The First Unsupported, Unassisted American Expedition to the North Pole
- When is the expedition?
- The expedition begins on March 1, 2009, ends approximately April 26, 2009
- How long is the trip?
- We will be on the ice for 55 days and away from home for 3 months.
- We'll ski and snowshoe 475 direct-line miles to the North Pole. However, since the sea-ice on which we travel is moving and requires a skier to endlessly zig-zag around blocks of ice and open water, we could end up skiing over 525 miles.
- How cold will it be?
- At the start of the expedition, March 1, there will be very little light. The sky will be dusky and the temperature could dip to -50°F or colder. We expect to see the actual sun for the first time on March 6 or 7. From that date the daylight increases by roughly 45 minutes each day, and the temperatures increase with the light. By the end of the expedition temperatures could reach above 0°F or warmer. We are most comfortable skiing at -20°F or so. At this temperature we don't sweat too much, our sleds glide well and sleeping is very comfortable in the tent.
- Why are you doing this?
- Challenges such as this force us to grow, be fiercely optimistic and fully engage life. We see a lot of value in pushing our selves to greater mental and physical capacities.
- We are doing this to raise funds and awareness for CaringBridge. CaringBridge.org offers free personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery. To support families worldwide click here (link to FG donation page). http://www.firstgiving.com/northpole09
- We really love to ski and go winter camping!
- Who is your media contact?
- Jack Klobucar
For Forward Expeditions
952-925-9566 office
952-292-8331 mobile
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- Where do you start?
- Ward Hunt Island, Nunavut Territory. This is the northern most point of North America, it is located in the extreme northeast of the Canadian Arctic. N83° 05' W74°10'
- What do you eat?
- We each eat over 7000 calories per day.
- Breakfast:
- Cracker with coconut butter, macadamia nut butter and vitamin spread
- Pemmican (dried meet, fat, fruit, veggies and spices) stew over instant rice and mixed with freeze-dried cheese, whole milk powder and a sugar
- Lunch (eaten all day by snacking)
- Butter, deep-fried bacon, macadamia, brazil and pecan nuts, fudge (truffle) bars
- Dinner
- Pemmican over instant noodles mixed with freeze-dried cheese and cream sauce.
- Will you see any polar bears?
- Polar bear encounters are very rare on our route, but an encounter is possible. The farther away form land we travel the less likely we are to see a polar bear.
- What happens if.....(insert minor tragedy.. such as, break a ski, break a leg etc)?
- If equipment breaks we have to be resourceful and keep moving. Solving such problems can be one of the fun parts of an expedition. If we are injured and unable to continue we can use our satellite phone to call for an extraction by airplane.
- How do you communicate to the outside world?
- We bring two satellite telephones. Through these we are able to send text messages, short emails and small photos. This is how we update our website. We also carry a Personal Locator Beacon that sends a signal to rescue services in the case of an extreme emergency.
- How much will your sleds weigh?
- What happens when you get to the North Pole?
- We celebrate and stop skiing!
- A Russian aircraft flown out of the temporary ice base of Barneo (positioned roughly 100 miles from the pole), will pick us up. From there we fly to Svalbard, Norway, on to Oslo, Norway and then back to the states. An excellent map of these flights can be seen here.
- What is your typical day like?
- Our schedule is very similar to a normal working day. Up at 6 am, skiing by 8am or so, then 9 to 10 hours of travel with a break every 90 minutes. We then set up camp, cook dinner, dry our socks and mittens, write our journal entries and hopefully go to bed by 10pm.
- Do you get bored?
- Yes, but we doing everything in our power to keep from getting bored. Mostly this is a mental challenge in which we never let our minds tell us that we are bored, instead we try our utmost to entertain ourselves with memories, plans for the future, games, lists or best of all thinking of almost nothing.
- How do you shower?
- We'll shower on April 26 when we fly into Svalbard after the expedition.
- Skiing to the North Pole and living for two months in the Arctic Ocean is way more important to us than showering. Sure we end up smelling a little bit, snow baths help, so does a bit of scrubbing with a small cloth.
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