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2006 North Pole Dogsled Expeditions
2006 North Pole Ski Expedition
2005 North Pole Ski Expedition

2006 "Final Dash" North Pole Dogsled & Ski Expedition

10 April, 2006 Update
Things are heating up in Longyearbyen- literally and figuratively. It has been unseasonably warm there with temperatures hovering around freezing, sometimes slightly above freezing. Annie Aggens and Keith Heger arrived in Longyearbyen on 3 April and began finalizing details, organizing gear, putting finishing touches on all of the plans. Rick Sweitzer and Paul Schurke arrived 7 April, delayed by one day in Oslo due to the SAS Braathens strike. We're all quite relieved that the strike was resolved so quickly and thus far, everyone who was scheduled to be in Longyearbyen by now has arrived safely.

Barry on the shakedown enjoying the all too warm conditions!

The team headed out onto the ice for the shakedown trip on Saturday, 8 April. They traveled a beautiful loop climbing 2,1000' over a pass. It proved to be a warm, wet trip as temperatures remained around freezing. Team members were able to familiarize themselves with their gear, skis, clothing systems, dog handling and care and general camp routines. Their route involved much more climbing and descending than they anticipate en route to the Pole but it proved to be very good practice. All returned to Longyearbyen in high spirits this afternoon, ready for a celebratory dinner. More team members arrive in Longyearbyen today and tomorrow. Then the 2° expedition team members are scheduled to fly out of Longyearbyen to the expedition starting point on 13 April. Stay tuned...
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11 April, 2006
The remaining clients all arrived in Longyearbyen and the expedition began with an official welcome reception and dinner.

A highlight of the day was when NWP Polar Expeditions Director Annie Aggens had the opportunity to discuss with the Prince of Monaco the threat that global warming is having on the Arctic and Polar Regions. He gladly embraced the opportunity to sign the petition of ICECAAP (International Consortium of Explorers Concerned for the Arctic, Antarctic and Poles) which calls upon world leaders to recognize and take action against the human effects of global climate change on the High Arctic and polar regions.

The Prince of Monaco with Annie signing the ICECAAP petition. Photo courtesy of Robert Russell, Eagles Cry adventures.

All North Pole adventurers this season are feeling the effects of global warming with abnormally warm temperatures in the region. Together we plan to use this opportunity to spread the message about how the Arctic is being affected by this global threat. Following in the footsteps of his great- grandfather, the Prince of Monaco is embarking on his own Polar dogsled expedition this year.
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12 April, 2006
The team spent the day reviewing and readying their kits, getting their skis set, practicing using the stoves and acclimatizing to the High Arctic environment of Longyearbyen. They ended the day with a fabulous dinner of the local delicacy of reindeer in a rustic, candle lit cabin.

Chuck and Sandy dining on reindeer and salmon, the night before their flight to the North Pole.

The dinner was prepared by a French chef, speaking to the international flavor of this fascinating community. All swapped stories and started getting to know one another. They were joined by 3 members of our Champagne Flight team who had a great time.

Tomorrow the plan is do a little bit of skiing and skijoring before the evening flight out to the ice. All are keeping their fingers crossed that everything stays on schedule!
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13 April, 2006
So much for keeping fingers crossed! As we have learned in Arctic travel and exploration, flexibility is the name of the game. The team was loaded onto the plane

Dogs inside the plane - packed for flying!

along with all of their gear in time for the scheduled flight at 8 p.m. local time. Then they were told that they would not be able to fly that day due to weather conditions in Barneo. So they unloaded all of the gear and settled in for one more night in Longyearbyen. Disappointed but not undaunted. There's always tomorrow... And all are aware that one major factor no one has any control over in polar travel is the weather.
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14 April, 2006
They're on the ice! And traveling! The team arrived in Barneo today and had a chance to get about 1 1/2 hours rest before flying to their expedition starting point at 88°20' N. They began traveling as soon as they loaded sleds with gear and hitched up dogs. They ended the day at 88°24' 034" N. 164°38' 233" E. They report conditions of flat light but relatively good ice. Everyone's spirits are very high as they are quite happy to be on the ice!! Months of training, preparation, anticipation and now they're off.

The Antanov while unloading on the ice at the Barneo runway.		Raymond in helicopter en route to our drop off near 88 degrees.

The word from the Champagne Flight team (who successfully landed at the North Pole on 13 April) was that there is a lot of water near the Pole. They flew over a relative lake of approximately 300 meters just 3 km south of the Pole. All of the ice appeared to be fairly fractured. The Champagne Flight team returned to Barneo on 13 April, planning to fly back to Longyearbyen that same evening. But as the flight the dogsled/ski team was scheduled to be on was not flying from Longyearbyen, they had to spend the night in Barneo. This proved to be quite the bonus adventure as the squeeze box was brought out, the party began and the team got to meet the Prince of Monaco's crew. They flew back to Longyearbyen on 14 April, arriving around 3:00 p.m. local time. The plan is for a skidoo trip tomorrow.
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15 April, 2006
Another solid day on the ice. The team is at 88° 33' 29" N, 164° 41' 35" E. They traveled 10 nautical miles today (unfortunately they had drifted south 1 NM overnight- good old Nature's Treadmill). Conditions were overall fairly good though they had flat light throughout the day. They did encounter one huge pressure ridge which was kind enough to have a slice in it just large enough to squeeze the sled through. Life's simple pleasures…

A slot just happened to be in the right spot - and it was the perfect size for our sleds!

as those familiar with arctic travel know, an opening in the midst of a pressure ridge is enormous- saves incredible amounts of time and energy! So we thank the powers that be that allowed that particular slice to be in the midst of that particular ridge. The team is hoping for sunny weather tomorrow but again recognizing that much as we might like, we can't control the weather. But spirits are high as they make good progress toward the Pole!
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16 April, 2006
The team wishes everyone back home a most happy Easter! They're having a great day and all are in great spirits. Their position is 88° 43' N, roughly same longitude as yesterday (164° E). They have been very pleasantly pleased by the ice conditions after hearing about a lot of open water. They did run across quite a few leads but nothing insurmountable. They did have to build one bridge to cross a lead that was approx. 1.5 meters wide. They stacked up snow to build a raft and everyone, including dogs and sleds, was able to cross the lead successfully. They found one really nice lead heading North which allowed them to really "crank" for about 1 km. They had flat light the entire day- the sun broke out about 10 minutes before they called (around 10 p.m. local time) for the first time all day. This seems a good omen for more sun tomorrow. But again, all in very high spirits with a final note that "Russell Rocks!" (I'm sure we'll get more explanation of this later...)

Making our way North with low light, but great ice conditions.

Addition reported in update from 17 April:
In the evening, they came to a lead that was moving. The group enjoyed watching and listening to the sounds- reported as sounding like a hungry giant grumbling. They were able to stand and watch the pan of ice they were on moving directly away from the pan of ice that was only a few feet away from them.
Everyone is bringing a secret dessert to share with the team each night. David gave them a special dessert of Easter eggs and B&B (bourbon & brandy). The word is they had a really fun time in the tent celebrating- good spirits shared by all in more ways than one! And the sun was shining brightly for the first time since the trip began.
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17 April, 2006
The team called in around 9:00 p.m. local time Their position is 88°53' N, same longitude as the past two days, 164° E. They also reported some revisions to yesterday's update so you may want to review that one again.
They saw a helicopter landing at Barneo today so know they are getting close. They are planning to send some special messages back when they hit 89° North. They had a very nice day, though mostly flat light and overcast again. The sun did make a brief appearance and they saw a sun halo which the team found quite interesting. They had great travel conditions with big pans of ice separated by leads which they crossed either by building bridges or chopping their way over bunches of rubble.

Tom in front of an unusually large block of ice. Luckily we didn't have to go over it!

Toward the end of the day, they had really flat conditions with big pans of ice so were able to do some towing behind the dogsleds. They were able to make some good progress with that.
For dinner tonight, Jerrilyn is preparing tortilla pizzas. Everyone is in very good spirits.
Temperatures have been quite warm, between -11° and -15° C (4° to 12° F). Team leader Annie Aggens reported that she hasn't put on a neck gaiter yet, nor has she put on her plunge mitts (she's not even sure where they are!). She says it resembles spring time in Colorado. They traveled about 7.5 hours today and 8.5 hours yesterday. The sun was just now peeking through the haze when they called. Here's hoping for sunny skies ahead tomorrow! The plan is to meet up with the 1° dogsled/ski team members at Barneo tomorrow and they will all continue north to the Pole!
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18 April, 2006
The team had good traveling conditions from camp to within about ¼ mile (.4 km) of Barneo. At that point, they ran into two different leads which were tricky to navigate around. It took them one hour to go that last little distance- frustrating when the end was so closely in sight! They saw the Antonov (plane) carrying the new 1° dogsled/ski team members and the 1° ski team members land at Barneo as they were traveling. But they missed seeing the ski expedition team because of the time it took to navigate around those last 2 leads. All of the dogsledders are together now- sitting inside Barneo, drying out gear and giving the dogs a well deserved break. Current position of Barneo is 89°01' N, 166° 30' E.

Russell, who can ride the sled like its a high-performance motorcycle, taking a break - it's tough work!!		Enjoying an easy stretch of ice.

They started the day with very flat light and light flurries. But then the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful day. Temperatures are markedly colder than they have been, around -15° to -20° C (-4° to +5° F). They're happy that the temperatures have dropped though they're now having to now learn to live in the cold as this is their first real experience with it! Very unusual for a North Pole expedition.
Yesterday they saw arctic fox tracks which is quite unusual at this latitude. They also saw an arctic tern which is extremely rare up here. Paul Schurke, veteran North Pole explorer, said it was the first time he has ever seen a bird up here.

Several of the team members wanted to pass along messages to folks back home:
Barry- to Astrid & Jukki- we're fine and pushing on, but the shopping bag is a goner! Love and miss you.
Evalyn- to John- Arrived in Barneo where it's about -30° F so it is cold! We start tomorrow. Love Evalyn
Toby- Hi to Suzanne and all my colleagues at Barclays
Joel- Arrived at Barneo camp in Russian plane- 9 of us and 7 dogs. Little wind, -30° F, but the sun is up! Love to Ricki, Chad, Brett- Andy get well soon!
Bob- to Paula- I am doing well and hope all is going well at home. Looking forward to getting home. How is college hunting going? Love, Bob Hi to Theresa, Anna, and Patricia
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19 April, 2006
The team is at 89° 11' 73" N, 166°47' E. They had great travel conditions and were on the trail for about 6 hours today. Weather continues to be chilly, -21° C (-6° F) but everyone is adjusting well. They added 3 dogs from Rafael, our friend in Barneo who was doing dog ridges there. So they now have 4 teams of 8 dogs each. The dogs are all very excited and everyone had a chance to ride the dog teams at some point during the day. Everyone is very happy and spirits remain very high.

Toby, after he manages to catch the runaway dogs who were on their way to the Pole without us!

Story of the day- Toby Young and Rick Sweitzer were at the front of the group when they heard the pitter-patter of little feet behind them. They thought it was one of the sleds. Next thing they know, 6 dogs are racing past them. They had broken from their chains and were on their way to the Pole! Toby chased them on his skis and then dove after them. At the last minute, he was able to snag the line. So our Super Hero of the Day is Mr. Toby Young of Manchester, England!
Annie Aggens made pizzas for everyone for dinner tonight and they were all relaxing in the tent when they called in, well fed and well rested.
A few messages for the folks back home:Messages-
From Russell- Hi'ya folks! I'm having a great time. An amazing experience. But also starting to dream of a warm bath, a cold beer and a few games on the pool table. And to JB- thanks for the message- you know what it means.
From Bob- to Paula- I miss you. Can't wait to get home.
To the Statkiewicz family- Easter sounded great. Hope you saved some for me. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Hope the college decision is getting closer. I'm trying to remember all the mascots.
To Lisa- Good to hear from you. Looking forward to seeing you when I return.
From Barry- from Astrid's Barry to the friend and relation in Mollbrucke- Greetings from close to the North Pole.
Much love to the family back in the US. Been seeing some wondrous things. And hi to AE & pup- the sky is blue.
From Rick- To Helen, Chris, Taylor, Anna & puppies- Love you and miss you.
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20 April, 2006
When the team finished their travels and set up camp, their position was 89° 21.06' N, 167° 46 E at 7 p.m. When they called in 2 hours later, their position was 89° 20' 94" N so they are experiencing some southerly drift. They're hoping it slows down overnight as the progress they made today was hard-earned. The winds are currently North at 10-15 mph (16-24 km/hr). Temperatures were quite brisk today, -10° F (-23°C) today. They began the day with sun but then it turned into flat light and when they called, it was snowing lightly. They are also experiencing some westerly drift. They reported traveling conditions today were fairly good but not nearly as good as yesterday. Rick Sweitzer (leader of North Pole expeditions since 1993) said yesterday they had the best conditions he has ever seen for dog teams. Today they had to make many diversions as they found many newly frozen leads, some not quite frozen yet, and many pressure ridges. They broke camp at 11 a.m. and stopped at 6 p.m. By the end of the day, everyone was definitely chilled and ready to stop. But they are now in the cook tent thawing out and drying out. Spirits continue to be high in spite of the challenges of the day. Dinner tonight was pizza for appetizers then stew. All had definitely built up hearty appetites!

Toby and Jerrilyn after getting their feet wet.		Setting up camp after a long day, and getting excited about hot drinks!

At one point today, Jerrilyn and Toby were riding the sled and got a bit of a "foot dip"- not fully in the water but enough to appreciate that you definitely would not want to get fully immersed! But no lasting ill effects- they continued plugging along.
We'll hope for the winds to diminish overnight so the southerly drift slows down- they don't need that after such a challenging day!

One message from Barry: Greetings to my A to Z colleagues in the US and Sweden and soon to be colleagues at NRM in Laval from 89° 21 N. latitude! Looking forward to sharing stories.
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21 April, 2006
The team awoke this morning to discover to their dismay that they had drifted 2 miles south overnight. Not the most pleasant way to start the day! So their starting position this morning was 89° 19.4' N. They had a very challenging travel day, encountering a lot of open water, big leads and active zones. Other parts of the day they were slugging through a lot of old ice and deep snow. There were many pressure ridges to cross and they ultimately had to do a lot of zig-zagging and deviating throughout the day. They also traveled fairly extensive to the east. Their final position tonight was at 89° 28' 59" N, 163° 54' E. They had flat light throughout the day and never really saw the sun. But temperatures were warmer, about 10° F (-12° C). So a physically challenging day but spirits remain high as they continue to make good progress toward their goal despite the obstacles in their way.

Another pressure ridge...		Polar bear tracks - on the left are the adult tracks, or the right are the tracks of a cub.

They had some excitement halfway through the day- they had been traveling along an open lead and saw fresh (within the last 3 hours) polar bear tracks. The tracks were of a mother and cub and they looked like the bears were going in and out of the lead looking for seal. They crossed the same tracks several times over the course of the afternoon. Upon first seeing the tracks, the team began bear precautions, practicing the use of their firearms. Annie Aggens shot some cracker shells which are the first phase of attempting to scare off a bear. They don't do any damage but make noise to scare the bear away. The protocol is that you are to shoot off two cracker shells before using a real slug. They continued looking throughout the afternoon but did not see any bears (but don't miss the ski team update for today if you're interested in bears!).
The true heroes of the day today were the dogs who have been performing incredible feats. The sleds with just the gear weigh approximately 400 lbs (181 kg) each. For periods of time, these dogs have been pulling the sleds with 2 team members riding on the sled, then also towing 2 additional team members on their skis. And word is they seem like they're almost bored, as if they're thinking "give us a challenge, would you?!?"
Currently, everyone is cozy in their tents, having some dry time. There is some light snow and a little southerly drift- hopefully, not as much tonight as last night.
And just one message today: From Joel to Ricki- everything's great! see you soon.
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22 April, 2006
If you were checking for an update yesterday and didn't see one, no worries- the team is fine. They just did not have satellite reception last night. But they called in Sunday morning, 8:30 a.m. local time. Their position last night was 89°40' 09" N, 165°44' E. As of this morning, 8 hours later, they were at 89°38' N, 165°05' E so had again drifted south about 2 miles. They reported a good travel day yesterday- conditions got flatter and the sun came out for most of the day. They had a long day of 10 hours of travel and were glad to find a nice spot to make camp around 9:30 p.m.

Joel after his plunge in the drink. This man has FAST reactions!!		Barry and Evalyn - a great team (notice the frost on their feet from their "dip")

They did have some excitement in the afternoon. Joel was initiated into the Polar Bear Club and went for a bit of a swim up to his chest. Lisa, our dog mushing guide, came to the rescue by laying herself prone on the ice and pushing a ski toward him. He was able to grab onto the ski and she pulled him out. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and after getting dried off, they continued traveling for several more hours. Barry and Evalyn also got their feet wet at one point when a sled punched through the ice. But no ill-effects- they continued on as the highly skilled expedition team they are turning out to be!
We'll keep our fingers crossed that this southerly drift pattern slows down. It's not fun to wake up and find that you have lost 20% of the distance you worked so hard to make! But spirits remain high and they all recognize that these are matters beyond anyone's control.
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23 April, 2006
The team had quite a successful day! They had a leisurely morning after their long day yesterday and hit the trail around 2:00 p.m. They made camp tonight at approximately 10:00 p.m. Their current position is 89° 50' N, 159° 44' E. The word is they can see the Pole! Quite exciting! They report it is a lovely night- just picture perfect. They have full sun and have enjoyed that all day. Winds have been light, 5-10 mph NW (8-16 km/hr). Temperatures around +15° F (-9.4° C). They began the day with a bit of rough travel, one incident of a broken ski but then it all smoothed out. They had quite a bit of new ice and some big pans of ice which made for good travel. Spirits remain very high as their goal is so close! And clocking 12 miles in a day- they ought to be feeling pretty good!

Perfect conditions - this is why we love the high Arctic.

The team was hoping to be joined by a few new members today, those joining for the 3 day dogsled/ski expedition. But the flight from Longyearbyen to Barneo was canceled due to weather conditions. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that they will be able to fly tomorrow and catch up with the team.
A few messages from the team:
From Joel: Went for a bit of a swim yesterday. I enjoyed it so much I want to do it at the North Pole now! But seriously, I'm dry and happy- all is well.
From Barry to Astrid (message from yesterday. 4/22/06)- it was a good day for a brief partial dip. My feet and boots are thawing nicely. The sky is blue. (Commentary from Rick Sweitzer- Barry is a man of few words!)
From Barry to Astrid today (4/23/06)- Camping tonight just 10 miles away from our destination. A relatively bruise free day. Happy birthday!!
From Toby to Suzanne- looks like sugar on the moon when I see you!
From Rick to Helen- ditto the above!
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24 April, 2006
The team's current position is 89°55' 81" N 167°39 E! Less than 5 nautical miles from the North Pole! The team waited at camp today until the final team members, Chris, Fred, Peter & Richard arrived by helicopter to join them. Everyone was extremely pleased to see that David Schermerhorn was also on the chopper, rested and ready to go the final stretch! They all arrived around 3 p.m. They had been scheduled to join the team yesterday but the flight from Longyearbyen to Barneo on 23 April was canceled due to weather.

Two of our awesome dogs. They are the real herso of this trip.		Chris checking out the midnight sun (this picture was taken at 2 AM!)

They had a glorious traveling day- fairly warm, sunny all day. A few hours ago, conditions turned flat but most of the day was bright sunshine. Everyone is feeling fine- a few bruises but the sight of the Pole so close makes up for any aches and pains. Annie Aggens had pulled out the squeeze box and they were all commencing a rousing sing-a-long when Rick called in.

They expect to reach the North Pole tomorrow and spend the night there. Those waiting for that amazing call from the North Pole can anticipate the calls to occur between 6 p.m. and midnight local (Norway) time. For those in the US, this is 6 hours ahead of Eastern, 7 hours ahead of Central and 9 hours ahead of Pacific time. Then they will fly to Barneo on Wednesday, 26 April and spend another night there. Then fly back to Longyearbyen on Thursday, 27 April for their final night's celebration. That all being said, remember how flexibility is the name of the game in Polar travel…

One message from Evalyn (message from 23 April but wasn't able to be transmitted): to John, kids and grandkids- Only 10 miles from the Pole! A great adventure. Many bruises, many gorgeous views. The dogs are fantastic. See you soon and a big hug to all of you! Love, Granny

Additional messages relayed later:
From Bob S: to Anna- Got your message. I miss you too. I have a war story for you. Love Dad
to Lisa- Congratulations! See you soon.
to Paula and the girls- Can't wait to get home. Love to you all.
From Fred & Peri- Love to Samantha, Peter, Tyler, Cailey, Lowell, Benjamin and Oman (apologies if this name is not right- it was on voice mail and difficult to hear) from Poppy & Nana
From Barry to Astrid- expect a phone call from you know where between 6:00 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday 25th. Love you!
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25 April, 2006
Bravo!! The team has reached the North Pole! They left camp at 2:40 p.m. and arrived at 90° North at 5:30 p.m. They experienced some of the toughest ice of the whole trip but when reaching the Pole, found that it was on a big flat pan of ice. They were able to take some good pictures with the GPS showing exactly 90° North. Temperature is around 0° F (-18° C) with light northwest winds. Everyone is well- a few bruises but very happy to have reached their goal. No messages from the team as they are all making phone calls from the Pole to their families and friends. Congratulations to all on a mission very successfully accomplished!

David reaches the North Pole		Russ toasting to a job well done.

And the party continues inside...		...where it's a little warmer and where there's music!.

Tonight they will have a ceremony spreading the ashes of Col. Norman Vaughan, a member of Admiral Richard E. Byrd's 1928-1930 Antarctic expedition. The team has been carrying Col. Vaughan's ashes from the beginning of their expedition. With the motto, "Dream big and dare to fail," Vaughan led a life of adventure and exploration. He was Admiral Byrd's chief dog musher and one of the first people to set foot in the interior of the Antarctic. Because of his contributions to the expedition, Admiral Byrd named a mountain after him and in 1994, just shy of his 89th birthday; Vaughan fulfilled a life long dream and climbed Mount Vaughan, a 10,302' Antarctica peak. His love of adventure and challenge led him to compete in his first of 13 Iditarod races at the age of 72. Norman Vaughan died December 23, 2005 in Anchorage, Alaska at the age of 100. It has been an honor and privilege for our team to carry Col. Vaughan's ashes on this expedition and spread them at the North Pole.
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26 April, 2006
The team is enjoying a day off in Barneo, allowing them a gradual re-entry to civilization. They were picked up by helicopter this morning and it was quite a sight loading all of the sleds, dogs, gear and people onto the chopper. Annie Aggens reported that one helicopter had 3 sleds, 25 dogs, the ski team and all of their gear. The other had 1 sled, 8 dogs, all the members of the dogsled/ski expedition (20 members including guides) as well as another independent team of 10 skiers. It must have been quite an interesting ride!

Getting picked up before the weather closes in.		Peri and Fred find a small place on the chopper amidst the dogs and all the gear.

They are enjoying the creature comforts of Barneo- heated tents, meals and great companionship. They are swapping stories with members of other expeditions and planning quite a party for tonight! They are due to fly back to Longyearbyen tomorrow morning.
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27 April, 2006
Both the dogsled/ski team and the ski team were picked up in Barneo on schedule at 12:30 p.m. local time. They arrived back in Longyearbyen around 4:30 p.m. Report is that spring has come to Longyearbyen and it is quite warm. All team members will be celebrating with a final dinner tonight. Then most are on flightsback to their respective homes tomorrow. All are very much looking forward to seeing family and friends and sharing stories of their incredible adventures.

Here we all are. Congratulations to our team!!!!

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28 April, 2006
The teams had a rousing celebration last night. Lots of spirit and merriment! Gag gifts were shared as well as presentations of the official North Pole certification awards. They all shared stories and fond memories of their spectacular adventures. They're slowly starting to depart for their home cities. They send many thanks to all of you for following their expeditions. We look forward to updating you in the weeks ahead with photos and video clips from the expeditions. Please check back around mid-May for updated photos and video. And it's not too early to being planning your 2007 North Pole expedition!

A final congratulations and thanks to all of our North Pole expeditioners in 2006!
2° Dogsled/Ski Expedition:
Raymond Behm- Ell, Luxembourg
Barry Greenberg- Drottningholm, Sweden
Bill & Jerrilyn McAndrew- Colorado, USA
Tom Randgaard- Minnesota, USA
David Schermerhorn- Washington, USA
Bob Statkiewicz- Maryland, USA
Russ Wakefield- London, England
Expedition Leaders: Annie Aggens, Paul Schurke and Lisa from Arctic Adventures in Longyearbyen

1° Dogsled/Ski Expedition:
Evalyn Campbell- Illinois, USA
Joel Robinson- California, USA
Toby Young- Manchester, England
Expedition Leader: Rick Sweitzer

1° Ski Expedition
Anna Culpeck- East Sussex, England
Bob Douglass- Virginia, USA
Ajeet Bajaj- New Delhi, India
Expedition Leaders: Keith Heger and Dirk Jensen

3 Day Dogsled/Ski Expedition
Christopher Lademacher- Illinois, USA
Peter Schurke- Minnesota, USA
Fred & Peri Schuyler- Maryland, USA
Richard Wiese- New York, USA

Champagne Flight
Chuck & Sandy Cosse- Washington, USA
David Hoffman- Texas, USA
John Sedlak- New York, USA

We thank you for sharing this incredible experience with us and wish you all the best in your future adventures! Back top

2006 "Last Degree" North Pole Ski Expedition

March Update
Only a month until we meet in Longyearbyen, Norway for this incredible expedition. Team members are busy gathering items for their kit and getting used to their boots which we send to each team member in advance of the expedition. We hear from everyone that preparations are going well! Daily reports for this expedition will start on April 16th. Make sure to bookmark this page to follow our progress!
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12 April, 2006
The ski expedition begins tonight with a welcoming dinner. The team started reviewing their kits and gear tonight, getting excited to hit the trail tomorrow. They will be out on the trail for 2 nights for their shakedown adventure.

Anna (in foreground) and Bob head out for their shakedown.

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14 April, 2006
The team is proving to be quite a strong crew as they are testing their skills and limits in their shakedown. They are having an opportunity to fine tune their clothing systems, sleeping systems, gear, skis, sleds- everything they will need for safe, efficient and happy travel to the North Pole. They will be returning back to Longyearbyen tomorrow.
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15 April, 2006
The team has now all arrived in Longyearbyen, welcoming their newest arrival, Ajeet, from India today. The word from the cell phone was that "all are here and smiling!" Tomorrow is a rest day when some will be doing some skiing, some dogsledding and some resting and laundry. Their final preparations will be on Monday in anticipation for their flight onto the ice on Tuesday. And again, the shakedown was quite successful with all participants passing with flying colours!
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17 April, 2006
The weather turned in Longyearbyen today with the winds howling and blowing snow creating blizzard-like conditions. This allowed the ski team to practice setting tents in challenging conditions, not an easy feat! But they all agreed this was excellent preparation for whatever Mother Nature may throw at them en route to the Pole. And again, this team proved their mettle! Temperatures were around 20-25° F (-4 to -6° C), at least below freezing for the first time in several days. Winds blowing 25-40 knots so wind chill was quite brisk! But the team did beautifully and feel confident as they look toward their flight to Barneo tomorrow and the beginning of their trek to the Pole.

Our tips for stove safety on our cooking board. We got lots of practice cooking before we took to the ice.

They celebrated their last night in Longyearbyen with a special meal at a remote cabin joined by the 1° dogsled/ski team who also head to Barneo tomorrow. Dining by candlelight, they feasted on a four course dinner prepared by French chef Muriel, the finest chef north of 66°. They toasted with aquavit, fine cognacs, wine and lingonberry liqueurs. Not that the team isn't taking their challenge seriously... they'd had quite a workout today and well deserved this treat!
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18 April, 2006
They're off and running! The ski team left Longyearbyen on schedule at 10:30 a.m., arrived in Barneo at 1:00 p.m. Barneo's coordinates today were at 89° 01 N, 166° E. They coordinated their gear and were able to hit the ice around 3:30 p.m. They traveled about 4 nautical miles in 3.5 hours and are now camped at 89° 05' N, 166° 30' E. They reported excellent conditions- unlimited visibility, sunny and virtually no wind. Temperatures around -20° C (0° F). The team is very excited to finally be on the ice after all of their preparations!

Group shot in the Longyearbyen airport just before departure for the pack ice.

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19 April, 2006
The ski team is camped at 89° 11.398' N, 166° E. They reported a good day today, putting in 8.5 hours of travel. They broke camp and hit the trail around 10:30 a.m. and traveled roughly 6.3 nautical miles. They encountered some rough terrain in the middle of the day but good travel conditions the rest of the day. The dogsled/ski team passed them up around 5:30 p.m. They reported that the temperatures

Anna in the tent getting ready for bed.

continued to drop throughout the day. They used a lot of energy to get to where they are but are now "well fed and watered". They are all very glad to be on the trail.
A few messages from the team:
Ajeet says hi to Shirley & DeMegg
Bob says hello to Cyndi. Everything is well.
Anna says hi to everyone in Brighton, England
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20 April, 2006
The team's current position is 89° 19' 02" N, 167° 19' E. They broke camp this morning at 11:30 a.m. and stopped at 7:00 p.m. They are lamenting the loss of one of their teammates, Anna Culpeck, who was flown back to Barneo due to a knee injury. Her knee had been bothering her yesterday and continued causing significant pain today. Tough decision though it was, they all decided that it would be better for her to be picked up and return to Barneo. She will rest there and potentially come back out to rejoin the team on the 23rd of April. At that time, there will be additional team members joining the dogsled/ski expedition. But time will tell in Barneo if her knee heals up sufficiently. Our hearts go out to Anna who has put in months and months of training, pulling tires, running, working out, doing everything she could to prepare for this expedition. Her attitude and spirit have been extremely strong and we all hope that her knee cooperates in allowing her to rejoin the team and finish the last stretches to the Pole.

Nice conditions for traveling. Clear, crisp weather and not too nuch rubble...yet.

The team reported chilly conditions today, -10° F (-23°C) with northerly winds kicking up around 5 p.m. The team put in a good hard day and are most appreciative of being "fed and watered" again. Dinner tonight was Spitsbergen spaghetti with reindeer rice and beans. They are hoping for not too much of a southerly drift tonight and look forward to being back on the trail tomorrow.
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21 April, 2006
The ski team also awoke to find that they had drifted 2 miles south last night. Even more discouraging for them than the dogsled/ski team as it is much more challenging to go further distances when you are solely responsible for hauling all your gear in your personal pulk (sled). No help from the dogteams here!
So they began the day at 11:00 a.m. from a position of 89° 17.32 N. They ended their day at 9:00 p.m. at 89° 24' N 166° 30' E.
They ran into copious amounts of open water, lots of moving and shifting ice, lots of noises, lots of creaking- a very exciting but challenging day for travel. Visibility was very poor today- flat light throughout the day. They experienced north winds 5-10 mph (8-16 km/hr). It was not as cold as yesterday, about -15° C (5° F).

One of the many leads we passed. The presence of so much open water means that bears are likely nearby.

Then came the big excitement! Around 1:00 p.m. Dirk Jensen, expedition co-leader, sighted polar bears less than a mile (1.6 km) away! They began polar bear measures, meaning that they carried their weapons the rest of day and kept their bear deterrents close at hand. Most polar bear encounters will occur around areas of open water which perfectly described their terrain for most of the day. They saw one mother and her cub, then another single bear. They reported that the bears seemed curious in the humans' activity but moved the other direction. Let's just hope the bear found enough seals to satisfy their appetites for the day! But quite a thrill to see bears in their natural habitat, especially as long as they are moving the other direction! Let's hope they got some good pictures.
The team moved in 3 hour pushes through the rugged terrain. Keith Heger, expedition co-leader, reported that both members Ajeet and Bob are strong and doing very well. It was a long, rough day but they proved themselves to be real troopers.
A few messages from the team:
From Bob- My best to Tommy & AJ. The polar bears were spectacular!
From Ajeet- to Shirley, DeMegg, Mom & Dad- I love you! Polar bears were amazing!
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22 April, 2006
Reception issues with the ski team led to a very abbreviated report for today. They had a long, challenging day of travel but all are well. They progressed 7 miles north in 12 hours. We hope to get more details to fill in provided they have better reception with Sunday's call in.

A few challenging days, with tremendous amounts of rubble. Canyou imaging hauling a sled through this? It's tough work!

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23 April, 2006
The ski team reported that they had an amazing day! Weather was great, good traveling conditions, 100% sunlight (makes such a difference in spirits!), light breeze. This strong team traveled almost 11 nautical miles to end the day at 89° 37' N, 175° E. Quite the feat when hauling their pulks loaded with gear! Spirits remain very high as they tick off the miles/km. Again, reception for the satellite phone was marginal so we will hope for a fuller report tomorrow.

Keith while taking a snack break.		Bob relaxing in the tent after a long, hard push.

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24 April, 2006
The team's current position is 89° 48' 434" N, 178° E. They had a fabulous day- traveled 10 hours and made 11 nautical miles. They are all very pumped and excited as they are nearing the Pole. The team is in high gear, cranking away the miles. They have moved their expedition clock a bit later, waking at 10 a.m., taking 3 hours to get ready, leaving camp by 1:00 p.m. and making pushes till 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. The southerly drift of the ice seems to have slowed down and they are able to make significantly better progress. The condition of the ice also seems to be improving. They are only 7 miles behind the dogsled/ski team which is an incredible feat. They have been putting in long, hard days but they are determined and feeling great! The end is definitely in sight!

Dirk enjoying good weather and satisfying progress as we close in on the Pole!

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25 April, 2006
Bravo!! The ski team reached the North Pole at 11:30 p.m. local time! (The call came to our office at 10:08 p.m. CST which would be 5:30 a.m. local time) They had left camp at 2:00 p.m. and made 12 nautical miles in 9.5 hours- they must have been flying! They report they worked hard to get there but were very motivated and determined to reach the Pole today. They were taking a lot of photos and celebrating with champagne. They all wish to thank all of their followers for your support. They look forward to sharing stories when they return. For this team to reach the North Pole on the same day as the dogsled/ski team is an incredible accomplishment! They should all feel very proud of themselves.
Congratulations to all on a job exceedingly well done!!

Ajeet becomes the first person from India to ski to the North Pole. Congratulations Ajeet!		Keith celebrating with the ultra-sound image of his soon-to-be-born son, Keegan. (Keith became a father in late June. Congratulations Keith!)

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26 April, 2006
The team is enjoying a day off in Barneo, allowing them a gradual re-entry to civilization. They were picked up by helicopter this morning and it was quite a sight loading all of the sleds, dogs, gear and people onto the chopper. Annie Aggens reported that one helicopter had 3 sleds, 25 dogs, the ski team and all of their gear. The other had 1 sled, 8 dogs, all the members of the dogsled/ski expedition (20 members including guides) as well as another independent team of 10 skiers. It must have been quite an interesting ride! They are enjoying the creature comforts of Barneo- heated tents, meals and great companionship. They are swapping stories with members of other expeditions and planning quite a party for tonight! They are due to fly back to Longyearbyen tomorrow morning.

27 April, 2006
Both the dogsled/ski team and the ski team were picked up in Barneo on schedule at 12:30 p.m. local time. They arrived back in Longyearbyen around 4:30 p.m. Report is that spring has come to Longyearbyen and it is quite warm. All team members will be celebrating with a final dinner tonight. Then most are on flights back to their respective homes tomorrow. All are very much looking forward to seeing family and friends and sharing stories of their incredible adventures.
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28 April, 2006
The teams had a rousing celebration last night. Lots of spirit and merriment! Gag gifts were shared as well as presentations of the official North Pole certification awards. They all shared stories and fond memories of their spectacular adventures. They're slowly starting to depart for their home cities. They send many thanks to all of you for following their expeditions. We look forward to updating you in the weeks ahead with photos and video clips from the expeditions. Please check back around mid-May for updated photos and video. And it's not too early to being planning your 2007 North Pole expedition!
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A final congratulations and thanks to all of our North Pole expeditioners in 2006!
2° Dogsled/Ski Expedition:
Raymond Behm- Ell, Luxembourg
Barry Greenberg- Drottningholm, Sweden
Bill & Jerrilyn McAndrew- Colorado, USA
Tom Randgaard- Minnesota, USA
David Schermerhorn- Washington, USA
Bob Statkiewicz- Maryland, USA
Russ Wakefield- London, England
Expedition Leaders: Annie Aggens, Paul Schurke and Lisa from Arctic Adventures in Longyearbyen

1° Dogsled/Ski Expedition:
Evalyn Campbell- Illinois, USA
Joel Robinson- California, USA
Toby Young- Manchester, England
Expedition Leader: Rick Sweitzer

1° Ski Expedition
Anna Culpeck- East Sussex, England
Bob Douglass- Virginia, USA
Ajeet Bajaj- New Delhi, India
Expedition Leaders: Keith Heger and Dirk Jensen

3 Day Dogsled/Ski Expedition
Christopher Lademacher- Illinois, USA
Peter Schurke- Minnesota, USA
Fred & Peri Schuyler- Maryland, USA
Richard Wiese- New York, USA

Champagne Flight
Chuck & Sandy Cosse- Washington, USA
David Hoffman- Texas, USA
John Sedlak- New York, USA

We thank you for sharing this incredible experience with us and wish you all the best in your future adventures!

Svalbard Dogsled Expedition

30 April, 2006
The team began their expedition with an ascent up the valley from the dog kennel. They made their way over a saddle to a beautiful meandering valley. They had a combination of good snow and slush which made for very fast travel. They traveled around 30 km (18.6 miles). They came upon a wide glacial valley where they decided to make camp. They had a great night with good food and a special treat of Duffy's home made cookies! Many thanks to Duffy!

1 May, 2006
The team had a leisurely morning, enjoying breakfast and taking their time breaking camp. They continued up a broad valley under sunny skies. When the sun was out, both the dogs and skiers were overheating. But with the warm temperatures, they had very fast traveling conditions. Temperatures averaged around 35° F (1.7° C). They again traveled approximately 30 km (18.6 miles) up and down through the valleys. They made camp on a broad plateau surrounded by majestic peaks. The sun was shining with blue, violet and pink swatches through the sky, a very picturesque view. They are camped near a big block of ice jutting out from the ground around 20' (6.1 meters). When they called in, they were about to start dinner and there was much laughter in the background as spirits were high. Tomorrow the plan is to cross one or two glaciers to get to the east coast. They estimate they are about 20-25 km (12.4-15.5 miles) from the east coast. In their travels, they will be passing through polar bear central territory so will be keeping their eyes peeled.

2 May, 2006
The team traveled 25 km (15.5 miles) today, spending the majority of the day on glaciers. They traveled approximately 6 hours.
They awoke to a beautiful day with no clouds in sky. Before they even started traveling, the dogs were getting hot just laying still. But the dogs were troopers, managing to pull throughout the warm day and even had a bit of fun doing it. The sun shining on the mountains gave the snow a gleam to it as it melted. At one point, it looked like somebody had taken a white satin sheet and draped it over the mountains, the snow was so shiny. At another point when skiing up a glacier, each ice crystal caught the sun and the whole mountain seemed to sparkle. The snow is wet and deep and the dogs are going up to their elbows as they pull. They love to roll around in it when they take their breaks. In the afternoon, they made it off the last glacier and onto the pack ice of the east coast before making camp.
They have seen 3-4 seal but no polar bear as of yet. They do however anticipate seeing polar bear on their trek. They are camped very close to a sailing ship frozen in the ice called the Vagabond.
It is a beautiful night. They have not used a shelter for cooking on the trip yet and only half of group is sleeping inside tents. The dogs are all bedded down in a semicircle around the perimeter of camp to act as a warning signs for polar bears.
Everyone doing very well- all are happy and healthy. Last night, they really enjoyed Eric's grandmother's recipe for the most delicious nut bread that his wife lovingly made. They all gobbled it up most gratefully!

3 May, 2006
The team woke up to beautiful sunny skies again. They had lazy morning with a guest for breakfast- Eric, a French scientist from the Vagabond ship frozen in the sea near their camp. He told them about the science experiments they are doing, studying the effects of global warming in the Arctic. They are finding that the pack ice is melting at a rate faster than any models predicted. They are trying to figure out what it will be doing in next 2, 5, 10 & 20 years. He invited the team on board to tour his home where he lives several months a year including the dark months by himself. A fascinating side trip for the team!

They heard there was a polar bear 5 km away and went to investigate. They found that there had been polar bear playing in the snow in the area but none were there when they got there. They did see lots of tracks and do anticipate seeing bears.
Midway through the day as they went out onto the pack ice, the clouds lowered and ever since they've been shrouded in fog with very poor visibility which gives a mystical feel to the seascape and landscape
They passed a couple of icebergs which appeared magically out of the mist. They traveled about 20 km (12.4 miles) today and report temperatures were quite warm, around 40° F (4.4° C). They are now camped on land at the base of a mountain. Every so often, they get glimpses of the peak which they describe as very beautiful.
Last night they really enjoyed eating Dave's special dessert which was lovingly prepared by his daughter Dana and his grandchildren.
In the midst of the call, the dogs began howling so loudly it was nearly impossible to hear. Turns out, they had just been thrown a major piece of whale blubber- their special well-earned dessert!

4 May, 2006
Today the team traveled 20 km (12.4 miles) along the coast. They had ¼ mile (400 meters) visibility at best, sometimes only a couple hundred feet (60 meters or so). But the conditions continued to be very mystical. Though it was flat light, Bill says it was absolutely magnificent and he can't take enough pictures. At one point, they climbed a small ridge and saw the pack ice as it looks from there all the way to the North Pole. They saw lots of chunks of ice that resembled polar bear and would take on different shapes every 10' to 20' (3-6 meters). They didn't see any polar bear but were quite sure that a number of polar bear saw them. It was kind of magical to think that they're being watched as they travel.
Tonight they are camped at foot of a glacier that they will be climbing tomorrow as they leave the coast and head back inland. It will be a team building day as they ascend and descend about 30+ km (18.6 miles). But they will be fueled by Wintergreen staffer Jason's mother Kathy's homemade white fudge. They're sure it will get them up and over the glacial pass tomorrow!

5 May, 2006
Today was the team's longest and most challenging day yet. They traveled 25 km (15.5 miles), about 70% uphill! Their total ascent was 1800'-2000' (550-600 meters). Just as they were breaking camp, a really strong wind blew up and they were traveling straight into the wind for the majority of the day. So uphill progress was hampered by trying to ski and dogsled into 45 mph (72 km/h) sustained winds with gusts 60+ (96 km/hr)! The going was tough and slow. At one point, they had to skirt around the side of a mountain and traverse steep slopes. They rode 4 people per dogsled with people riding the rails to keep it from toppling over. The good news was that it was on the leeward side of the mountain so they got a respite from the wind. But once over the pass, they were slammed with an even stronger wind than before. They were also traveling into a billowing cloud so had about 1° visibility. They could not see from one sled to the next. They were traveling past steep precipices, quite the challenge with such limited visibility. Paul and Lisa did a great job navigating via GPS. The conditions were such that if one were to drop glove liner or ski pole, it would have been swept away to the Norwegian Sea. The temperatures without the wind were around 35° F (1.6° C) but obviously much colder with the wind.

Toward the end of the day, they managed to find a gentle slope that brought them out of the cloud and they regained their visibility. They found a nice place to camp in the midst of a terminal moraine of the glacier. They arrived in camp feeling totally wiped out but as they made hot drinks and dinner, energy was restored. Dessert tonight was "bourbon balls", the official Kentucky Derby dessert, brought by Goose (a Wintergreen staffer). Everyone is in good spirits. Today was exciting- maybe not fun but definitely an adventure. All are feeling quite a sense of accomplishment. Everyone did a great job going up the hills and riding the sleds like motorcycles. They were quite the sight to see!

6 May, 2006
"Wow- what a day!" was the opening line of the voice message from the team. Annie Aggens was calling from inside her tent in a raging wind storm. The tent was being held up by Beth's (her tentmate's) head (Beth was asleep so was not aware of this) and by a shovel that Annie brought into the tent to keep the walls up.

It was an interesting and very exciting day. They started off with a descent into a long valley and for a change they had the wind at their backs. It made for very easy going and they even managed to put up the kitchen tent as a kite. Peter and Paul Schurke and Annie Aggens sailed down the valley, figuring it out as they went along. Hope someone got some pictures! They then descended into a different valley and crossed over to a 3rd valley where they are now. The crossover was interesting- they were going through canyons with almost vertical walls and had to chop their route through the really steep slopes, creating a road through side of canyon. One stretch of about 100' took them 1.5-2 hours. Unfortunately, the sat phone cut out before Annie could leave the message about today's dessert! We'll have to fill that in on Monday when we actually talk with them.

7 May, 2006
Sunday was an epic day with numerous epic adventures including river crossings where they were knee deep in water. The first message from the team was from the van returning from their final celebration dinner and spirits were very high! The phone was passed around to team members and here are some of their comments- "We had a ball! This was a real adventure, meant in every way possible. A great trip- I would encourage anyone who can do this to do it. A spectacular trip- we were in the clouds, in the slush, crossed rivers, went through everything and it was amazing- the Arctic is an absolutely spectacular place! Another experience of a lifetime."

Then the official report for the day:
The team woke up to the sound of howling winds outside with rain and sleet. It's hard to motivate yourself when you're in the midst of a storm like that. But they got up and shoveled out a wind block for stoves so they were able to heat water, make hot drinks, porridge and sausage. They made their way down into Longyear Valley which leads to Longyearbyen. About 3 hours into the day, they ran out of snow so had to find a way up and over the tundra. It was raining and sleeting so the tundra was very moist and spongelike. This was a good thing as traveling over the tundra in dogsleds didn't leave much of an impact. Like a sponge, the tundra bounced back to its normal shape after they crossed.

They had to cross about 5 rivers that were full on, about thigh deep. The shortest was 10' (3 meters) wide and the bigger ones were braided 4 or 5 sections of 10' each. The skiers would take their skis off and walk across, guiding the dogsledders. The dogsledders did a great job of staying on the sleds even though water was passing through their boots. The skiers did a great job of guiding the sleds through the rivers. Everyone was very wet by the end of day but quite happy to arrive at their destination, Arctic Adventures. They stayed in a yurt Sunday night. It felt good to be inside instead of being in a tent- a bit warmer. They were back to civilization so to speak so there was mental relief and relaxation as well as physical.

8 May, 2006
After breakfast, the team drove into town. They were able to take showers, do a little shopping and readjust to civilization. They had a fabulous Arctic evening with much celebration. Dinner was reindeer with mushroom sauce prepared by French chef Muriel. They reminisced, celebrated, and had a great time. They are now sleeping for first time in beds- quite a welcome sensation! Tomorrow they will have breakfast and a chance to explore Longyearbyen for half a day, then catch the 2:55 p.m. flight to Oslo on their way to their respective homes, family and friends. Congratulations to all on a highly successful expedition!

2005 North Pole Ski Expedition

April 22, 2005
Stuart, Brian and Keith flew out of Longyearbyen today, eager to get home and see family and friends. Again, major congratulations to all on a highly challenging but extremely successful expedition! Rick and Annie remain in Longyearbyen, ready to greet our next team of North Pole Champagne Flight adventurers who arrive in Longyearbyen tomorrow night from Portugal. Back to top

April 21, 2005
And just a quick update on our first ski team- Kevin and Paul flew out of Longyearbyen this afternoon to head home. Brian, Stuart, and Keith will be flying out tomorrow. All are very anxious to see their families and friends and fill them in on all the details of this extraordinary adventure. Back to top

April 20, 2005
The team is now back in Longyearbyen after a smooth flight from Barneo. After a well deserved shower, they are now heading out for a long awaited celebratory dinner. Longyearbyen has transformed from winter to spring since they've been gone. It's quite balmy (relatively speaking!), the fjord has opened up and now has ships in it. Amazing how much can change in a fairly short period of time. Though it may feel like a lot longer than 10 days to the team in light of all they have experienced since they flew out on April 11. Again, major congratulations to all members of this intrepid team!! We'll look forward to seeing you all safely back home soon. Back to top

April 19, 2005
CONGRATULATIONS!!! The team reached the North Pole at 3:00 p.m. local time (for them, local time is Norwegian time). Point of interest- the North Pole, since it is at the convergence of all longitudes, shares all time zones in the world. They woke up this morning thinking this would be a relative walk in the park, knocking off the last 1.27 nautical miles. Back to top

The first rude awakening was that they had drifted south during the night so were starting the day at 89.57.03°N (basically 1.5 nautical miles south of where they had stopped last night). They started skiing at 11:00 a.m. and reached the Pole at 3 p.m. They covered 2.5 nautical miles. The skiing was quite tough today with a lot of leads they had to cross or navigate around. They experienced the coldest conditions of the entire expedition- temperatures -25°F/-31.7°C with winds blowing at a steady 25 knots (28.8 mph/46.3 km/h) and gusting to 35 knots (40.3 mph/64.8 km/h). They were also battling an ongoing southerly drift to the ice.

But they persevered as we've known they would. The sense of accomplishment at reaching their goal was that much stronger due to the challenges they had faced. Some of you reading this will already have experienced the exciting phone call from the top of the world. They brought out some of the various banners they had with them for photo opportunities. But the conditions were so cold that they did not want to linger too long. The helicopter was there to pick them up and transport them safely back to the ice camp at Barneo. When we spoke with the team, they were safely ensconced in the heated tents at Barneo, gradually readjusting to "civilization". They will fly back to Longyearbyen tomorrow, anticipating arriving there around 8:00 p.m. local time. All are looking forward to seeing their families and friends soon. Not to mention a hot shower and celebratory dinner in a restaurant!

One interesting note- when in Barneo, they made the acquaintance of a gentleman named Christian who is from Croatia but now lives in Norway. He had just achieved the world record for a free dive of 51 meters under the ice at Barneo. Brrrr! Can you imagine?!?

Again, we would like to thank all of you who have sent messages over the past 8 days which helped to cheer the team on. They are so thrilled to learn of how many students have been following their progress. A special thanks and hello to the kids at St. Joseph's. (And a special hi to Matthew!) We expect that there are also other students at other schools following this and we haven't mentioned you by name but very much appreciate your interest and support of the team. We are looking forward to seeing pictures from the expedition and will be getting these up on the website as soon as possible. It may not be till next week when some of them get back to the office. Back to top

April 18, 2005
They are SO CLOSE!! The team is camped at 89.58.73°N, 168.20.32°E. They can practically smell the North Pole! Weather conditions today were beautiful though the cold continues. Temperatures were -10° to -15° F (-23° to -26°C) but the sun was shining brightly and the winds were calm.

They had a great day of skiing today. Paul Allman took on the role of navigator for most of the day and did an excellent job. Around 89.57°N, they came across a large lead that was about 100 feet (30.5 meters) wide. They searched to the east and to the west to find a spot to cross. When they did decide to cross, Paul took a slightly different route from the others and his foot started going through the ice briefly. He got wet up to the calf but was able to pull out easily enough. No harm done and he now has one more adventure to share with his family, friends and co-workers!

Since the team has been making such great progress, they decided not to push too hard today. When they came to another big lead, they decided to stop and set up camp. They hope that the lead they are camping near will freeze up overnight and they will be able to just ski across it in the morning. Don't want to jinx anything but they should have a fairly easy time of it reaching the North Pole tomorrow.

The team again expressed their appreciation for all of the messages they have been receiving from all of you. It has become a highlight of the day to get the messages and to think about messages they want to send back. They all look forward to seeing their families, friends and colleagues again very soon!

Only a few personal messages today:
From Stuart: Thank you all for keeping up with me. The going is tough but the company is good. Still very cold. Still 1.5 miles away from the Pole. Your support is very much appreciated.

From Brian: To all the students in London Ontario: We very much appreciate your following the expedition and are very excited to hear how many students are tracking our progress. I look forward to telling you all about it when I get back. We were thrilled to hear that you are having a mini expedition tomorrow! Hope you have as much fun as we are.
(Students at a school in Canada have a mini-polar expedition planned for tomorrow. They will put up tents and eat pasta, dried fruit and trail mix. They will load up sleds and have races pulling the sleds. We all wish you great luck in your own expedition!)

From Annie: Hi to my folks- I'm thinking of you. Hello to Eleri, Lili, Aubrie, Wendy & Wyn.

From Rick: Love to Helen, Christopher, Taylor and Anna Wish they were here.
We heard today that a polar bear was seen nearby! Another team which is traveling a few miles away saw a young one in the distance. He (or she) appeared to be heading south. But we're not concerned. We hope to see one from afar. It's very beautiful up here and it makes me think of you. Back to top

April 17, 2005
The team awoke to the tents shuddering and the winds howling! Visibility was practically nil, couldn't see more 10-15 feet (3-4.5m) at best. They decided to stay wind-bound and visibility-bound and delayed their departure a bit. They've been making awesome progress- they deserve a bit of a break, don't you think?!? They stayed warm and cozy in their tents for the morning. They broke camp and were able to hit the trail around 1:30 p.m. at which point the sun was starting to peak through. Unfortunately, during the night they experienced a southerly drift which led to their losing 2 miles (3.22 km) of hard earned progress. This is disappointing but that's the way things go with Polar travel (or so the message read!). By late afternoon, they again had clear skies and beautiful traveling conditions. It turned into a "perfect polar day" with great ice conditions, beautiful weather and sun glinting off the snow. They hope to make it to the North Pole on Monday or Tuesday, depending on weather conditions and drift of the ice pack, the two factors over which obviously they have no control.

A few personal messages:
From Brian: Hello, hello! We passed the 50 today! [referring to the 50 minute mark, coming less than 10 nautical miles from the Pole] Hope not to lose it tonight due to southerly drift! We saw a sun dog yesterday and a half-moon today. It's a balmy 9°F
(-12.8°C). Just so you know, we won't receive any of your messages till tomorrow night. Back to top

April 16, 2005
The team made good progress today, ending at 89.48.31° N, 162.02.49° E, covering 7 nautical miles. The day started out partly sunny but then turned overcast. Temperatures were around -10F/-23°C and quite windy from the west. They crossed several leads and rubble zones. In some areas, the rubble was quite active with a lot of movement underneath, requiring some fast footwork to get across before things changed quickly. But overall it was quite a satisfying day.

The team would like to give you an idea of what a typical day is like for them:
They're generally up by 8 a.m. to start the process of melting snow for water, cooking breakfast, then breaking camp. They generally hit the trail by 10 a.m. They ski (or march) for about 2 hours, then take a 5 minute break. Since the temperatures are so cold, 5 minutes is about all you want to stop moving before the chill really sets in. After a mere 5 minutes, everyone is more than ready to start moving again. They will take a couple of breaks over the course of the day, having some water and quick energy snacks, then heading out again. They generally get to their next camp around 5:30-6:00 p.m. At that point, they set up the tents and get comfortable, beginning the ongoing process of melting snow for water, then cooking themselves a good meal. They have a chance to visit with one another between tents, then time for some well deserved sleep. Since it is 24 hour sunlight, "bedtime" is a relative term. Sometimes they will wake up in the middle of the night and think it is 8 a.m., then realize it is 4 a.m. and are more than grateful for an extra 4 hours of sleep!

Now for some personal messages that we were able to receive through the voice mail:
From Stuart: Thanks for the messages Lenny, Lori, Lionel, Lisa, Linda, Barbara & Judy. Things slow but good and cold. Counting the days for a good steak! Thinking of you all.

From Paul: Hi to everybody at Eqos. Good luck to Charlotte, Dave & Jackie's sister in the London marathon!

From Kevin to Jodi & Jack: Congrats to Jack! Soon he will be skiing as well. Hope to call you from the North Pole on Monday the 18th on your cell phone. Love and miss you both.

From Brian: Hi Lisa. Don't remember what the practical joke was. I'm curious to know where the fireproof safe is! Back to top

April 15, 2005
YAHOO!! The sun was out all day! An absolutely spectacular day up North- not a cloud in the sky, minimal winds though still quite cold (-10°F/-23°C). It was deceptively cold as the sun was out, it seemed like it should have been warmer. But everyone is now well versed in maintaining appropriate body temperature and they are able to handle the cold without any significant problems. The team "did some hauling" today! Their current position is 89.40.20° N, 149.19.10° E which means they covered 9 nautical miles in a full 8 hours of skiing. They are all feeling very positive tonight and the mood around camp is very festive.

The first half of the day, they had great traveling conditions. They skied over big old pans of ice which meant they could maintain a good rate of speed. After midday, that changed and the ice became very rubbly and broken. There were many leads they had to navigate around. They skied over a few big cracks and had to man-handle their pulks over the bigger pressure ridges. There were times they had to take off their skis, undo their harnesses and help one another get the sleds over the ridges. Obviously, this will slow one down significantly. But it's what all Arctic explorers have had to deal with over time and we wouldn't want this to be too easy for them, would we? But to balance those experiences out, there was the time they skied around one lead which had just frozen over. The sun was shining on the newly frozen lead to make it look like a million diamonds were trapped in the ice. There were some big chunky blocks of blue ice, some as big as garages, which led to some great photo ops.

And now for some personal messages:
The team has been very excited by the number of messages they are receiving from family, friends and co-workers- really helps keep up their spirits. We are not always able to relay all the messages in full (need to conserve battery life for the satellite phone) but they are overwhelmed by how many folks are following their progress and cheering them on.

Brian says hi to Frankie and in answer to his question, they have had a couple of days in snow squalls already and they just keep going.
Hi Mom- so far, managing my hands and feet without problem.
Hey hey to all the kids & Marymount
Lastly, Trixie's traveling curse was left behind yesterday. Ciao!

Paul sends his best wishes to all those who sponsored him. He's well and thinking about Indian food all day long.

Stuart: Lots of snow, wind, ice and solitude. Hello to Larry & Suzy. To Gerst and big Jim and Robert A- wish you were here. Special hugs to Yu.

Keith: Hugs to Stacey. Please scratch Oscar's ears for me.
Annie: Best wishes to my parents. Tell Eleri and Lili I'm looking for Santa.
Rick: Love to Helen, Christopher, Taylor and Anna. Wish you were here!

Over the weekend, NWP staff will be coming into the office to get the message off the voice mail and update the website. But we won't be having direct conversation with the team again till Monday. But keep watching the site for updates on position, weather conditions and overall progress of the team. Back to top

April 14, 2005
Another highly successful day!! Weather conditions are ameliorating as the winds have died down and temperatures creeped up (winds at 10 knots max today; temperatures around -5°F/-20°C). The team's current position is 89.31.46° N, 147.19.17° E. The ice is shifting in an easterly direction but no longer to the south which is very encouraging. The skies remained very overcast today which made for very challenging skiing- difficult to see anything, very flat light, no definition to the landscape. Again, in spite of difficult traveling conditions, this incredible team made over 8 nautical miles of progress. Congratulations to all!!

They had a long day, starting around 10:20 a.m. and finishing around 6 p.m. with just 3 short breaks. The good news was that the sun finally came out around 6:00! So there's hope for a clearer day tomorrow. They have encountered some leads (areas of open water) that they had to navigate around, sometimes having to go up to a kilometer out of their way. But they also found some leads that were frozen solidly enough to bear their weight and they were able to ski along them in a northerly direction. Polar travelers love to find these- nature's highway! By skiing on the frozen leads, they don't have to negotiate over pressure ridges (the jumbles of ice blocks that can be tricky going up and over).

A few individual notes from team members:
Stuart says hello and miss you very much to Bob, John, Adam, Miss Alyss and Joshua. He had yet to hear all the messages that flooded in yesterday for him! But these were relayed during the course of the phone call.

Kevin asked us to share with Jackie and Jodi that the sun is finally out and he misses you both a lot.

Paul wants to tell Jane that he's missing you all a lot and to please update mum and dad about the website.
Till tomorrow...Back to top

April 13, 2005
A fine full day of skiing! Conditions continue to be quite challenging with temperatures around -10°F (-23°C) and strong gusting winds making a windchill around -40° to -50°F (-40°to -45°C). The skies continue to be overcast and very gray, leading to flat light which makes it difficult to see the little bumps in the snow- there is very little definition to the landscape which increases the challenge. But that's what they're there for, right?!? All skied along without injury or incident and they covered around 6 nautical miles. Current position is 89.23.54° N, 147.03.21° E. Once they had their camp all set up and were cozy in the tents, the wind began to subside (of course!). Keith and Stuart had been out earlier flying their kite. They were cooking up Mawson's Mexicana for dinner, shouting "Ole" from the neighboring tent. We heard much laughter ringing throughout camp, indicating all are in fine spirits. They are hoping that the winds will die down and the sun will come out tomorrow.

A few personal notes from the team: Paul wants his kids to know that he saw Rudolph today! He's doing well and looking forward to seeing them. Brian has a message for the Little Red Schoolhouse that there are no signs of penguins. He was very excited to hear that so many kids are tracking their progress on the website. Kevin says he's staying warm and sends a special hi to Jack and Jodi. Back to top

April 12, 2005
First day on the ice!! All went well as the team began their trek to the Pole. Conditions continue to be "brisk" -22°F (-30°C) with winds around 15 knots. Good thing the team had their training in similar conditions in Longyearbyen! Skies are overcast. They skied about 4 hours today and traveled about 6 miles, taking it relatively easy to start out. Current position is 89.17.80° N, 144.53.33° E. The ice is drifting in a south-easterly direction which means that though they traveled about 6 miles, their overall position was 4+ miles from where they began. Nature's treadmill can work in one's favor or against one in a North Pole expedition. Let's hope the drift shifts back to the north-easterly direction it had been moving previously. But spirits are high in camp! Team member Kevin DeVries was interviewed by Mitch Albom on the talk radio station WJR (760 AM) in the Detroit area. Kevin had been on the air with Mitch before the expedition and they called for an update. We will try to give you advance notice if there are future radio updates as one can listen live through the web. Today's interview came about fairly last minute but they are hoping to get periodic updates from Kevin. Back to top

April 11, 2005
The team has arrived safely in Barneo and their tents are cozy and warm even though the temperature up there is about -30F. They went skiing on the pack ice today and their biggest challenge is dealing with foggy goggles. They are planning to start skiing to the Pole tomorrow morning after a good night's rest under the 24 hour sunlight. Back to top

April 10, 2005
The team has spent the day in a final shakedown- reviewing each team member's equipment, practicing packing their pulks, setting up tents, working the stoves then finally doing a ski run through town pulling their pulks. All team members are doing well, learning fast and demonstrating a solid level of skill before heading out onto the ice tomorrow. The winds have picked up again today, blowing 15-20 knots though air temperatures remain relatively warm (-5°C). A final dinner in Longyearbyen, then hopes for a solid night's sleep with dreams of the long-awaited expedition ahead. Back to top

April 9, 2005
Conditions in Longyearbyen are ameliorating somewhat- report today was temperatures -7° to -10° C with winds still blowing but not as fiercely as previously. The team had a very successful shakedown. They found some protected areas at times but chose to camp out where the winds were howling. Paul Allman did a wonderful job setting up the tent in the winds, they enjoyed a good meal and cozy night in the tent. They arrived back in Longyearbyen on April 8 safely. The other team members (Brian Meyer, Kevin DeVries and Stuart Ellison) arrived in Longyearbyen on April 8. The next few days will be spent reviewing equipment, acclimating to the high Arctic and recovering from the initial jet lag. Current schedule has the team heading from Longyearbyen to Barneo on 11 April around 8 a.m. local time. We have received some messages from family and friends of team members which have been relayed- we encourage you to continue sending messages and questions!

We have now arranged to lead an additional North Pole ski expedition for a team of 9 from China. Dirk Jensen and Mick Nunn will be leaving for Norway on April 12to meet up with co-leader Charles Paton from the UK. The Chinese team members are scheduled to arrive in Longyearbyen on April 16 to fly to Barneo and begin their expedition on April 18. Stay tuned as the new developments unfold! Back to top

April 7, 2005
Conditions in Longyearbyen are Arctic at their finest! Temperatures with wind chill have been around -55°C (-67°F). The wind has been blowing consistently in gale force ranges for days- gusts over 50 knots (57 mph)! Paul Allman, Annie Aggens and Keith Heger have headed out for their overnight shakedown on the ice- please help send warming thoughts to the hardy crew! Other ski expedition team members will be arriving at various times on the 8th. Back to top

April 4, 2005
We are all systems go for our upcoming ski expedition and champagne flights. Despite the drama that has been taking place with North Pole logistics, all NWP flights are secure and we are looking forward to getting on to the ice! Back to top

March Update
One month out! This is when we start feeling the air buzz with energy. Gear is ready and we're preparing to shop for specific menu items (we continue the search for the world's best jerky). Planning a good menu is a crucial part of the expedition. We want to ensure that everyone consumes enough calories to fuel their internal furnaces. Just as important, we want everyone to feel satisfied and full after each meal. Needless to say, we put a lot of thought into planning the right menu! As gear gets packed we ensure that it is polar-ready. When it comes to our tents, this means that we sew snow skirts to the edge of the tent's fly. This helps to prevent the biting polar wind from stealing heat in between the tent and the fly. Check back soon for more information about our preparations, including a bio of each team member. Back to top

February Update
February finds us getting all of our gear together, giving it close review, and ordering any new items that we need for the expedition. We are regularly fielding calls and emails from the team members and assisting them as they ready their kits. Only two months left! There is still plenty to do! Back to top

January Update
Our 2005 North Pole ski expedition is in full preparation mode. Team members are busy readying their kits, testing our their gear, and training for the expedition. Our ski expedition is departing from Longyearbyen, Norway in early April bound for the North Pole! Check back soon for our February update. Thinking of joining our 2005 North Pole ski expedition? Contact us for the latest details! Back to top

2005 North Pole Chinese Ski Expedition
April 4, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29
(click on a day to see the daily report)
back to top

April 29, 2005
Most teams departed Longyearbyen for China today (and for our guides, the US and the UK). As they return home they can be very proud of their accomplishments. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors and look forward to traveling with them in the future! Back to top

April 27, 2005
A few days have passed and all team members are now back in Longyearbyen. A few of them left yesterday, but a fuel shortage at Barneo meant that most of the flight on the 26th was taken up with empty fuel containers that needed to be refilled. Just goes to show that Polar travelers need to remain flexible at all times, as things can and do change frequently! The team is happy to be back in civilization, with hot showers as the top commodity! Back to top

April 24, 2005
The team is now back at the Barneo ice camp. Energy is high and people are in good spirits. Many photos are being taken, and it is now time to relax and enjoy the surroundings. Back to top

April 23, 2005
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Current position: 90° North- the geographic North Pole!! The team awoke this morning to find that the drift had shifted directions and they actually drifted one mile north overnight- quite a pleasant change. The lead that they had camped next to did not close up or freeze over during the night. So they had to travel around it to start their day. But in spite of that, they were on the trail for 7 hours and reached the North Pole. Temperatures have been bitterly cold. They are being picked up and flown back to Barneo, the ice camp around 89° North. They anticipate arriving in Barneo around 1:00 a.m. April 24 local time. They will then have time to relax and celebrate in Barneo before their flight back to Longyearbyen on April 26.

The team deserves major congratulations as they battled difficult ice conditions and weather conditions. They put in many long days of challenging skiing. But all persevered and they have accomplished their goal ahead of schedule. Congratulations again to all team members! Back to top

April 22, 2005
Current position: 89.51.567° N, 131.30.26° E
Another a rather discouraging start to the day as the team woke to find they had again lost a mile overnight due to drift. Nature's treadmill working against them again. But they are not to be beat- in fact, they progressed 7 nautical miles today- the best mileage yet. They had a challenging morning with white-out conditions. But then conditions cleared and they had good visibility. They hit one difficult lead running east-west which they had to detour 1.5 miles to the west to get around. At the end of the day, they encountered another big lead- around 300 meters wide. Rather than try to negotiate around it, they decided to set up camp just south of the lead and see how the conditions change overnight. Sometimes leads will freeze over during the night enough to be able to ski across. Or the shelves of ice shift together and close leads up. We'll hope that is the case for the team. But their spirits are very high tonight as they justifiably feel quite proud of their accomplishments. Back to top

April 21, 2005
Current position: 89.45.008°N, 133.48.370° E.
The team woke up this morning to find that they had lost one mile overnight due to the southerly drift. Not the greatest way to start the day! But they took it in stride and began their morning preparations of melting snow for water, having breakfast, breaking down camp, loading up their sleds and hitting the trail.

They had very challenging conditions today in terms of the ice- a lot of leads, open water, areas of thin ice, pressure ridges and rubble. There were a few very large leads that they had to detour around. The good news was the winds had died down significantly- this morning maybe 5 knots of wind. And temperatures have increased up to -15°C/+5°F which comparatively is quite balmy! But the ice is moving very rapidly. They had to travel at a bearing of 30° west in order to maintain a straight line north- the drift to the east is amazing. Charlie is doing a great job navigating them on the most direct route possible. And they have now reached the half-way point! They are on track to reach the Pole by their target date of April 26. To accomplish this, they are having to put in long days- stopping to set up camp around 8:00 p.m. after a solid 9 hours of skiing.

We'll keep our fingers crossed they get more solid ice conditions tomorrow and that it stops drifting at quite such a rate. But their spirits remain high as they tick off the minutes toward 90°. Back to top

April 20, 2005
The team is currently at 89.40°N, 145.43°E. They had a tough day of skiing with strong headwinds from the North- consistent winds of 25 knots with gusts to 45! Imagine that blowing right in your face all day long! Temperatures remain cold- around 22°C/-8°F but a wind chill obviously much, much colder. They continue to battle ongoing southerly drift to the ice, significantly decreasing their overall mileage. Their ice conditions remain very good- they ran into a few sections with pressure ridges and rubble but overall fairly clean ice and no leads to speak of. They skied for 8 hours today and everyone was definitely tired by the end of the day but their spirits remain high. They have an interesting language situation with Charlie Paton, the lead guide, from Scotland, Mick Nunn from England assisting and Dirk Jensen from the US assisting with a team of 9 from China. Quite the diverse team! Back to top

April 19, 2005
After an exciting morning of flying in the helicopter to their departure point, the team is on the ice and making their way North to the Geographic North Pole. After a few miles of skiing the team was visited by a helicopter with NWP's other ski expedition (who were returning from the Pole to Barneo after completing their last degree expedition - see the expedition tracker for more info). NWP Executive Director Rick Sweitzer, and NWP's director of Polar expeditions climbed out of the chopper to communicate breifly with a couple members of the team. The visit was very short and then it was back to business as usual, skiing north, navigating around pressure ridges and open water leads.

5:15 p.m. CST- New update- the team just called in on the satellite phone and reported their position at 89.34.29° N, 153.13.8° E. They camped at Barneo last night and started their day skiing at 89.30°N, having been dropped off by helicopter at that point. Their ice conditions have been very good- very little open water, a few small pressure ridges but nothing major. The temperatures have been cold and the wind blowing strongly from the North the whole day. They are also experiencing a southerly drift to the ice, limiting the amount of overall progress they can make. Back to top

April 18, 2005
Today the team flew from Longyearbyen, Norway to the Barneo ice camp located near 89 degrees north (precise location is approximately 89 degrees 13 minutes north. They spent the night at the basecamp and will fly to their departure point tomorrow morning. What's it like at Barneo? Imaging a few brightly colored tents standing out against the while of the Polar landscape. A mess tent, a couple of sleeping quarters for the maintenance staff and a small WC complete the camp (it's not very big!). An ice runway and a couple of helicopters make it a very important place! It is here that so many of the North Pole expeditions begin and end their journeys. It is an exciting place to visit! Back to top

April 17, 2005
Today saw the team out on the snowy outskirts of Longyearbyen on a mini ski shakedown. This is the day to try out the ski and binding systems to see if there are any problems. Fortunately it was smooth sailing. All the equipment is in good shape, and the team looks confident in skis. All members of the Chinese team are experienced mountaineers, and they have many outdoor skills that will aid in their attempt to reach the Pole. Despite this, many of them have never used skis before. They were able to overcome any initial difficulty and reports from Mick, Dirk and Charlie are that everyone looks good. Tomorrow they fly to the Barneo basecamp! Back to top

April 16, 2005
The team flew from Oslo to Longyearbyen today. They moved into their hotel and had dinner before spending the evening organizing their gear. Everyone is filled with a growing excitement that verges on nervousness. With one last day to prepare before hitting the ice, people are feeling ready to go! Back to top

April 15, 2005
Another day of prepping for the expedition. The team reviewed travel routines and tent routines to help them become as efficient as possible. In the afternoon, team members were able to hit the shopping district of Oslo to pick up last minute items. Back to top

April 14, 2005
The team all meets for the first time! Mick, Charlie and Dirk met with the Chinese today in their hotel in Oslo. They spent time prepping the team for the challenges that they will face on the ice, and reviewed everyone's personal kits. They report that the team is well prepared with gear and that everyone is in high spirits. Back to top

April 11, 2005
Our first expedition flew to Barneo today (see the Ski Expedition Tracker for news daily updates on their expedition). Back at NWP our guides are making last minute preparations. They will soon be flying to Oslo to meet with the team. Organizing a Polar expedition is a big endeavor; organizing a Polar expedition in less than a week is a almost unheard of! We are very happy that we were able to assist the Chinese team and we are look forward to a smooth expedition! Back to top

April 10, 2005
Everything is coming together nicely. Annie was able to spend some time today with the Chinese team coordinator going over menu preparations and other critical aspects of expedition preparation. The team seems to be well prepared and they will be under the excellent leadership of our guides. Everyone is excited and eager to get on the ice! Back to top

April 9, 2005
It looks like we might be able to help the Chinese expedition. From our staff of very experienced guides back home we are able to provide guides for the Chinese, and we are able to outfit them fully with equipment. The Chinese team is comprised of a very solid team of experienced mountaineers and some experienced Arctic and Antarctic travelers. Some are "7/2's" which means that they have climbed the 7 highest summits in the world as well as reaching the North and South Poles. For some in this team, reaching the North Pole now will finish their "7/2". We now have to ensure that our guides can secure flights to Longyearbyen in time to meet the Chinese team in Oslo! There is never a dull moment! More later... Back to top

April 7, 2005
We are now in Longyearbyen, enjoying the return of sunlight in this beautiful land. There is much buzz in the air about the upcoming Polar expeditions. There is also much concern over those expedition teams whose flights and logistical support were canceled at the last minute (read all about this year's North Pole drama on explorers web.) We have been in communications with a Chinese expedition who has been stranded in Longyearbyen after their entire expedition was canceled at the last minute. We will do everything we can to help them. We'll keep you informed as things progress! Back to top

April 4, 2005
We are all systems go for our upcoming ski expedition and champagne flights. Despite the drama that has been taking place with North Pole logistics, all NWP flights are secure and we are looking forward to getting on to the ice! Back to top

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