We've heard from each of the teams today and their dispatches are posted below.
The Last Degree Ski Expedition team is at 89°11.431 N, 165°55.777 E. They traveled 10 miles north today- an excellent start for first tull day of travel. The reported winds around 15 mph and temperature around -30° C.
The Chinese Ski Expedition team is at 89°25.14 N, 167°54.25 E. Winds around 10-15 knots from the south west. Skis were mostly sunny. Chilly with the wind but all fared well. They did a fair amount of training today as the team had not had prior training together. All were in good spirits, enjoying Chinese food for dinner and special Chinese spirits.
The Last Degree Dogsled/Ski Expedition team is at 89°05.3 N, 168°5 E. They had a "huge" first day according to one team member. Very challenging conditions with large pressure ridges, a lot of open leads, many freshy frozen leads. Finding the best route was quite a feat. But all are in good spirits and feeling very positive about their accomplishments.
Check back tomorrow for another update.
Monday, April 15, 2013
And they're off!
Sunday, April 14 started off with breakfast and an announced departure time of 8:30 AM. After an unplanned night in Longyearbyen as a result of a weather delay everyone was well rested and eager to get off. After a call from the charter air provider our departure time was moved to 9 AM, then 10 AM then 11 AM, then 12 PM but luckily between 11 & 12 we got the call to go, go, go to the airport, pronto!
Everyone was ready and we made the transfer quickly. There was the anticipated chaos at the airport of unloading 18 eager dogs from the dog trailer and putting them into 9 kennels as well as getting all the people and personal kit onboard, but with everyone's help it went quickly and efficiently.
The flight to Borneo takes approximately 2.5 hours, which means they should have landed around 3:30 PM. We don't yet know if they decided to spend the night in the vicinity of the Barneo basecamp or start skiing/dogsledding straight away. What we DO know is that everyone was excited to begin the adventure and the energy was very high. Now it's time to put that energy towards moving north, staying warm and having a good time.
We will keep you posted with audio dispatches as they become available. Check back soon for another update from the ice.
Everyone was ready and we made the transfer quickly. There was the anticipated chaos at the airport of unloading 18 eager dogs from the dog trailer and putting them into 9 kennels as well as getting all the people and personal kit onboard, but with everyone's help it went quickly and efficiently.
The flight to Borneo takes approximately 2.5 hours, which means they should have landed around 3:30 PM. We don't yet know if they decided to spend the night in the vicinity of the Barneo basecamp or start skiing/dogsledding straight away. What we DO know is that everyone was excited to begin the adventure and the energy was very high. Now it's time to put that energy towards moving north, staying warm and having a good time.
We will keep you posted with audio dispatches as they become available. Check back soon for another update from the ice.
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