unknown. But even though it seems as if nothing has been left undiscovered there still is a huge difference between the armchair adventurer and the inquisitive traveller who wants to be submersed in the ‘real thing’. There is a real danger in the decreasing gap between ‘knowing’ (from television programmes) and ‘understanding’ (by physically experiencing the intensity of the outdoors). It would be foolish to claim to have acquired experience by watching a documentary, reading a book, attending a lecture by a polar explorer or spending a couple of days in the cold with all the comforts of modern-day life nearby.
While guiding groups to the polar regions, I have seen the normal reactions of those unused to the harshness of the cold or the whipping anger of the katabatic winds, and have reflected on what the goal of polar expeditions should be. We all have our own reasons to go out there, but being completely at ease in testing conditions can only come with many years of experience. Before you can afford to be so relaxed, however, and actually appreciate the beauty of a storm or the ability to survive in inhuman temperatures, you need to have everything under control and functioning smoothly. And that can only be achieved by assimilating a large amount of knowledge through gradual immersion and progression through the frozen world.
In this book I offer a solid foundation for those wanting to invest time and energy in the tedious preparations necessary to feel at ease in the very difficult and sometimes aggressive polar environment. If you are properly prepared you will know how to cope with a blizzard or the danger zone of −30°C, will be able to see the aesthetic beauty of sastrugi, or be amazed by the survival skills of a polar fox.
This guide is not a comprehensive travel guide to the polar regions, nor is it intended to lead you by the hand through all you have to do before setting foot on the ice. It is more an in-depth record of my accumulated experiences in almost 20 years of life-enhancing polar expeditions. I can clearly recall my first no-budget, no-knowledge, no-idea trips, when I made a long list of ‘things to do better’ in my daybook. I still come home from every expedition with a similar list – and have included most of that information in this book.
We all like to do things in a particular way, and there are many different ways to achieve our goals. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive insight to the surprisingly complex art of preparing yourself well, with information on equipment, surviving in the cold, making camp, efficient progress on the ice, problem solving, reading nature's signals and much more. For those who have already undertaken some polar travel, this book will offer advice on different routines and will give them an opportunity to review their equipment and techniques.
Icebergs on their journey to nowhere
Witnessing the incredible serenity and beauty of the polar environment should engender a great respect for this fragile region; but there are still expeditions that have left behind sleds, fuel and equipment behind, littering the wilderness, just to save time. This will only pave the way for worse behaviour by future explorers who will then feel they have even less time to achieve their goals.
There is no place for this kind of behaviour: it is time to accept our responsibilities. Life is too short to be on a manhunt for those who don't, but as we plan our own future expeditions we should be confident that ethical respect for that arctic purity is free.
Hoping to see you out there!
Dixie Dansercoer
1 INTRODUCTION
‘Tropical’ waters in an icy setting. Antarctica is magical.
The Polar Regions
The Earth has two poles, and they are very different. Our planet's extremities are kept cold because the sun's rays hit the surface at an angle, unlike the lands around the Equator, where they collide with the Earth's surface directly and more forcefully. The white expanse of the ice-caps also deflects more than 80 per cent of the heat in these rays, while the darker landmasses, or oceans, absorb it.
Geographically speaking – and for simplicity's sake – the areas covered in this book are, on the one hand, the Arctic Ocean and all the landmass to its south as far as the Arctic Circle, and the Antarctic continent and South Georgia on the other. Clearly, there are more places on Earth with sub-zero temperatures and wide open spaces that could very well be used for polar training, but the biggest playgrounds for polar travellers – where most of the real action takes place – are the two so-called ‘no-man's lands’: the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic continent. Here any human activity is very difficult because of the brutal cold. Note that ‘polar regions’ are not defined merely as those with permanent snow or ice cover, as there are glaciers on and around the mountains of the world far away from the poles.
The Arctic
Antarctic polar regions (Source: ESA/AOES Medialab)
The Arctic
The Arctic circle sits at 66°33′44″ North
THE BOUNDARIES OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN
The official definition laid down by the International Hydrographic Organisation.
Between Greenland and West Spitzbergen – the northern limit of the Greenland Sea.
Between West Spitzbergen and North East Land – the parallel of latitude 80° North.
From Cape Leigh Smith to Cape Kohlsaat – the northern limit of the Barentz Sea.
From Cape Kohlsaat to Cape Molotov – the northern limit of the Kara Sea.
From Cape Molotov to the northern extremity of Kotelni Island – the northern limit of the Laptev Sea.
From the northern extremity of Kotelni Island to the northern point of Wrangel Island – the northern limit of the East Siberian Sea.
From the northern point of Wrangel Island to Point Barrow – the northern limit of the Chuckchi Sea.
From Point Barrow to Cape Land's End on Prince Patrick Island – the northern limit of the Beaufort Sea, through the northwest coast of Prince Patrick Island to Cape Leopold M'Clintock, thence to Cape Murray (Brook Island) and along the northwest coast to the extreme northerly point; to Cape Mackay (Borden Island); through the northwesterly coast of Borden Island to Cape Malloch, to Cape Isachsen (Ellef Ringnes Island); to the northwest point of Meighen Island to Cape Stallworthy (Axel Hieberg Island) to Cape Colgate the extreme west point of Ellesmere Island; through the north shore of Ellesmere Island to Cape Columbia, thence a line to Cape Morris Jesup (Greenland).
The Arctic, the world's smallest ocean and home to the North Pole, is primarily a thick flow of ice over frigid waters. The average size of the icepack floating on the Arctic Ocean is seven million square metres. The land that can be found in its lower latitudes is called ‘tundra’, characterised by enormous expanses of permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of earth reaching a depth between 0.6 and 4m, and occurring between latitudes 60° and 68 ° North. Greenland is also part of the
