Ali's Arctic Adventure

Still Waiting.....

2011-10-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all - just wanted to let you know that you've not been forgotten! despite the ludicrously long time without a posting I am still hoping that in the very near future I will be arctic bound.....just a small issue of needing an investor for our expedition.....

I will update you as I know more but fo rnow....i'll just keep waiting....

6months till we set off again!

2010-09-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

With only 6 months till the Arctic Pole expedition 2011 it's time to start on the fitness ! I've got a half marathon in a couple of weeks and then after that will focus my trainng back to the joys of tyre pulling! I've also now got a personal trainer (Zoe) who helps me once a week with a different range of excercises and makes me work that much harder than I do when i'm by myself!

We've had tonnes of new support recently and are now officially a recognised and approved expedition by the Royal Geographic Society which is tremendous and things feel like they are really starting to take off.....i'm starting to get excited again about the prospect of going back to the Arctic!

Ice Warrior Arctic Pole Expedition Update - Mid July

2010-07-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

SCOTT POLAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE (SPRI) CONSIDER JOINT PRESS RELEASE TO ANNOUNCE THE RE-ESTABLISHED POSITION OF THE NORTHERN POLE OF INACCESSIBILITY.

Jim recently met with SPRI’s Director, Julian Dowdeswell. He’s very well-known and thought of in polar circles and was very positive when pushed to consider how SPRI might publically acknowledge the re-establishing and new position of The Northern Pole of Inaccessibility. The aim is to get them on board as a supporting body.

HRH PRINCESS ANNE VERY KINDLY AGREES TO BE THE EXPEDITION PATRON.

Team member Lee Howell (Chief Fire Officer for Devon and Somerset) very kindly wrote to HRH Princess Anne on our behalf with a view to asking her to be our expedition patron. I’m delighted to say she has agreed and will hopefully play an active role of some sort in the New Year. Ideally it would be fantastic if she were willing to officially open the London Ice Station.

THE MAYOR’S OFFICE CONSIDER HOSTING THE ICE STATION OUTSIDE CITY HALL.

Boris Johnson’s Office is currently reviewing the idea of hosting the London Ice Station (LIS) next to City Hall. This is a great position with high footfall and potential visitor traffic – should satisfy any sponsor in terms of exposure!

THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY CONSIDER GRANTING APPROVAL STATUS TO THE EXPEDITION.
Our Grant Application has gone through to RGS and we now await their verdict. Jim's concern is that they may view the expedition to be more about science than geography but he would argue that if climate change is not geography then what is? We anxiously await their verdict. It would be really nice to have them as a supporting organisation.

ICE WARRIOR APPROACHES THE MET OFFICE FOR THEIR SUPPORT.

Again through Lee Howell we are approaching the Met Office to come on board as official weather providers and to participate in the education side of the LIS.

RAY MOLONY JOINS ICE WARRIOR PROJECT AS EDUCATION OFFICER.
Jim is delighted to announce that highly experienced and respected educationalist, Ray Molony is joining Ice Warrior as Education Officer. This is fantastic. It has always been a real dream of his to have proper education materials for audiences to follow us and learn at the same time. We will be drawing up careful plans in the next few weeks in readiness for the Arctic Pole Expedition.
Past work of Ray’s can be viewed at www.discoveringthearctic.org.uk

BBC SCOTLAND CONSIDER TV DOCUMENTARY

The frustrations of trying to tie down a TV documentary were eased a little this week with a positive response being received from Executive Producer Neil McDonald at BBC Scotland. This would be good as they produced the excellent series “Coast”. Also in the wings and equally as good is the possibility of a BBC3 /Open University production.

ZAC GOLDSMITH KINDLY LENDS HIS SUPPORT

Way back last year sometime Jim gave a brief speech at Kingston University and found myself on the same panel as former editor of the Ecologist magazine, Zac Goldsmith. We are delighted to say that without any need to pester Zac has very kindly come on board as a supporter of the expedition and will help out wherever he can. Huge thanks, Zac. Message of support:
"Jim and his team are not only undertaking an extraordinary Great British endeavour in the true, traditional sense of the phrase, but they are doing it with genuine purpose. The data they’ll gather will deliver new evidence as to what is really happening and further our understanding of the sea-ice and its effect on climate change. I’m delighted to support them and wish them well.
Best wishes and best of luck!
Zac "

THE SEARCH FOR SPONSORS INTENSIFIES
With all the developments above we are getting into more corporations who can potentially sponsor the expedition. This is really good BUT we still need to open more doors and this is where everyone can help. Please, please if you know of any potentially interested corporation or philanthropists, do let me know as soon as you can and we’ll give them the opportunity to find out what it is all about.
Contact Jim directly on 01344 883861 or 0777 565 1471
Very best regards to all and thanks, as ever, for being a part of this huge endeavour.
Jim and the team – Ian, Ali, Lee, Dom, Simon

May 13 2010

2010-05-13T00:16:00.000-07:00

So it's now approaching summer (not that you can tell from the english weather) and i'm surprised how fast time is passing by. All this years polar explorers are back at home after a few successful attempts including Dam and Amelia - congratulations to them for their unsupported, unresupplied trip to geographic North Pole and to previous team mates Lou and Ness on their successful last degree trip.
The ice is now melting fast, Ice camp Barneo has been dissassembled for another year and now everyone is off the ice it is the time for expedition logistics, planning and most importantly fundraising.

Due to the decrease in team mates we have more cash to find and as always this is a tough job so if anyone knows any companies who are keen to get behind us and support us along with our other great supporters please let me know!

Basic Fitness is ongoing - not quite the crazy training schedule yet for example my tyre-pulling is on hold till later in the year! however, i've been out running a bit and have the windsor half marathon in september which i think we are going to run as a team and in addition am trying to arrange a 3 peaks challenge as all these events help whilst also being a bit of a more sociable way to train.

Another Ice Warrior meeting is planned this saturday so hoepfully more news will follow! x

Updates - April 13th 2010

2010-04-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

So I've been back now from the cold for 3 weeks and it's nice to be home. I am now concious of trying to stay fit for next years expedition as it'd be all too easy to sit back and spend the summer drinking Pimms and eating burgers in the sun - OK who am i kidding i still intend to do just that but have also signed up for the Windsor half marathon in september to keep me focussed and to ensure i do get on with some training. By september our 6 month intensive training schedule kicks in (not sure where i am supposed to find 3.5-6 hours a day to pull tyres and train in addition to having a job!!) so I figure by at least having done a half marathon my basic fitness should not have left me! - aggghhhhhh.

Also other news is that sadly our team is now down to 6 and i am the last remaining girl! Clare has had to pull out of the expedition in order to further her career - something we all understand but it's sad to have her leave the team.

We had a meeting Saturday morning to talk Logistics etc and plans for the next 8 months including where we can find another £200k to make the expedition bigger and better with regards to the science etc and the possibilities (more money means more flight options and therefore more potential to achieve greater things) - anyone with any spare cash please get in touch! We have some great sponsors behind us already including Unearthed, Lucozade, Vodafone, Accenture, and Benecol but are always on the look out for more.

I'm also daily tuning in to read the blog of Dan and Amelia - a couple from the UK who are doing an unsupported, unresupplied exped to the North Pole and are now tantalisingly close to their goal having covered 300 of the 412 mile journey...follow their progress here

And finally a picture to leave you with regarding life on the ice...this was Ann Daniels, Martin Hartley, Charlie Paton on April 11th when a lead openened up in the ice they had camped on at 86°38.17.7N, 85°08.17.8W under their tent!

20th March 2010 - Return to Iqaluit

2010-03-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

So we are back in Iqaluit after a fantastic 10 days training.I have an hour before i board my flight back to Ottowa so thought i'd write a quick entry to my blog. The scenery here is spectacular. Quite simply incredible. As Ian mentioned in his last entry the concept of tidal movement had completely escaped me when thinking of walking on a frozen sea/ocean. Perhaps i'd thought that tides just stopped happening when the water froze but here on Frobisher Bay we have had a crash course in understanding the dynamics of sea ice on a huge scale. Firstly it's important to point out that here in Frobisher Bay they have a tide of about 11.6metres which in itself is pretty huge. So out on the ice we would camp next to enormous sheer ice cliffs of several metres height when it is low tide and yet by morning when you come out of your tent the ice cliffs have gone and the sea ice looks flat as the entire bay, including the ice, tents and us have risen overnight by up to 6 or 7 metres. As a result there is as you can imagine a large amount of sheer zones and boulder ice which is caused by the rapid and dramatic movement. in addition we regularly were skiing over huge cracks in the pans of ice which are caused by the movement of the sea below and there is something incredibly nerve wracking about seeing the open water a few feet below the ice you are sleeping on! (don't mean to worry you Mum and dad!).
It's been great to experience some really cold temperatures and i have a few cold related injuries to an ear and my cheeks which reminds me of the importance of checking and double checking that all skin is covered at all times especially in the wind but it's also been reassuring to know that i can sleep in a tent at -30 degrees quite comfortably which is not something i ever thought i'd say!
I've al;so really enjoyed being part of a smaller team/group. The efficiency of camp life and hauling the sledges is far easier in a smaller group and theer is less time to get cold as it's easier to move as one unit. It's also possible for everyone to contibute to the team and to have a role or purpose which is something which helps the team dynamic to form.

Thsi morning i ventured out to help Matty McNair (very successful polar explorer - having reached north pole, south pole, first ever all woman team, fatsest ice kiting across greenland etc etce etc). We had dinner with her last night and she said she was taking her 14 dogs out with the sled this morning for a days sledding across the Bay and she invited me to help her harness up the dogs which was great. I am now covered in puppy drool but very happy having spent an hour playing with and photographing the dogs before helping to harness them up and set them off on their day out!!
Yet again I have missed family and friends - i have taken about 1000 photos and videos which you will all be subjected to overteh next few weeks.
Unfortunately my flight home from montreal has been caught up in the BA strike so i cant get back now till tuesday morning having flown from iqaluit to ottowa then to montreal then to chicago before finally back to london! but i'm looking forwarsd to seeing you all when i get back. Big polar hugs and kisses. ali x

18th March 2010 – Day 8 –by Ian Belcher

2010-03-20T08:17:00.002-07:00

Well, here we are at the end of our final day of advanced polar training. After a beautifully still night littered with glimmering stars and stunning Aurora, we awoke to a complete change with the previous calm being replaced by a strong wind and cloudy sky. The wind added a certain bite to the temperature and we all felt the sting as we struck camp and headed into the wind toward Iqaluit. The plan for today was simple, walk to near Iqaluit, set up camp and explore the boulder ice. What has not been mentioned on previous dispatches, but what might have been deduced by the more nautical amongst you, is that the ice we are skiing on is influenced by the tidal flow of the sea it is sat upon. What this essentially means is that for the last eight days the ice has been going up and down in time with the incoming and outgoing tides. The effect of this is a sight to behold with towering walls of ice lining most of the coastline at low tide and broken ice boulder fields present at high tide – some of the boulders were much taller than the team members! It was these boulder fields we spent the day learning how to ski through both with and without a pulk. The reason for this training is that this type of boulder ice is quite prevalent on the Arctic Ocean so it is key that we know what to expect and how to negotiate it. This was a new experience for us all and certainly highlighted just how difficult travelling through sea ice can be. The training has now sadly come to an end and we are all safely housed in the Discovery Lodge in Iqaluit. It was an incredible experience that brought our competence levels and experience much closer to that of fully fledged Polar Explorers. Farewell for now and thank you for following our progress.

17th March 2010 – Day 7 – by Claire Mcaleer

2010-03-20T08:17:00.001-07:00

After a rather chilly night last night the team were all up this morning by 6.00am and found it to be a beautiful morning with clear blue skies and a spectacular sunrise. So many of us chose to sit outside and eat our breakfast whilst enjoying the view. We packed up camp and set off skiing with our pulks behind us ready to tackle a full day of skiing aiming to cover at least 16km. Ali set a brisk pace and we soon got quite warm despite the low air temperature. After a brief stop at 10.00am for some nose bag food we pushed on another 2 hours stopping at 12.00pm for a well deserved break and with 9km already under our belts. On nearing Deception Reef Ian took over as pace setter and we turned northwards heading for Monument Island. On turning away from the sun and slightly more into the wind there was a noticeable bight to the air and we made sure our faces were suitably covered. After another break and having covered 12.5km Jim took over as pace setter and we continued onwards with the town of Iqaluit becoming clearer in the distance as we moved towards it. Just before the team reached Monument Island Jim decided it was time to play casualty to give us a bit of a challenge and broke away from the rest of the team, heading off in a random direction and throwing away his gloves and hat. It didn’t take us long to realise that this was something more than Jim’s usual crazy behaviour and the team set about dealing with the situation. Simon and Ian went to catch up with Jim and calm him down, while Lee sorted out the pulks and equipment, Ali made a hot drink and started the stove for warmth and Dom and I put up the tent for some shelter. It soon transpired that Jim had been hypoglycaemic and with a hot drink and some chocolate he was back to his usual self. Challenge completed. With one tent up the team decided to pitch camp just south of Monument Island. Having achieved our target distance and covered 16.5km today, we have just had the privilege of watching a spectacular sunset over the ice and with low temperatures again tonight are getting ready for a hot meal and then bed.

16th March 2010 – Day 6 – by Ali Kershaw

2010-03-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Having awoken at about 6.00am to wind and snow, it appeared that yesterday’s stormy forecast was finally materialising. As no one else seemed to be up and about camp I went back to my cosy sleeping bag and made a coffee. As the wind wasn’t showing any signs of disappearing we made the decision to wait it out and all stayed holed up in our tents. It’s good training for us to appreciate what it’s like to be tent bound during an Arctic storm. Firstly it’s difficult to stay warm as you can’t move around and generate heat, secondly it’s important not to over use the stoves, as it’s tempting to make another hot drink and fuel is a scarce commodity. Finally it’s the frustration; it’s not long before you’ve read your only book and rearranged your pockets and kit and there’s nothing else to do but chat with your tent buddy and wait it out. Thankfully we were only tent bound until about 3.00pm today as Lee, my tent buddy, had managed to sleep for 20 hours straight and as such had been rubbish entertainment! Finally at 3.00pm we set off for a few hours ski and managed to cover about 7km with the wind behind us, -25° and the sun over our shoulder. As the views were so spectacular various photos and videos were taken along the way and finally as the sun went down we again made camp in the middle of Frobisher Bay. Tonight feels quite cold, -40° with the wind chill so I am writing this in the tent and hope to wake tomorrow to a still and sunny day. Love to everyone back home from all of us.

15th March 2010 – Day 5 – by Simon Lewis

2010-03-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last night brought the predicted wind and snow, so as a result we awoke to a rather hostile sounding environment. After a swift recce by Jim we decided to have a lie-in to see if the wind would abate. It did during the course of the morning and with Jim cheating by ringing for a forecast, we discovered stronger winds were predicted, gusting to 60 kilometres per hour so with a majority vote we elected to stay put, but with the requirement to realign the tents for a change in wind direction. Me and Dom moved our tent whilst Ian, Mini, Ali and Lee gassed for a few hours. No wind arrived but Jim made the call again only to discover the wind was due later. After a quick confab we decided to move the camp to an alternative bay and at 2pm we left on a swift several kilometre ski led skilfully by Ian. Having now put the tent up for the second time today we were treated to Ali having a semi naked snow bath as a late afternoon entertainment. Spirits in the camp are excellent, we have all benefited greatly from the additional skills Jim has imparted on us over the last few days. With the temperature hovering around a balmy -13C and a rather bland sounding chicken and rice dinner to finish off a stop/start kind of day, I sign off in advance of another potentially windy night.

14th March 2010 – Day 4 - by Lee Howell

2010-03-20T08:14:00.001-07:00

Woke up around 6:20am and by 07:00hrs all were up, dressed and eagerly anticipating the day ahead, much relieved that our bear practice drill yesterday was not needed overnight. Phone calls home to say “happy Mother’s Day” were a great bridge back to reality and it was so nice to hear voices of loved ones, albeit briefly. After a brief period taking photos for our sponsors we put on skis and made tracks into a beautiful sunny day, sunglasses on for protection from the dazzling sun, warming up to a balmy -10C. We have selected our location for our cold water immersion and before our eyes a magnificent vista appeared of wonderful natural ice sculptures - the highlight of our training so far. Tension built within the team as we nervously anticipated the cold Arctic depths. Stripping off to our base layers we headed out to meet Jim who had a knowing look in his eyes and a rope around his arm ready to rescue us. Cameras ready, the moment had arrived, we skied onto the waters edge and into the ice cold water. It really is as cold as you imagine. Every one of us was pleased we had experienced something during our training that hopefully we won’t experience in reality on the ice. To celebrate Ali had bought some miniature alcohol bottles to make irish coffees that were quickly consumed and with warm clothes, some chocolate and a good team chat we were a happy team again. Jim found some open water leads and showed us how to cross them, then, given the snow and high winds forecasted for tomorrow, we made our tents storm proof and closed down for the night. A memorable day.

13th March 2010 – Day 3 – by Dom Larose

2010-03-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

After a much warmer night, we awoke to the snow Jim described in the last dispatch. After a pleasant breakfast, hot blueberry and granola (tastes so good out here) and brief musing of what might be happening at home, the rugby sweepstake will have to get settled next week. We set about the day’s chores; our first training exercise included fanning out from our position to locate the best direction for a runway. On a real expedition we will get picked up by a twin otter aircraft on skis. As well as visibility, wind and precipitation concerns we need to ensure an obstruction free landing strip of about 1200 feet. Picking a strip with an ice boulder or a major crack would not be good and is not unknown. Having established our runway we then marked it out, exercise complete. Sadly no plane to whisk us away to a frothy latte appeared. We then made steady progress with Lee setting the pace and Claire navigating. We had our first experience of boulder ice and picking our way through, we also came across refrozen sea ice. Jim tested the ice with Lee, Claire and Simon following after which we quickly moved on and completed 7km before striking camp. As I write we are now near an area of open water so Jim will be able to complete our cold water immersion training tomorrow, all being well. I have been nervously anticipating this for years ever since my polar dreams began and it seems that I am not alone, in fact it could well be that Jim wants me out of the way for some peace and quiet from the volume of nervous questions about cold water immersions! On that note it appears that another snowy night awaits and so I will sign off with love to all expedition members, friends and family back home – goodnight.

12th February 2010 - Day 2 - by Jim McNeill

2010-03-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

After a cold night we woke at 0600 and slowly but surely struck camp, with the team hoping to improve the process before we left at around 0900. Tea for 10 minutes and then adjusted ourselves, a few alternations to gear and skis and clothing, then on for an hour. After this break we talked about hypothermia with a view to having a full “walk through” scenario in the following 30 minutes. The team handled this very well. We continued southerly across the bay towards Hill Island. Quick chat about bear encounters and the rest of the day we spent travelling. It’s quite cold at -25 but fortunately no wind. Pitching camp we made special effort to ensure that it was wind proof. Good learning atmosphere and teams beginning to work very well. As night approached we could see the snow approaching and by morning had several inches of fluffy snow and so cold temperatures to match, in other words, in had warmed up considerably.

11th February 2010 -Day 1 - Jim McNeill

2010-03-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Got to Iqualuit at around 1400 and then Matty’s at around 1500. Went to work preparing to go out, packing pulks and sorting clothing and equipment. Eventually after a lovely cup of tea and quick demo of tents, which were new to the team, by Matty, we said our farewells and skied off into the night. With little light left we pitched camp not quite 9km from our start point. Coldish night.

.......and they're off.......(again!)

2010-03-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

So we've spent the day buying food for nose bags, packing dehydrated meals, ice axes and electronic equipment (satellite phones/emergency beacons etc) and tomorrow we get up at 6am to fly to Iqaluit. The plan is to get off the aircraft and head straight out on to the ice once we've collected out pulks and some fuel so tonight is my last night in a warm bed for a while! Temperatures are currently looking to be -47 degrees C including windchill which is far colder than we have experienced so far so I have to be honest i'm nervous but at least now with some experience behind us there's slightly less trepidation than last time.
We will be making the usual daily updates so check out the link i left on the last blog entry for news of our adventures and i will write again personally in 10 days time when we return from the ice.
Love and hugs
Arctic Ali !

Arctic training - Stage 2!

2010-03-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Well it barely feels like i've got back and already i'm packed up and about to set off for the next phase of my arctic adventures.
This afternoon i fly out to Canada to Montreal where we then get a 4 hour flight connection up to Baffin Island to a place called Iqaluit - an Inuit town on the edge of Frobisher bay.
Then the next 2 and a half weeks will be spent hauling pulks across pack ice and enudring the cold once again - i checked the temperature yesterday and with windchill it was -47degrees C - am missing my warm bed already!

As before we will be sending back daily dispatches so you can read about how we are getting on with our training expedition but as i'm not sure whether they will be uploaded here it's worth looking at the following link for news of my progress!
Daily despatches

See you all in a few more weeks
lots of polar love!

Expedition - postponed till 2011

2010-02-12T05:22:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately on Monday before flying back to the UK we were given the very disappointing news that due to the state of the Arctic ocean and the sea ice conditions not being safe enough the expedition has had to be postponed until 2011.

For full details please see the press release which went out yesterday.

Obviously the team was very disappointed and emotions were running high as it’s hard to feel so focussed on something for such a long time and to have it all change at the final moment. However, we are all looking at this as positively as we can – firstly this is not a failure but merely a rescheduling until a later time and secondly everything we have done so far has been a tremendous step forwards in our Polar training for example the kit we’ve bought (or that has been bought for me by friends and family) has still been used, will still be used on future training and will be used as part of the expedition in 2011 and the training we have done will remain with us and the next year will enable us to further develop what we have learnt and consolidate it in time for next year’s exped. It also gives us time to raise further sponsorship and awareness of our aims and goals and to further work to ensure the scientific data the expedition obtains is purposeful and worthwhile.

At this point i wish to say an enormous thank you again to my sponsors who have been understanding of the true nature of expedition life. In particular to Unearthed, Park Cameras and Lucozade Energy.

As we are now not going away as planned and people were fired up ready for a challenge we thought it unnecessary to waste the opportunity to still go away and work as a team and to further satisfy our need for adventure.

So....
On March 9th I will be flying out to Ottawa with members of the team and from there flying out to Baffin Island to a place called Iqaluit (an Inuit town) where we intend to spend another 10 days carrying out training on the frozen pack ice around Frobisher Bay.

View Larger Map

Currently temperatures there are around -35 degrees so it will give us another excellent chance to continue our training in an extreme and harsh environment, there are polar bears (perhaps I may get to see one this time!) for us to practise bear drills, there is miles of frozen sea ice to walk on and hopefully the right conditions for us to carry out the much anticipated cold water immersion training!!.

So as you can see my Arctic adventures for 2010 continue and in the true spirit of expedition and adventure these kind of trials and tribulations can only act to make us a stronger and more prepared team for the Arctic Pole expedition in 2011.

Ali

I'm back!

2010-02-11T22:42:00.000-08:00

So i'm finally back in Englands green and pleasant land and it's great to be back!. I do miss the beautiful scenery and having been outdoors that i've had for the last month but I am stil enjoying the feeling of a warm bed, food that doesn't need rehydrating and a glass of wine (or two!) with friends.
Svalbard training in itself has been an incredible experience filled with highs and lows tough bits funny bits, cold bits etc but my overall feeling is one very much that I want to pursue this crazy adventure of mine and to walk across the arctic ocean as part of this expedition.
I have lots of photos which will be avilable soon on my photo section of the website but i've uploaded a couple here.....

I have more news to come so watch this space for a new post to follow.....

Day 12 - Adventdalen Valley – by Claire Mcaleer

2010-02-05T01:52:00.000-08:00

N78 11 34
E16 03 18

Distance travelled 12.1km

Well here we are at our last campsite on the penultimate day of our training expedition. It definitely seems like we are coming back to civilisation now. Having not been able to see any light at night other than starlight for the previous few days, tonight we can see the lights of Longyearbyen in the distance and even the mine that had become clear at the start of our expedition is now behind us, seen as an orange glow halfway up the mountain.

Marcus is leader today and decided on a relaxed style of leadership which apparently makes miracles work as even myself and Yolanda had our tents down and our pulks packed ready to go ahead of schedule. It snowed during the night so we all woke with a nice dusting of snow on our tents this morning and the skies continue to be overcast all day today such that even after the day got lighter our surroundings were distinctly grey and eerie still.

These conditions make it difficult to judge the contrast of the terrain ahead but as usual we ploughed ahead at a steady pace led by Ali our navigator at the front. Over the last 10 days we have definitely become more skilled at pulling our pulks at a steady pace and today while skiing next to Ali and looking back at the rest of our team skiing in formation I felt really proud of what we have achieved.

As the valley opened up on the route home we had our closest encounter yet of several caribou. It was at this point that Howard had decided to delay our progress home by getting us to simulate skiing in whiteout conditions by tying up to together in our lines and staying close to the person ahead of you. The caribou watched for a while before heading off uninterested and we continued to experiment with ways of tying ourselves together.

The grey conditions also made distance perception rather tricky today and it was slightly bewildering to find that although we could see the spot we were heading for quite early on in the day it never seemed to get any closer until a few hours later all of a sudden we arrived.

We have reached the road back to town now and decided to make camp next to an old disused building which would once have been used when the mining industry here was more active. Simon has built a Taj Mahal style luxury snow latrine to celebrate our last night camping.

Tomorrow we will trek the last 7km back to the guesthouse where I’m sure there will be lots of queues for the showers where we can all get ourselves properly clean. I think everyone’s looking forward to getting back for a nice meal that is not rehydrated and a warm bed with no bear watch to wake up for. The mood of the team is buoyant, we’ve all learned a lot and I think it’s safe to say that we have all enjoyed ourselves and worked well together.

In case this is the last diary entry I’d like to say a few ‘thank yous’ to our staff, Howard, Em and Mary for keeping us safe and happy and to the rest of the team who have shared this experience with me, thanks for being such a great bunch of people and here’s to many more years of adventure and exploration.

Day 11 - Adventdalen Valley (under Trango and/or Marmot) – by Ness Lindsay

2010-02-04T01:49:00.000-08:00

N78 11 09.8
E16 16 26.7

Distance travelled 10.9k - average speed 2.9km per hour

From the dulcet tones of Lee snoring to the very cross and assertive wake up, or rather get up, call from Simon at 7am for our planned early 9am departure (I’m sure Simon enjoyed it a bit too much!) At least it had been a mild night, so getting up wasn’t too painful and with Lee as leader, leading from the top, it was already a big day. After a brief waking, a few friendly reminders from Howard about hygiene and shovels and final dashes to the loo, we were off just after 9.30am – our earliest departure to date.

After a couple of kilometres heading right and west up the valley and some animal spotting, it was to be decided whether it was an Arctic fox, wolf or caribou, Howard called us to a halt for a little hauling exercise. An hour and a half later, all pulks pulled to the top to with some over excited crevasse kit use. Howard then told us about a simpler and quicker way of getting up the slope. A lunch time bothy stop at the top and we were off again to find a spot to belay us down to the valley floor again. After a brief discussion, each team were sent off over the edge, some more briefly than others! Unfortunately there was a small omission of bringing down Howard’s skis and an ice axe - sorry Howard, we promise to make it up to you! With us quickly descending and Phil and Mark back navigating in front, we caught up some ks before finding camp for the night just after 5pm, having had time to add our own impromptu assault course down a slope and various freestyle methods of getting down it with the pulks at our heels, most involved getting acquainted with the snow!

The camp routine is getting slicker, more designer loos were erected, I never knew there were so many different ranges! It’s been a very mild night and it’s strange to be in sight of the lights of the coalmines and orange hue of Longyearbyen in the distance again. I’ll miss the starry skies, night-time lightshows, frozen snowy white valleys and hills. At last for me it’s time for an early bear watch then bed. It’s hard to believe there is only one more night on our snowy mattress and with our tent partners, what will I do without hot blackcurrant drinks made by Lee every morning? Oh well, I’ve got 20 hours to decide what my last rehydrated meal of this mini expedition will be – oh the dilemmas! Good night and sleep well all. p.s. Lee’s leadership tip of today “The leader is only as good as the people around him.”

Day 10 – Adventdalen Valley – by Ali Kershaw

2010-02-03T02:10:00.000-08:00

N78 11 29
E16 30 37

Distance travelled yesterday 10k. Getting up for bear watch is never a great feeling when you climb out of your toasty sleeping bag, but once you are out and a hot drink in hand it never feels too bad and last night’s shift was particularly enjoyable, as not only was the sky littered with more stars than I have ever seen but Dom and I were treated to two hours of nature’s very own lightshow with constant green dancing auroras which filled the sky. The two hours spent staring into space on reflection were probably not our most diligent bear watch to date but certainly one of the most enjoyable

Today has been another great day with clear skies most of the day and spectacular views around us. We packed up as usual and set off at Dom’s request, who is leader today and I think everyone was very pleased to get moving after last night, as it had been the coldest night we spent here so far.

With Mary and Mark setting a perfect pace for the group we climbed our way back up the valley we had passed through yesterday and sadly it’s time for us to head for home. I say sadly because the last few days have given everyone the chance to really see some beautiful scenery and I know many of us would have liked the chance to go further up the valley. However we were hampered at the beginning of our expedition by the bad weather and so last night’s camp will be our furthest for this trip

I think everyone enjoyed today’s walk, with perhaps the exception of poor Yolanda who wasn’t feeling great but battled on like the true team player she is and I know that everyone hopes the clear weather we have had for the last two days continues.

At about 4pm we started looking for a suitable stop to make camp and as we were looking we came to a stop where we could make out the movements of a large animal ahead, we lost sight of it in the darkness which was quite eerie put proceeded to prepare ourselves with flares at the ready and although we don’t know if it was a bear I for one will be slightly more nervous on bear watch tonight which will be from 3-5am. We’ve made camp and the usual hustle and bustle of camp can be heard from everyone sat in their tents. Stoves are roaring away heating water for dinner, drinks and water bottles; ice axes are chipping away to make room for ice screws and guy ropes; people are chatting, reading, or writing diaries and the occasional yell for a shovel or water can be heard.

So what have I learnt whilst I’ve been here? Well lots! But some thoughts I have for now are - I’ve learnt that I hate the wet cold ice on my sleeping bag in the morning, I’ve learnt I love walking through the spectacular scenery we are surrounded by, I’ve learnt I’m a lot happier in my own company when skiing single file than I thought I’d be. I’ve learnt that I miss daylight, I’ve learnt that I hate getting up for bear watch but I’ve learnt that I love the time on bear watch to appreciate my surroundings in silence whilst everyone else sleeps. I’ve learnt that if I spill my food and I can just wait for it to freeze and flick it off, I’ve learnt that dehydrated ration packs are a commodity that can be traded. I’ve learnt how much I miss Charlie, friends and family but most of all I’ve learnt that for me surviving in the cold is going to be a challenge but one that I’m keep to pursue. To me this has been the last big stepping stone on a 2 year plan of getting to the point where I can undertake a polar journey, although I know that it will be tough, I’m looking forward to the next step of my Arctic adventure.

Day 9 - Eskerdalen Valley - by Louise Cameron

2010-02-02T01:52:00.000-08:00

N78 12 46
E16 54 55

Distance travelled yesterday - 10.7km | Temperature -22°Centigrade

This is what it’s all about! Today, Day 9, was magical, really great! My excellently efficient tent mate Simon was team leader and more than rose to the challenge. He had us all in the meeting room (our big tent) by 9am, fed, watered, flasks filled and pulks packed for the morning greeting. An hour or so later we had tents down, were harnessed up and moving out, with Nessy (navigator) heading the charge and Simon leading from behind.

It was with mixed emotions that we left camp, as realisation dawned that a week today we will be back home and at our desks. Of course we can’t wait to see loved ones and friends (who are more and more in our thoughts as the days go by) and return to creature comforts (steak, red wine, showers, baths, beer and pizza, seem to be the most vocally missed!) As it was such an incredibly beautiful morning we also savoured the moment as we realised how special it is to be here.

At last the eternal twilight/night is lifting; we woke to a vast expanse of light blue from a cloud scattered sky and were teased by the suggestion of a sun behind a distant mountain. Which, combined with a nose dive in temperatures, (none of our thermometers seemed to work but this morning was noticeably colder with a bite in the air) and another good dusting of light powder snow last night, meant that we were all eager to get on the move and were in high spirits.

Nessy kicked out of camp at quite a pace, turning right (heading East) back into the valley. Adventdalen stretched out before us in all her magnificence – a rolling white wilderness of low mountains either side and a long, snaking, wide frozen river ahead and behind. Watching the group walking down the valley in parallel lines was an impressive and endearing sight; we are beginning to feel like the Ice Warriors we all hoped we might become.

Some six hours later we had made good ground passing through the Brentskaret and into the Eskerdalen Valley heading towards Sassendalen. We are beginning to work quite efficiently as a team now and only stopped for three short water, loo, and nosebag breaks today.

At 4pm having covered almost 11k at a speed averaging 2.7k an hour (it sounds slow but it really isn’t – on skis and the pulling part was uphill). We stopped to camp behind a pingo (knoll) and shelter from the wind. Already night was closing in and we needed head torches again.

Now it is 9pm and camp is quite apart from the crunch of bear watch feet outside. Skidoo tracks and an old mountain hut are the only signs of life out here along with reindeer trails.

After I’ve had my 4 hour turn under a galaxy of stars I’m going to snuggle down in my sleeping bag and bid goodnight. I’m going to fall asleep dreaming of my boys and hoping that tomorrow will bring another day like today…

Thank you Jim, Howard, Em, Mary and TEAM!

Day 8 – Adventdalen Valley – by Phil Thompson

2010-02-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

N78 11 16
E16 34 02

Distance travelled yesterday was 7.5km. An uncertain start to this morning as the weather changed through the night from still to blowy and then snowfall and then back again.

We were concerned the weather would not be good enough to allow us to continue on our route, however after waiting for the weather to settle the day remained as expected so the group took two 5 minute stops though the day as we pulled our pulks through the Adventdalen Valley delta floor. The highpoints of the day were glimpses of blue sky. The sun itself won’t be seen until the 18th February. The lowlight reflects off the snow causing strange and unusual formations, so much so that we debated whether a cloud was the northern lights or not. We had a great opportunity for building complex snow holes into the bank to outdo each other and impress the neighbours who were a bunch of reindeers. The team is settling into a routine with bear watches through the night. Administration around camp is improving. Setting up camp is straight forward although getting the job done is still slow but as we are working to the same pace we all finish more or less together. Last night we broke camp and a mistake was made when a stove fell on a Jerry Can soaking my sleeping bay, bivvy and most of my kit in petrol. We tried our best to keep my sleeping system working but today I found my lunch has been permeated by the fuel. That could make me very ill in the night or hopefully just give me a bad headache. Just bad luck!

Day 7 - by Yolanda Nunez

2010-01-31T08:22:00.000-08:00

N78 10 67.8
E16 14 59.8

We have experienced problems receiving Yolanda's dispatch - we will update as soon as possible.

Day 6 – Adventdalen Valley - by Marcus Liddiard

2010-01-30T01:39:00.000-08:00

Today we escaped! We finally managed to leave the vicinity of Longyearbyne town and venture out into the wilderness, much to the relief of all the team.

The dawn broke with slightly cloudy skies, but with no wind so we were able to safely break camp and head off. To make the process slightly easier we had arranged with our local “fixer” called John to transport the pulks as far as possible by road and then we skied to that same point to pick up the pulks and pitch camp. We are now camping at approximately 8km from Longyearbyne town and have not quite been able to escape civilisation as on the mountain ridge behind us there is a large coalmine and there are a few local cabins scattered around. The large coalmine looks a bit like a bond villain’s lair with a couple of large radio telescopes. Our journey here was made alongside the road which is not very inspiring but it was great to get some distance on skis under our belts and everyone seemed to cope very well (although it will be interesting to see how achy we are in the morning!) The plan is to progress up the Adventdalen Valley before heading up one of the valleys which join this one. However, this completely depends upon the weather.

The forecast tomorrow is for strong winds and snow which could stop us in our tracks. Hopefully it will be wrong and we will make some progress. It will be great to get to a place where we can see no artificial lights and are not interrupted by snowmobiles.

Day 5 - Longyear Glacier - by Lee Howell

2010-01-29T03:14:00.000-08:00

A day of extremes in terms of temperature and weather conditions. A completely still, beautiful night, the full moon clearly visible in the dark blue sky. The only sound being the crunch of our feet on crispy snow and our breath entering the frosty air from our warm bodies. A few hours later we were in the middle of the wildest storm we could imagine. Tents buckled and bowed under the sheer force of the wind and shook until they seemed as though they could be shredded at any second. An experience of nature, beautiful but dangerous, how I love this place and the opportunity to experience the task upon us. From a practical perspective today was one of consolidation. The strong winds meant we could not risk damaging the tents by taking them down and moving on, so in typical polar exploration fashion we waited and waited for the wind to die down; no chance. It was only after we had made contingency plans for tomorrow that the winds began to fade away. Time for more cross-country skiing practice in the dark and preparing our camp routine for our third night out. It is incredible just how reassuring it is to see the cooking stoves splutter into life and provide the heat needed to boil water for rehydrating our meals and hot drinks, which has psychological as well as practical benefits. There is also a real sense of independence which comes from being self-sufficient. Everything we have and need is packed into our pulks and moved physically from place to place. We have yet to experience the isolation that comes with travelling long distances in single file but this will come, I’m sure. Our commitment to sponsors, friends and family spurs us on, along with our polar dreams and aspirations, which whilst are different for each of the team members we are as one in our desire to get as much from this training in order to prepare us for the challenge ahead.

Day 3 - by Dom Larose

2010-01-27T03:12:00.000-08:00

Despite high winds, we headed out this morning for the first time with fully laden pulks. The high winds / low temperature combination meant some challenges in preventing frostbite on faces, and the first kilometre or so featured many headgear adjustments!

With significant food on board, the pulks were noticeably heavier too which meant skill was required on downhill and effort uphill. A group of 15 people is also hard to pace but Marcus did a sterling job! After a while we got better at moving at a constant pace to stay warm.

After 3½ hours we reached the far end of Longyearbyen, the wind was howling so we erected the emergency shelter and had a brew and some food. We lost a Thermorest to the wind – not something we want to repeat and was a good lesson learnt. Whilst taking a break, we decided to go back to town and see how the conditions changed.

Some of us took the opportunity of last minute purchases – gloves for some, camp seats for others, boot liners for me. We then hauled our pulks all the way back to the Hostel, at which point the wind died down somewhat. The majority decided to head to the glacier to make camp, so off we went.

And so FINALLY! We made camp, pitched tents, storm proofed the tents, melted snow and prepared food. Camp making is very lengthy and we are still learning to speed this up, but it all makes us appreciate the dehydrated food more and keeps us warm.

The mood in camp is good – relief, anticipation and excitement rolled into one, now that we have got going after so many false starts. It is now 23.30 local time and I am on bear watch in 3.5hrs time so will go to sleep now and look forward to another day of adventures unknown tomorrow.

Day 2 - Svalbard Guesthouse 102 – by Lou Cameron

2010-01-26T03:08:00.000-08:00

N78° 12.069’
E015° 35.295

9am - Temperatures have dropped slightly to -2 degrees and there’s a good dusting of snow so we’re heading out which is a decision that has been welcomed by all. Due to high winds (41-50 knots/10m per second) the team vote was to head for a ski this morning and pitch camp later, hopefully in the snow! All feeling a bit sluggish with “bricks” in our stomachs after our first morning of monstrous rat pack porridge, but I’m sure these portions will be much appreciated when out on the ice in -30C burning thousands of calories. Jim says he burns up to 8.5k on expedition a day so our 3.5k daily expedition allowance may seem a lot now but it won’t then.

12.15pm - Just back from a great ski practising up and downhill techniques ( “the herringbone” and “the grind”). Temperatures dropped to -6 and later to -11C but with the wind force which literally blew us over at points and along at great speed at others, it’s -20 with windchill (which dropped to -32 later). We’re now tucking into much appreciated coffee and nosebags with our wet gear tucked on the radiators. What a treat to be able to dry kit out. Our learning this morning was that you might feel seriously hot when working hard and burning up quite a sweat in your jacket but exposed skin might be cold and numb without you realising – ie cheeks. We girls have nearly all returned with frozen wind-chapped cheekbones just below the eye! It’s easy to see how you could get frostbite at -40C without knowing it. A neck gaiter (“buff”) is a must in these conditions.

3pm - After a debrief we’ve decided to hold off setting up camp today due to ferociously high winds (force 6-9) for fear of shredding tents, as these are the tents we’ll be taking on expedition with us. There was general frustration at still not being able to get out but once we all ventured outside for an emergency bivvy team exercise we respected Howard’s and Jim’s decisions… Think it’s fair to say none of us would want to pitch a tent while it’s blowing such a hooley.

5pm - Back inside, de-kitted and back to the meeting room for a talk and video session demonstration how and when to use the pen flares and Verry gun, and establishing camp rotas (bear watch, leader, navigator, diary writer). Staying in again tonight.

Day 1 – by Ian Belcher

2010-01-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Daily dispatches from the expedition will now be posted by members of the team. These will be replicated on this blog in stead of Ali's personal blogs. So please stay tuned to hear more about the expedition as we follow their progress.

25 January 2010 – Day 1 – Ian Belcher
N78° 12.069'
E015° 35.295'

Here we are in Svalbard on day one of our training expedition. We have spent the last two weeks learning all of the skills required to survive in Arctic conditions and are thoroughly prepared to give it a go for real (under supervision of course!). Unfortunately the weather has been pretty poor today (Too warm at +2 degrees C and heavy rain) so we have not ventured out. The mood of the team is mixed, on the one hand we understand that the weather cannot be helped and it would be foolish to venture out in these conditions (limited or no training benefit and the potential of ruining some very expensive equipment) but on the other hand we are all very eager to use the skills we have learnt and prepare ourselves for the immense challenge we have ahead of us. The weather is set to improve tomorrow so we are optimistic that we can get the skis out and commence the journey through the Advendalen valley to the coast. Tonight we will eat our dehydrated meals in the guest house, which is not the way it is meant to be but such is life in the world of expeditions!

Day 12 of training - final day before training expedition

2010-01-24T07:34:00.001-08:00

So today is the last day of training before we set off tomorrow on our training expedition. First of all this morning we went out on our ski's (without pulks) to get some much needed practise in!
It was acually really good fun doing cross country skiing but for those of us who are used to downhill it takes a bit of getting used to. We are all pretty good on the flat, but any kind of slope (bearing in mind you will usually have a pulk behind you) is pretty tricky to deal with.

As we were practising skiing it was also the most light we've seen. This period of light happens at the middle of the day and lasts at the moment for about 40 minutes. This essentially is the only light we get but it's increasing each day and it illuminates our surroundings and makes up realise what we are really surrounded by!
See the photos below which are the same mountain taken at midday and an hour or so later... it's nuts!
After our skiing extravaganza we went and bought our food for our nose bags.....normally the concept of £150 of chocolate, nuts and sweets would be appealing but looking at what we will live off for the next 2 weeks is actually a bit depressing!My nose bag is dried cured meat, dried fish, cheese cubes, chocolate (lots), nuts, dried fruit (apricots, papaya, banana chips) and liquorice. I only hope in my absence Charlie has learnt to cook as i'm going to be craving fresh meals when i get home!

Also this afternoon some of the team have been to the range to practise using the bear flares and the berry pistol and Ian has been using the rifle to get some practise in before we go out into polar bear territory.
See below for a clip of Emma using the berry pistol which we will use to shoot a flare to scare the bear off to a suitably safe distance...

Tonight we are going to plan our expedition route through the valleys of Adventdalen, and Sassendalen and to plan how long it should take us to travel. Considering we are travelling with fully laden pulks (approx 75kg) and through some tough terrain i don't imagine our pace will be fast but on expedition we would look to travel at least 10 miles a day for the 30 days we are on ice so we will try during this training expedition to reach distances as close to this as we are able.

So this is my last blog to you all until i return in 2 weeks time. Whilst we are out on expedition we will have a chance to write a team daily dispatch about our progress and how we are doing as a team which will be sent via satellite phone. This will hopefully appear here each day so you can still follow my adventure but if for any reason this doesn't work please check the ice warrior website for further news.

Thank you to everyone for all your support and for following my adventure it's great to know you are all joining me from home! I miss you all heaps and can't wait to see you all but am enjoying this step of my arctic journey. I know the next 2 weeks will be tough and cold but am also sure it will be a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

See you in a couple of weeks.!

Big hugs to you all..
Mum, Dad, Bev, Andy, Ali, Adi, Gemma, Jonsey, Jen, Porter, Mike, Corinne, Nick, Amy, Sara P, Sara H, Cocky, Charlie - girl, and of course Charlie. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Day 11 of training

2010-01-24T04:13:00.000-08:00

This morning we went through how to set up your sleeping bag vapour barrier liner and bivi bag as this is crucially important if you have any chance of staying warm at night! It's actually really hard work and by the time you've wriggled in and made sure all your electrical equipment is in with you (so it doesn't freeze) and tightened the collars arond your neck and the toggles you feel not only exhausted but incredibly claustrophobic - only your eyes aren't visible as everything else has to be covered up to avoid frostbite whilst you sleep. I never realised that going to bed would be such a mission!
We then got told who we are to be sharing a tent with on our training expedition and i have been paired with Dom so we both then made sure that between us in our pulks we had a tent, ice axe, shovel, stove and pan and we are also in charge of keeping the satellite phone batteries warm so these need to be in our pockets next to our bodies at all times.

Once we'd packed the pulks up with team kit we then headed out for a photo shoot! There is a journalist here from Sweden who is covering our training and wanted to get some good photos of us all as a team before we set off tomorrow so we went and had a photo session. I'm trying to get hold of copies of the pictures so will post them here if i am successful later......

We then got given out our food for the next 13 days - rehydrated breakfast and dinner packs...see below! (our food weighs lot and i'm already concerned how heavy the pulk is going to be to pull!)Packing your gear for the pulk takes a lot of planning and thinking - i now have a "spares and repairs bag" a "down clothing" bag a "medical" bag (Thanks Julie) and a "camp bag". This camp bag contains my sleeping bags, head torch, food for one night and one morning, my eating utensils and mug(thank you cocky, steve, ben and dylan) and my camp booties (thanks charlie girl!).

After the kit was all packed up we went through a practise route planning excercise using maps and gps. We havent yet had our training expedition route confirmed yet but will no doubt go through that tomorrow.
Am starting to feel very excited but also quite scared. It's one thing to train in all these individual tasks but to now put them all together in the middle of the arctic is quiet a daunting concept. In some ways i can't wait to just get out there on our training expedition and do what we've been thinking of doing for so long but on the other hand i am scared of how physically exhausting this will be. The same things that i love about being here are also the things that worry me. I love the feeling of being in the middle of nature and surrounded by such incredible scenery in a part of the world very few get to see but then this remoteness and the sheer scale of what we are doing and where we are can occasionally lead to doubt and worry instead of excitement. My overall emotion right now though is definately a sense of excitemnet and a spirit of adventure x

p.s(Don't worry mum and dad i'm very safe - honest!!)

Day 10 of training

2010-01-22T15:37:00.000-08:00

Slightly different day today but exciting in a very dfferent way. Finally after 2 weeks of cancelled flights and airport closures our ski's made it here so we spent the day drilling holes for our bindings and attaching them to our skis. See below for the team sweatshop!

We also took a full kit inventory so that we all know exactly what kit we will all have out on the ice next week. Anything incomplete or damaged was repaired and any misisng kit such as guy ropes or snow pegs was bought............ we also bought enough fuel for the training expedition and started to consider what we would like in our nose bags!
We did intend this evening to have another lecture about the science we could contribute to whilst on the ice but at 5pm we were invited by a man who is one of the most eminent retired scientists in the area to visit him at his house to discuss his experiences in the arctic, antarctic and himalyas regarding climate change (he's a meteorologist) and we have spent a wonderful evening listening to a very interesting man who has spent years exploring the places we will soon get to experience first hand.

Day 9 of training

2010-01-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Great day again today. We got packed up and went out each with our own pulks and in teams of 3. I was grouped up with Lou and Dom as they will most likely be on my leg out on the ice so it’s good to work together.
We walked in our single lines up through the valley where we’d been the last few days and this time made a more permanent camp. Essentially we set up the way we will on expedition with the main large tent in the middle and 2 of the small tents each side of the large one and all the tents properly secured with ice screws which are bored into the ice. This allows us to have a larger group tent which we can all fit in (although it’s quite cosy!!) and some 2 man tents for sleeping as out here we are such a big group. It’s not clear yet which tents we will be taking on expedition so it’s good that we are learning to use the different ones so that we should be comfortable with them all by the time we set off. We also got 4 of the stoves going straight away to get some snow melting for drinks and had someone on polar bear watch!
Whilst melting snow it was very apparent to us that it’s much lighter today than it has been for the last 10 days I’ve attached a picture below and you can see the light from longyearbyen in the distance but you can get an idea of the scenery and mountains.The other thin that astounds me here is the snowflakes – every single one looks perfect like you imagine a snowflake to look. I tried to take a picture of them on my glove (bit tricky as they keep blowing away) but if you look about 2-3 cm above the date stamp on this picture and left a bit you will see what i mean – they almost look artificial they are so perfect – will try and get a better picture over the next few days as i learn to use my camera!We had some lunch and then had a group chat in the big tent about some general camp basics and tent etiquette!. At night we will get in our tents and get the stoves going inside and will bring inside our camp bag which will contain only the items we need over night. This way there is no need to leave the tent again. Our sleeping bags etc will be covered with the ground sheet at the side of the tent until it’s time for bed because as you breathe and the stove boils water the vapour will freeze to the roof of the tent and will then fall as snow inside the tent so you need to keep your kit dry as long as possible so we will be sat on the snow.
When we sleep we will sleep in a vapour barrier liner which prevents the heat from your body forming condensation and this condensation entering your down sleeping bag and forming ice crystals which will then compromise its thermal properties. You then sleep in your down sleeping bag and put that inside a bivi bag to prevent the external water etc from the roof of the tent and the floor entering your sleeping bag. Using this 3 bag system gives you the best chance of staying warm although it is a bit of an art to learn how to sleep without moving apparently! You also need to pull the drawstring completely over your head and face to avoid getting frostbite on your face during the night.
We also had a discussion about practicalities and hygiene, as simple tasks like going to the toilet are not easy! It’s important not to bare any skin unnecessarily so devices such as She-Wee’s for girls which allow us to go to the toilet like men are used! We also discussed other issues regarding waste which i’m not going to go into in this blog but if anyone really is curious perhaps that’s a conversation over a large drink when i’m back home in the warm!

Finally this evening we’ve had a presentation about sea ice and the science we can really get into whilst out on expedition and the value this data will have for understanding the effects of climate change and how it will be used.

Day 8 of training

2010-01-21T14:55:00.001-08:00

Woke up this morning to the most incredible blizzard! Really gusting wind and buckets and buckets of snow!
We spent the morning talking through snow types and avalanche type risks as after seeing the 4 yesterday in such close proximity there is concerns with all the fresh snow that avalanches will be very prevalent whilst training for the next few days and it’s important we understand the basic dynamics of the snow we are walking on. Essentially we have a layer of thick compressed snow with a layer of ice on top and then a foot of fresh powder snow so this slab layer could just shear off and slide and as our training here is in valleys between mountains it is obviously something we are aware of. After our avalanche chat we had a brief medical talk form Mary (team medic) regarding frostbite and frost nip and how to recognise the signs. The basic take home points from this are that if your fingers are cold and hurting but you can still feel them you don’t need to worry but the pain is an indication that you should consider getting them warm!! To some extent you will have painful fingers each day depending on what you are doing as there is a huge difference between walking or moving and standing still even for a minute. However, if after your fingers go cold you lose feeling and they start to look waxy or solid then this is the start of frostbite and it is imperative a shelter is set up and the hands are warmed up.
We then went out with our pulks and just walked out and up the valley to set up the tents and to try and start the stoves in the wind. It is much harder when conditions are so windy as every part of the tent has to be attached to the pulks with karabiners to ensure it doesn’t blow away and even lifting the tent into position takes at least twice as many people to ensure it goes up safely without risk of breaking poles.
The temperatures today are noticeably colder (-25C) as the wind chill really does have an impact. Today is the first day i have had my face completely covered whilst walking into the wind as it really did bite. I also now fully appreciate the impact that fur makes on your hood. It makes a microclimate around your face and really protects your face from the wind. It’s also a matter of seconds before your hands get cold so doing anything takes a long time as you have to keep your big mitts on and fiddling with tent poles, pegs and clips is really tricky.
This evening we have had a big chat about the state of the sea ice. We now have our last 3 team members with us one of whom is a specialist in sea ice mechanics. There is an element of concern at present that the state of the sea ice is not ideal for our trip and we are monitoring the satellite images of the arctic ocean daily to keep abreast of how the sea ice is forming and in particular keeping an eye on a few big open leads of water which we hope will close up over the next few weeks. If there is ever an indication of climate change (the focus of our expedition) the current state of the sea ice so far into winter is a true reflection of damage we are doing to our planet.

Day 7 of training

2010-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today has been the most enjoyable day so far. We spent the morning going through some basic rope-work which we have done before just to be sure we understand when to use certain knots in different situations such as for tightening guy ropes on tents, attaching pulks and ice axes for keeping tents held down in the winds and knots for crevasse rescue kits and pulling people out of water or for roping up when on thin ice. After that we had a refresher session on how to use the stoves and how to take them apart and repair them and clean them. It’s very apparent out here that your stove is one of your most critical pieces of equipment as without this you simply can’t survive. The water you need to consume each day has to be melted and you have no food without water as your food is all sachets which need to be rehydrated so it’s therefore vital that you not only look after your stove properly but that you fully understand every little part and how it works in case you need to repair it if something goes wrong. I really enjoyed taking the stoves apart and fixing them which is probably because i already appreciate that when you’re cold tired and hungry how much that stove will become your friend! In addition to your food and drink it also provides a much appreciated level of warmth inside your tent at the end of the day and first thing in the morning.

After going through these things we paired up so that we had a tent and stove between two and got ready to go out with our pulks. I paired up with mini (Claire) which was great as she is on the same leg of the expedition as me (leg 2) and it’s nice to work together as not only is she great fun but it feels like we are achieving more by practising as we will be doing the same routines in less than 2 months time on real expedition.

We pulled the pulks up through a valley with mountains on each side of us and the scenery was spectacular – it’s such a shame it’s too dark to show you quite how incredible it is but now that our eye’s have adjusted to the dark it’s amazing how much you can see but the camera doesn’t do it justice.

This photo is the closest thing i can find to mountain scenes and light in the sky!....

We walked past three recent avalanches which have happened in the last few days with the bad weather and then stopped in a basin to set up camp.

See avalanche...

We all worked in our pairs and first of all got the stoves going with a big pan on to melt snow. The stove got going with no problems using our flints to light them and we had been taught that instead of just snow you have to add a small amount of your water that you’ve saved from the day before in order to melt the snow without burning the pan (strange to think frozen water can burn?!?)

We then got the tent up and storm proofed before enjoying a nice hot cup of hot chocolate – although it’s probably a good time to point out that at the temperatures here it takes nearly an hour to melt enough water for a good drink each and on average each night we will be melting snow for 4 hours each night just to get enough water for dinner and to fill flasks.

Some photos of today...

It was a really enjoyable day with beautiful fluffy snow-flakes and no wind so despite being colder than the last few days it felt so much more warm and comfortable.

Day 6 of training

2010-01-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Very short blog for you today as we have had a day off training and a day of admin and logistics. Essentially it's been a day of sewing - the amount of kit modification is incredible. Whether it's adding pull cords to zips to make it easier when wearing mittens or covering all metal in duck tape to prevent it freezing against your skin it seems everyone at some point is sewing! also a day of additional sponsorship leads to follow and ensuring we are fulfilling our obligations to sponsors with respect to radio interviews etc.
We also unfortunately still have 3 team mates missing as the airport has been closed all day so no-one can get here.

One snippet of information that we did find out today is that at the end of january there is a big party here to celebrate the "return of the sun" - unfortunately it's not quite what we thought!! - it'll still be dark all day but we may be lucky enough to see a faint glow on the horizon for 20 minutes at midday!

Have also just heard that the local people of Longyearbyen have been reading my blog (in addition to other team members) as they have a link to expedition blog wesbites that mention Svalbard so hello to them all from me!

Anyway will write more tomorrow when we have more news to report.....keep your messages and comments coming in as it's lovely to receive messages from you all.

p.s Cocky we will be plotting our expedition route in the next few days so details will soon follow! x

Day 5 training

2010-01-18T02:31:00.000-08:00

Finally after having been stuck in Tromso due to cancelled flights 2 more members of our team made it out to Longyearbyen. It's nice to have them here and we only have 3 more people now to get here before we are a complete team. Must be diificult feeling you are missing out but i guess weather is one thing we have to expect causing a change to plans!

This morning we had a long briefing about polar bears and safety. We watched some footage of polar bear incidents - both a mixture of curious and aggressive so we can understand how best to react when we have an encounter (note the "when" not "if"!!). Most encounters are at close quarters and usually at night when the bear comes up to the tent and is inquisitive. The basic drill is to ensure everyone is awake and to make quiet conversation as this will not only prevent the bear from becoming startled and more aggressive but also if the bear has come across humans previously the sound of voices may make it back off. The most important thing is to try and get out of the tent as early as possible and to group together as you have a better assessment of the situation and the bear will be more cautious around a larger group. The next stage is to fire bear crackers into the air and pen flares to try and get it to back off. If it is still less than 10 meters away we should throw a glove or item of clothing for it to investigate whilst we back off. Ideally you want to ensure that the bear has a clear path to get downwind of you as he will be trying to smell the air and it's important not to make him feel trapped in any way.
If the bear is pacing back and forwards or up on its hindlegs he is merely curious and this is not a sign of aggression however, if he starts to move closer we then start to make more noise and to bang ski poles or pans together to try and intimidate him.
If the bear lies down flat in front of us with front paws out he is preparing to charge. At this point if the bear then moves we will have no option but to shoot - which is why Ian will be at the front of our group with the high velocity rifle. During our expediton we will have 2 people on bear watch all night doing 2 hour shifts.
(The bears we encounter will all be male as the females are now denning to have their young and will not come out until march/april. The male bears come inland to look for food so at this point they may be quite hungry!)

After our briefing we went out of Longyearbyen towards Nybyen and up into the valley towards the glacier and spent some time practising putting up the tents and ensuring they are fully storm proof. This essentially means that as soon as you take any part of the tent out to put up you must attach it to a pulk using a karabiner to ensure it doesn't fly away and once the tent is up the pulks act as additional mooring popints for guy ropes. We also use 10 inch ice screws and snow pegs and use the shovels to heap snow onto the snow valences all of which help the tent deal with the stong winds. It des however, mean that by the time you've finished your tent looks like a spiders web so you have to be really careful getting in and out.After getting the tents up and having a hot drink we learnt how to safely use ice axes not only as hammers, and to break up ice but also as a means of anchorage if necessary either to pull someone out of water with a belay system or to secure them on ice. As a result we practised our knot tying again and most of us had remembered a lot more than we thought we had from the training in Dartmoor - there's definately a lot to be said for repetition learning.

Right am off to work out how to add my video clips so i can show you some more silliness! xx

Day 4 of training

2010-01-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

Well quite frankly the weather is horrendous!!!!! hail driving horizontally and gusting winds - delightful! We went out for our usual hike again straight after breakfast with rucksacks etc as general fitness then when we got back we loaded up our training pulks with our kit inside them and went off for our first effort at pulk pulling. Admittedly we are pulling them over easier terrain and they probably only weighed 40kg (as opposed to the 75-80kg we will be pulling on expedition) but i was pleasantly surprised at how much nicer it is pulling a pulk with a proper harness than pulling tyres round surrey with a rucksack - although i am sure i will regret saying that in 3 weeks time when i never want to see my pulk again!It has to be said that we were a bit of a rabble for the first couple of hours but by the end we resembled something slightly more like an expedition in a single file line with radio communication front and back. As you can see here just walking around on the ice makes getting around entertaining and i already look like bambi on ice so am concerned what i'll be like on ski's... (video clip to follow when i've worked out technical issues!)

We walked out onto the ice and after another couple of miles we stopped and put up the tent as practise. We're definately improving and things are more efficient but still a long way to go yet! Think it took us 20 minutes to put it up which i didn't think was bad given the dark and wind and in bulky mittens but apparently we should aim for the tent being up in 7 minutes when we are are finished training.

After trekking back with the pulks we yet again put up the tent and again didn't improve our time but at least we are consistent!!!

Another interesting thing today was that we also picked up the rifle as we were going out into the surrounding area and everyone by law must carry a loaded gun due to the number of polar bears here. Ian is our gun toting man for the next couple of weeks as he's got firearm training through the military. (Have made a mental note to sleep next to him in the tent at night in case of curious polar bears.....

Day 3 of training

2010-01-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

Well i'm surviving!. We went for our usual morning hike with rucksacks poles etc to improve fitness and efficiency using kit and then we had a session on how to pack a pulk. Essentially the key points were to ensure the weight is at the back such as your cookers, fuel etc and then pack lighter kit at the top. We also have a universal system for coloured dry bags within the pulk such as red bag holds your, medical kit and personal items whilst yellow bag is your spare emergency kit. The benefit of this if someone falls through the ice etc and needs their spare dry clothing that it's obvious which bag their kit is in etc.
We also discussed fuel - we will carry for the expedition 1/2 a litre of fuel per person per day which is slightly more than we will need to use but will allow for any storms etc where we are stuck for more days than planned.

We then went through the "nose bags" we will have on expedition. Essentially all food whilst we are away will only require heating water so no cooking takes place as it's too difficult to clean the pans. Breakfast is rehydrated porridge, dinner is rehydrated food but lunch is essentially snacking all day on high energy foods such as chorizo, cheese, nuts, chocolate etc. We therefore have to decide what we will be having in our "nose bags" that we want to eat for the duration of the expedition. Although the idea of chocolate for lunch every day would be most women's idea of heaven ....i must admit the idea of no fresh fruit, vegetables or bread etc for so long is quite depressing!
Our expedition ski's were due to arrive today but all flights to Svalbard have been cancelled due to the weather so they are currently in Tromso so i think tomorrow we may practise pulling pulks with out the complication of ski's - probably not a bad idea given we're all struggling to stay on our feet anyway!!

Great news today is that Mars have agreed to donate to the expediton team 2160 Mars bars, 2160 Snickers bars, 2160 bags of M&M's and 540 bags of polar chews - apparently this equates to 12 choccie bars per person per day on expedition........i truly hope we will be burning 8000 calories a day or i'm going to be huge!

Big hugs to Mum, Dad, Charlie, Corinne, Gemma, Jen, Monkey etc etc xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Day 2 of training

2010-01-14T13:14:00.002-08:00

Today's focus was navigation and understanding how our GPS works and how and when we will use it in different ways on the ice. We went for a 7 mile walk in small groups (Claire, Yolanda and I were together) and plotted various routes and positions then used waypoints and bearings to traceback our steps etc. It was a great excercise not only in navigation and understanding how your equipment works but also in understanding how it is affected by the cold. Battery life out here is about a third (at best) of how long it would last at home and you also have to consider the inherent danger of changing batteries as you cant touch metal with your bare hands so it's important to recondition yourself to make simple tasks more difficult by leaving your mitts on!
After our navigation we again spent some time putting up a team tent - this is something we will continue to do daily so we have it perfected for when we go on training expedition in 10 days time.The toughest part of today was this evening when after dinner we were informed that we were to remove all our clothes except for a thermal base layer and to sit outside - no socks, hats, gloves etc. The intention was to induce mild hypothermia so we recognise how our bodies start to react when cold and which parts of our bodies suffer most from the cold. ....personally i have to be honest i was a bit skeptical that this was a good idea but now that i am warm again and have clothes back on i can honestly say that i think it's an excellent excercise. It's also important to know how long it takes to warm up.
In order to cool us down quickly we had to put our arms in the air to maximise heat loss and after a certain amount of time were made to lie in the snow. I have to admit when Mary (team medic) told me i was done and to go inside i was very pleased as my feet really hurt from the cold although surprisingly the rest of me seemed to cope quite well.

Day 1 of training

2010-01-13T11:36:00.001-08:00

So today we had a briefing about kit and how important it is to understand your clothing system and how to use it effectively. Lee, Phil and I were asked to plot a route for the team and we went out on a 9 mile walk in full kit including boots, rucksacks walking poles (no ski's just yet) to practise with different clothing systems. I can honestly say that most of today whilst walking I was perefctly warm however, within a minute to two minutes of stopping moving it's incredible how cold it gets. Even taking an outer glove off for a few seconds starts to hurt and you can understand how easy it is to get frostbite if you are not fanatical about your kit. The route we took was circular so although we used our GPS to keep track of time, distance etc it was less of a navigation excercise (more of that tomorrow) and more about understanding the environment we are in however, as I promised Cocky, Ben and Dylan to keep them informed of my exact location I can tell you that I am currently located at a longitude/latitude of:
N 78 degrees 12' 04.0"
E 15 degrees 35' 35' 19.1"

We also practised this evening putting up one of the expedition tents and we will be doing this often this week to ensure we have it perfectly practised that we can do it in silence in case of a storm. We are also not allowed to use head torches as once you resort to artificial light your eyes find it so much harder to accustom to the darkness and it's important to be aware of your surroundings. Whilst putting up the tent we saw our first Aurora a beautiful swirling moving green cloud in the sky. Not bright enough to photograph unfortunately but apparently there are few solar flares at present so Northern lights are not being seen. Will keep my fingers crossed we get more as it's an incredible natural phenomenon.

Some photos of today... (apologies for the lack of daylight and views but this is as light as it gets!)

Ali's in the Arctic!!!!

2010-01-12T14:17:00.001-08:00

Wow i'm here.....!

We flew yesterday to Oslo then this morning flew from Oslo to Tromso in the north of Norway and then connected again to Longyearbyen in Svalbard. Click here to see where I am.

The first things to hit me are:
Firstly how dark it is here. We landed in the middle of the day and it feels like the middle of the night. We are in polar winter so the sun never rises and the idea of spending the next month in the dark is kind of eerie! It's also very disorientating as in the dark and the snow distances dont appear the way they should (everything is further away than it looks).
See below for a picture of
me arriving off the airoplane at lunchtime.

The second thing to notice is the cold! - to all those of you who were interestd to know if it feels colder at minus 26C than at minus 5 C the answer is YES! The temperature today is actually considered to be quite warm by the locals so i'm glad we've had a nice day to arrive!

We've spent the afternoon modifying kit and sewing on sponsosrship patches to kit as well as being given a chat about the itinerary we will follow for the next couple of days. Tomorrow we are going out to practise with layering and clothing systems to understand how we should dress both when skiing and pulling the sledge where it's important to avoid sweating(bizarre to think you can get hot here!) and also to know what to wear to keep warm when stationary during a break or putting up tents etc.

Now that i'm here i'm very excited. I am obviously going to miss Charlie and all my friends at home tonnes but am super greatful for all the amazing messages of support before i flew out and am sorry i didn't get a chance to contact you all before i left.

You'll all be pleased to know I have also been heeding local advice as there are apparently 3000 polar bears in and around this island with approx. 12 dens per square km!! although we carry a rifle we obviously dont intend to have to use it.

Finally to all those of you who are desperate to see a video of the cold water immersion training we have been informed that will not happen till next week!

Love and polar kisses
Arctic Ali !

Polar bear training in Reigate, Surrey

2010-01-06T08:19:00.001-08:00

Well yet again england has surprised us with the weather...snow, snow and more snow. With a non -exaggerated 9 inches outside my front door i cant help but want to go out and train but am also aware that a twisted ankle at thsis stage in proceedings is not advisable so am keeping training to walking and not running and have so far avoided the temptation to sledge down the hill with everyone else! I did however, take the following photo to try and get me in the mood...
The great news is that the cold weather gives me hope that the sea ice will be nicely frozen which means less chance of going for an unplanned dip. We will of course next week have to go through cold water immersion (something that i'm not particularly looking forwards to) where we have to deliberately ski into a frozen lake and control the panic and panting reflex before coherently telliing a joke and then getting out and rolling in the snow to freeze off the water and then getting warm again. - remind me again why i'm doing this?????

The next few days are going to be really busy and i'd be lying if i said i wasn't a little stressed. I still have £5000 to find for the expedition and am starting to worry about things as mondays departure date gets ever closer.

I am however, trying to stay focussed and positive and am enjoying the irony of perhaps not managing to catch my flight to the arctic due to to much snow in the UK.....................

New year and new kit!

2010-01-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

Happy new year everyone.
Finally 2010 is here and it's the year of the expedition.

Yesterday i drove to collect my kit and it is feeling very very exciting! Only 10 days till we fly out to Svalbard for training which means 10 days to see friends, finish work, sort the house out, pack, unpack and repack to be sure i have everyything, meet with sponsors etc etc etc. Spent this afternoon sewing on sponsorship patches and modifying my kit with things like easy pull zip cords etc as everything becomes trickier with big mittens on! Also had to wrap my thermos flasks in insulating foam and duck tape as this assists in insulation but primarily to prevent them getting damaged and effecting their thermal properties so have also had a trip to homebase!

Charlie took one look at my boots and asked if i was planning on going to the moon! - they do look absolutely enormous but i was very pleased to see that they have about half an inch of thick insulating material inside them! see below!

My sleeping bag is massive so i'm hoping thats' also a sign of lots of warm insulating down to keep me toasty at night as that's the time i'm most concerned about the cold.

If i have time i want to write the name of each person who bought me an item of my kit so that i'm nicely reminded of all my wonderful friends and family whilst i'm out there.....so much to do so little time.!

Englands winter wonderland

2009-12-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Well thanks to the fantastically festive weather we've had this week training has been much more fun. Firstly just trying to stay on your feet on the icy pavements is probably good training!!

Sunday morning having convinced Charlie to come out tyre pulling with me to take some pictuires we went out in the glorious sunshine and blue sky and i truly felt i was in a ski resort! We headed up to Reigate heath and whilst carefully dodging snowmen (tyre pulling can be destructive!!!) i went for a walk with my 2 tyres and charlie kindly took some pictures for me and even some video footage in return for me later buying him a bacon buttie and coffeee.

Here's a video clip of me training...

If you have problems viewing the video you can also view it here: http://www.arcticali.com/Videos.htm

Here are some photos...

Can't believe it's now only 3 weeks till we leave - i was really nervous but somehow the snow we've had has rekindled my excitement in the adventure ahead!!!!!!

Lucozade, moving and eating

2009-12-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

Fantastic news is that I am now sponsored by Lucozade. I'm really excited to be a part of such a great brand and it fits so perfectly with what i'm doing. More details need to be ironed out but great to have them backing me.

This week has been a busy one, we have now moved house so 3 days were spent lifting boxes and heavy furniture so the arnms and shoulders have certainly been getting a work out and i'll be back to the gym this morning to wake the legs up again.

Also this weekend I had my medical supplies delivered so it's now a case of stocking up and arranging the kit although i still need to get an appointment with my doctor for the prescription only stuff like extra strong painkillers!

We now also have the itinerary for our training in January and it looks very comprehensive although it's going to be a very busy month.....not sure if there is any time scheduled in for sleep!

I'm really starting to get quite nervous - (i guess that is perefctly normal)....my biggest concern is the cold (which considering where i'm going probably seems daft) and especially at night when you're not on the move and cant warm yourself up. Am hoping that after the training I will feel more reassured that I can cope with the discomfort but i'm starting to feel that the training may scare me more than the expedition itself as it will be in January in the dark and in extremely low temperatures....this is to ensure that by the time the expedition comes round Jim is confident that we know what we are letting ourselves in for.....the benefit i guess is that at least for most of the expedition it will be daylight as i think the dark will massively effect my morale.

It's funny to chat to people about how the training is going - you assume that when training this hard you should be losing weight and becoming a shadow of your former self however, we've all been asked to try and put on weight before we go so the concept of training and getting fatter is an odd one! We will be burning approximately 8000 calories a day and although you will be eating high energy foods (approx 5000-6000 caloreis a day) the deficit means that weight loss is fairly dramatic on expedition.

Right time for a trip to the gym........

Heston Blumenthal helps provide tasty explorer food!

2009-11-26T00:40:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has read of past expeditions may have heard of a substance known as "Pemmican" a food substance devised by the Cree Indians (dried buffalo meat mashed up with nuts, berries and fat) which was very high in energy although perhaps not particularly palatable.

However, Heston Blumenthal has kindly been working on making it slightly more tasty and on Monday 7th December he’s going to join us training on the beach – pulling tyres, wrestling, etc. - and after he’s tired cold and hungry he’s going to cook us some modern-day pemmican and hoosh (soup made from pemmican) to see our reactions and to chat more about the expedition. All this will be done on camera as Filming for Heston Blumenthal’s Edwardian Food series. (Optomen productions).

Great to have him providing us with such support......now just need to convince him to come along as expedition chef.........

Sir Ranulph Fiennes sends us his best wishes

2009-11-25T03:26:00.000-08:00

"Jim [McNeill] informs me of just how hard you are working to get this expedition off the ground which is something, as you might imagine, I can really appreciate. The fact that I am your Patron makes me very proud so do keep up this tremendous effort. I know you will reap all the rewards in the end.
Very Best of Luck Ran"

Not making progress

2009-11-23T11:03:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately havent managed any training for the last 5 days and its starting to stress me out as i have a very long way to go before i'm where i need to be. I had planned a tough tyre pull this weekend but due to Charlie and I potentially completing on our house next week the weekend was spent doing trips to the dump to get rid of furniture i've collected over the last 7 years of leaving in my little cottage - i guess its still excercise but not sure there's much need for sofa removal and wardrobe dismantling where i'm going!
It's a tricky time as i want to commit 100% both to our new home and also to the expedition but i just dont have enought hours in the day to do both! I've also realised quite how much work i need to get done before i leave in january and i'm starting to wonder why i put myself under this pressure!!

I'm also concerned that no new sponsors have materialised for some time.......lots of interest but people seem to be difficult to pin down to a commmittment although endorsements from people like Micheal Palin certainly help (see previous post). If we could get the PR /press event confirmed on the 5th (cant tell you about it yet) then i think that would really help.........

Michael Palin endorses expedition

2009-11-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

Michael Palin today sent us all a Good Luck message and provided us with this Quote ...“Learning to travel the hard way is not only the best way, but it’s also the most memorable. I greatly admire all of you for having a go – believe me you won’t forget the experience.”Good luck,Michael Palin

13th November 2009

2009-11-15T23:10:00.000-08:00

4 mile tyre pull this morning in the pouring rain! didn't feel as tough as last time but the hills in reigate are not ideal! Also really need to get hold of my harness as soon as possible as attaching the ropes to my rucksack is probably not the best in terms of weight distribution and my shoulders take a bit of a beating!

12 November 2009

2009-11-12T04:17:00.003-08:00

I now have my GPS so am planning on familiarising myself with it whilst tyre pulling! may plot my coordinates of Epsom Downs (not because i think i can get lost going round a racecourse!) but just get used to the functionality of it. Have also just received my firesteel for getting those stoves going in the tent and this weekend am going to make a start on purchasing the necessary medical supplies to fill up my personal medical kit- Boots the chemist wont know what's hit them! ....plasters, anti-fungals, dressings, micropore, antiinflammatories, needles, etc etc etc....am determined to treat my feet like my prize position whilst i'm away as i've seen the photos of feet when you get a blister in sub zero temperatures! the fluid filled sack freezes and essentially you walk with a lump of ice under your skin in your foot! (Ouch!)
Also planning a a big PR/press opportunity on 5th December....more news to follow when confirmed.

08 November 2009

2009-11-12T04:17:00.001-08:00

Have just returned from my tyre pulling round Epsom downs racecourse and my bum, legs and shoulders ache! Got stopped by a few people who wanted to know what on earth i was doing but everyone was very interested and very supportive which was nice. It'd be good to do a long session every weekend as there just isn't time during the week by the time I get back from work so i may have to aim to do gym sessions during the week and tyre pulling at the weekends.....

06 November 2009 - Tyre pulling....woohooo

2009-11-12T04:16:00.003-08:00

Planning a nice long tyre pulling walk on sunday (8th november) across the north downs...does anyone fancy joining me?......... alternatively in return for a donation towards my expedition i will happily take your dogs for a long walk? I look forwards to being inundated with offers!

28 October 2009

2009-11-12T04:16:00.001-08:00

Have just booked my flights to Svalbard -eek i'm really going to the arctic!

26 October 2009

2009-11-12T04:15:00.001-08:00

We've finally finished in Dartmoor and i can't decide now if i'm more reassured by the thought of the journey ahead having spent 10 days living and breathing it or completely terrified. It's fair to say that as the prospect of buying the kit that will keep us alive whilst on the ice approaches and we start to book our flights for januarys training the enormity of what we are going to be doing has started to hit home. It's no longer a distant plan on paper but a true fact that in 10 short weeks we will be on our way to Svalbard and preparing for a month of training in the most extreme conditions i've ever been in and trying to put into effect the skills we've learnt here on the moors whilst surrounded by howling wind, bulky clothing and in sub zero temperatures.
It also wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention how fantastic this week has been from the point of view of us all living and working together as a team. It's reassuring to feel you have started to really get to know your fellow expedition team members and to trust their skills and abilities in situations. The team fits together well and everyone has their place and their role within the group and in addition to the hard work it's been good fun.

17th-27th October 2009 - Summary of training on dartmoor

2009-11-12T04:14:00.002-08:00

Throughout our training we’ve covered a range of topics from safety and communications to navigation and rescue emergency care, so I’ll give a brief overview of how the last 10 days have gone.
Throughout the week we had fitness sessions every morning (there goes my idea of a lie-in!) – training in silence to really focus ourselves and also holding hands with a partner to work together. Most sessions involved starting with a bit of gentle jogging and working through to uphill sprints. We also did quite a bit of wrestling – alternatively pushing and pulling each other to simulate the muscles needed when your pulk gets stuck on a ridge of ice and refuses to budge! (I can assure you from the photos I’ve seen that sea ice is not flat!!)
Lots of circuit stuff like sit-ups and press-ups (thank goodness I’ve been going to British Military Fitness!) and also a bit of log carrying which was fun (if not tiring!) The fitness sessions finished off every morning with a fully-clothed immersion in the river to get used to the cold – making sure we held our head in the water whilst counting to ten! These cold dips got easier during the course of the week but did mean with the exception of day 1 that you wore soggy clothes and shoes for the next day’s session. They also provided some good photo opportunities when the local press came over on Thursday! (See the Western morning news article for a piccie of us all in the river!)
Navigation was an ongoing topic throughout the week. We started off with basic navigation with maps and compasses, and working on pacing and timing – walking across the moors on a bearing rather than using features to navigate as it is crucial to understand the basics of navigation before you rely on your GPS. These skills really came into their own during a night navigation exercise where we couldn’t see anything at all to help us out, and we were amazed when our pacing techniques worked, allowing us to find small Cairns and hut circles in the dark of night!
Once we’d convinced Howard and Jim we could navigate across the moors at night with a compass we moved on to GPS – and took part in a second night exercise but this time around using our GPS only, with no maps or compasses to help. GPS navigation seems easier in some ways, as the GPS can just point in the direction you need to travel, but what it doesn’t account for are any features such as hills or rivers that might be in the way, so there is a certain amount of decision making involved when the easiest route to take isn’t necessarily the most direct. Looking at maps of the arctic really puts into perspective how different navigation will be when we get there. Tthe ice reforms in a different way every year so we won’t know what the terrain will be like until we get there and start crossing it! It also instilled into you at night to trust your equipment – so often you feel that you are heading in the wrong direction as it’s easy to get disorientated and this will be extremely important in bad condition such as storms and whiteout.
We also had a lot of discussion on expedition planning and safety protocol. Risk mitigation and evacuation procedures are really critical to get right, and we need to ensure all the possible emergency scenarios and actions are considered. Our discussions involved everything from tent fires to polar bear attacks and the use of Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacons (or Personal Locator Beacons) for casualty evacuation. We also looked at the technology we will be using – from radio communications on the ice, to satellite phones and personal handheld computers for reporting to base camp – and how we will charge the batteries for all this equipment using our portable solar panels.
Giles from Colour Works came in at the weekend to talk about team dynamics and working together, which is going to be so important for us to achieve our goal. Trusting each other was also really important during our rope work sessions, where we started off on the flat terrain with some basic knots and coils and worked up to climbing and abseiling around the rocks and boulders of the Dartmoor Tors. We had a fantastic time sitting on top of the Tor and lowering each other off the side, and also learnt loads about hauling techniques and how to work with a crevasse kits to set up a pulley system for hauling equipment uphill or people out of the water.
Kit and equipment is obviously a big part of ensuring the expedition runs smoothly so we spent quite a bit of time going over kit requirements – trying on and taking measurements for all the clothing we will need – of which there is a huge amount ranging from down jackets and trousers to keep us warm in camp to windproof walking jackets and trousers for trekking and lots of underlayers like thin and thick gloves and socks. (If you’d like to have a look at my kit list and help me buy our kit please see the kit page)
We also had a separate session on the use and maintenance of stoves which are a really vital bit of equipment: used for warmth in the tents and also to melt ice for drinking and for rehydrating food (no cooking is actually done on expedition except heating water) So we need to be able to look after our stoves and learn how to fix them if there are any problems. Howard also took us through the design and use of the Qajaq – the prototype sled-cross-canoe we will be using. The Qajaq is a great bit of equipment that will not only be hugely useful for crossing leads in the ice, but also for shelter in adverse conditions and use as a stretcher for any casualty evacuations. Very exciting!
To finish off the course we spent a great deal of time on Rescue Emergency Care, which really highlighted the difference between first aid in a normal work or home environment and first aid in a remote wilderness environment where any rescue attempt could take anything between 9 hours to several days (in bad weather) to arrive! Although we will have Mary along as our expedition doctor, the lack of sophisticated medical equipment available means that it’s really important for any of the team to be able to deal with life threatening emergencies ourselves.
We covered lots of material from CPR and full body damage checks to severe bleeding, burns, and head and neck trauma. We practiced immobilisation, splinting and traction for breaks and dislocations, and played with various “toys” such as resuscitation aids, monitoring aids, shelters and stretchers. Cold temperature related problems such as hypothermia and frostbite were covered in detail, and we also took part in lots of rescue and first aid scenarios during the week, including search and rescue attempts and evacuation exercises.

16th October 2009 - Team Training

2009-11-12T04:14:00.001-08:00

Friday night and i'm on my way to Dartmoor for a 10 day training session.....not sure what to expect as have very limited information but am sure it will help focus us all on what ahead.

7th October 2009 pm – Happy Ali

2009-11-12T04:13:00.003-08:00

Woohoooooooooo (much less down despite my cold!) now have Discover Unearthed foods on board as a sponsor! Simon and Gemma you are legends! I'm on a roll...........

7th October 2009 am – Grumpy Ali

2009-11-12T04:13:00.001-08:00

Feeling down as have a cold and don’t feel I can afford to miss training for a few days …..January feels so close and I'm still so far away from raising the money i need. Even using savings, selling my car etc will not reach my target - i need to start thinking about other options.

October 6th 2009

2009-11-12T04:12:00.001-08:00

Have manged to arrange a meeting with the Senior Brand manager of a well known product through work – I really hope they want to sponsor me it’d be great to feel my own company are behind me….

15th September 2009

2009-11-12T04:11:00.000-08:00

Got a response from British Militray Fitness today to say they get thousands of requests for sponsorship and they can't sponsor individuals so cant help but…..they think what I’m doing is great so have agreed to let me train with them for free - ££'s a month saved….it all adds up!

7th august 2009 - First Success!

2009-11-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

WOOOHOOOO great response for contacts and already some promise of cash! I've been promised a camera to take away on the trip and sponsorship for a patch on my jacket (Massive Thank you to Park Cameras and particulary Mark Robinson for his support) …..i feel I’m on the way!
Now just need to find some more...............

6th august 2009 - the hunt for sponsorship commences

2009-11-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

Finally starting to get contacts for sponsorship sorted – I really want to get started as soon as I can but the need for the coordinated approach is really slowing things down.The enormity of the task ahead is a bit soul destroying i'm trying to earn £22000 in the midddle of a credit crisis i'm terrified this isn't going to work but am silently now praying sponsorship is going to appear…

30th july 2009

2009-11-12T04:08:00.002-08:00

I've been enjoying the trips to the gym and have been fairly dedicated the last few weeks so have also just joined British Military Fitness to help keep me motivated and varying my excercise regime as it's important not to get into a rut.

9th July 2009

2009-11-12T04:08:00.001-08:00

Great start I have been to the gym and had a personal plan set up which lasts 7 weeks before it gets ramped up – quite excited about finally having a plan to follow although very concerned at my current level of fitness - think this is going to be tough!

5th July 2009 – Getting started

2009-11-12T04:04:00.000-08:00

This is the start of my blog and the journey that is leading me to the pole! I'm just back from holiday (British Lions rugby tour to South Africa!!) and now the only focus is the expedition. So much to do in what feels such little time. I've got to get fit and find £23000 in 5 months – agghhhh