Longwood man Mike Dann to head Polar challenge
Mar 13 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner
They will also aim to repair a weather station at the Pole of Inaccessibility – which, as the name suggests, is the furthest point from the coast and 545 miles from the Pole.
Mr Dann said: “The first part of the assault on the world record sees each of us having to climb approximately 1,500m on to the Antarctic plateau, man-hauling around 250kg in kit and supplies – the equivalent of around three times their own body weight.
“These first ten days of the expedition will undoubtedly present us with one of our biggest challenges.
“We have man-hauled pulks weighing around 90kg 320 miles across the Arctic Ocean to the magnetic North Pole in 2006. However, the northern polar conditions are very different to those in the south.
“There are pressure ridges and areas of open water to negotiate in the north but no real ‘climbs’.
“Antarctica is very different; as a land mass the terrain is uneven and the first part of the traverse is almost exclusively uphill.
“Until we reach the Antarctic plateau, where we will be able to switch to kite-skiing to make rapid progress across the ice sheet, it will be hard graft.”
The men will use the pulks to carry all their supplies, including fuel, food, tents, clothing and other equipment.
“We’ve learned, crucially at this early stage, that we will have to use crampons to aid the climbing on anything but the shallowest gradients.
“We will also have to ensure that our training regime takes into account the tremendous workload our legs will have to endure and that they are properly tuned to maximum efficiency for uphill work.
“We have been training at Chill Factor, the real snow centre in Manchester, and are immensely grateful to Peter Hinde and his team for their generosity.”
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