years, Barneo used to close around mid or even end of May. But nowedays, with an allways more precocious melting and dislocating of the pack, pilots do not want to take excessive risks flying over the water. Therefore, all the teams try to reach PN before this deadline. They are not obliged though to do so ; they still have the choice for an evacuation via Resolute and Kenn Borek's Twin Otters. But this operation is maybe four of five times more expensive than the one through Barneo. In addition, sould an expedition arrive late arrival at PN (mid May for instance), it could be possible that the Borek's Twins could simply not land anymore because of the bad situation of the ice pack.
