The serious players are back in the Arctic
Published on 29.01.2010 - General Info
An exciting Arctic season awaits visitors to Explorapoles this spring 2010, starting from about 15th March.
And this year, the 'great names of polar exploration' are back in action Âor at least some of them are.
First of all, we have the balloon flight over the pack-ice (powered by a mixture of helium and hot air) on an expedition dreamed up by the French doctor and explorer, Jean-Louis Etienne. This particular adventure has not so far been completed successfully.
There's another French expedition, too, and an unusual one at that, which will be dropped off at the North Pole and then make its way to Cape Columbia in northern Canada including 90 underwater dives along the way. The stated aim of this expedition is to study the hidden face of the sea-ice.
For expedition number three, we find the renowned adventurer Hannah McKeand on a solo and unassisted trek from Ward Hunt to the North Pole, a journey that has never been completed by a woman before.
Then there's the American, Eric Larsen, who has just successfully reached the South Pole and who is in the process of trying to conquer all three Poles in under 365 days.
There is also an American team attempting to reach the North Pole of Inaccessibility (or the Arctic Pole) from the north coast of Canada -a crossing of 750 nautical miles.
Next, there's a flight aboard a Cessna piloted by the American, Art Mortvedt, from northern Canada to the North Pole (the plane has already made a landing at the South Pole). This adventure has a scientific side to it as well, consisting of taking laser photos while in flight to study the algae and cyanobacteria in the sea-ice.
The explorer, Anthony Jinman, also aims to study the pack-ice on his trip from Ward Hunt to the North Pole. But Jinman is still looking for more sponsors before he can embark on his venture.
Finally, there will also be a number of interesting crossings of Greenland, including a Canadian expedition to be undertaken by Sébastien Lapierre and Olivier Giasson, who will be setting out from Isortoq and heading for Kangerlussuaq. This crossing was a Canadian first in 1995 and the pair will be attempting to repeat the feat.
