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Tag: South Pole

  • First Icelander to reach it solo

    First Icelander to reach it solo

    Vilborg Arna Gissurardóttir practising before the journey

    Vilborg Arna Gissurardóttir yesterday became the first Icelander to walk to the South Pole alone and without assistance. Vilborg reached the pole last night after very hard conditions yesterday.

    She said that she was laughing and crying when she realized she was making her dream come true.

    She walked for 60 days, in total 1140km and celebrated by having potatoes and bacon on the Pole.

    She was raising money for the women’s clinic at the Icelandic national hospital and expects to dwell on the Pole over the weekend.

    Vilborg has a long journey home to Iceland where she is looking to rest after mental and physical hard work over the last two months, plus the years in preparation.

    Sources

    Mbl.is

    Vilborgs website

  • First Icelandic woman at the South Pole?

    First Icelandic woman at the South Pole?

    Vilborg Arna Gissurardóttir.

    An Icelandic woman starts her journey to the South Pole today. She intends to walk 1140 kilometers to be the first Icelandic women to reach the Pole.

    Vilborg Gissurardóttir will walk around 22 kilometers per day, carrying an initial 100 kg in the -40 conditions. She hopes to conclude her walk in 50 days.

    “I have always had a special relationship with nature. When I was a child what I wanted the most were hiking shoes.”

    She has worked as a tour guide in Iceland and last spring she walked over the Greenland glacier.

    “I like to travel alone, because of the freedom. I can go on my own speed, sleep when I am tired, eat when I am hungy and continue when you feel good! You also get to know yourself very well under these circumstances.”

    Vilborg is blogging, in Icelandic from the trip.

    She is also raising money for a good cause, for the women´s clinic at her local hospital.

    Bringing to the Pole:

    • Food and fuel (60 day supply)
    • Telecommunications (two satellite phones, iridium tracer, radio)
    • Tent, sleeping bag, two styrofoam matresses, one mattress)
    • Primus, thermus, water bottles and cutlery
    • Glacial outfits, including tools
    • Medicine kit
    • Tools for repair
    • Entertainment (iPod, books)

    Source:
    Morgunblaðið

  • Amazing 100 year old photos from Antarctica

    Amazing 100 year old photos from Antarctica

    A man with an ice mask

    As reported here on Arctic Portal today is 100 years since Roald Amundsen step foot on the South Pole, the first person to do so.

    At the State Library of South Wales amazing photographs from Antarctica, 100 years old, are stored.

    The pictures were taken by Frank Hurley in an Australian expedition in 1911. The pictures are diverse and range from landscape photos to pictures of humans. The expedition spent three years at the South Pole but did not go to the Pole itself.

    Its only around 200 years since Antarctica was first seen by humans and thr Australian expedition was one of the first to really explore the region.

    The photos are a unique source from the time  and can be seen here on this website.

    Radio operator Arthur Sawyer

  • 100 years from Amundsens South Pole trip

    100 years from Amundsens South Pole trip

    Amundsen on the Pole

    Today marks the 100 year anniversary of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen being the first person to reach the South Pole. Celebrations in Antarctica will last over a month.

    Norways foreign minister Jens Stoltenberg has travelled to Antarctica because of this occasion and has spent his time skiing around the pole and talking to people working on site.

    He also unveiled an ice sculpture of Amundsen. “This is one of the biggest achivements of mankind,” Stoltenberg stated.

    The plan is to welcome an expedition led by Vegard Ulvang, a six time Olympic medalist for cross country skiing which travelled the same route as Amundsen. The group has had a rough time and it is unclear if they will reach the south pole today.

    Amundsen famously beat Robert Scott to the pole by a few weeks, and the celebrations at Antarctica will continue until January, the date Scott reached the pole.

    With amundsen were Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, Olav Bjaaland og Oscar Wisting. They reached Antarctica in January, the same time as Scott. But their expedition was thought to be better organized, and they used dogsleds whilst Scott used horses.

    Click here to read about Amundsens trip.

    Source: Reuters

  • Fastest journey to Antarctica confirmed

    Fastest journey to Antarctica confirmed

    Antarctic arctic trucks

    Icelandic company Arctic Trucks announced today that a new world record of the fastest overland journey to the South Pole has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records.

    In December 2010 two Arctic Trucks vehicles crossed 2308km of the Antarctica High Plateau from Novolazarevskaya station (Novo) to the South Pole in 108 hours (4.5 days). The purpose-built AT Expedition vehicles, based around a Toyota Hilux platform, traveled at an average speed to South Pole of 21.4km/h and average fuel efficiency of 2.2km/per liter, with only a single refueling stop on the way.

    An unofficial improvement on the record itself was achieved for the return journey, which was faster still at only 3.5 days, averaging 27.5km/h. No comparable speed or fuel efficiency has ever been recorded for high plateau expeditions in Antarctica. Arctic Trucks built vehicles have now clocked over eighty thousand kilometers on the plateau, proving new benchmarks for speed, range, reliability and fuel efficiency for overland travel in this area.

    “This route to the South Pole is extremely challenging. Our vehicles are operating at altitudes up to almost 3500m, in ultra-low temperatures and in very difficult snow conditions. The vast distance is a challenge in itself, with up to 1500km between fuel depots. We are delighted to celebrate this new world record with the team, which also marks a growing recognition of the power of Arctic Trucks solutions for expedition use,” commented Emil Grímsson, Executive Chairman of Arctic Trucks.

    “There is a fast growing interest from customers who are looking to supplement slower, less fuel-efficient tracked vehicles with faster, lighter and cleaner vehicles. We have great respect for the fragility of Antarctica and our vehicles have opened up new possibilities for scientific research programs to operate more efficiently in this environment.”

    The two Arctic Trucks vehicles used for this round trip were both Arctic Trucks Expedition AT44 models. Arctic Trucks designs and builds these vehicles based around the Toyota Hilux 3.0 liter turbo diesel.

    The expedition was organized by the Kazakhstan National Geographic Society (KNGS) and The Antarctica Company (TAC). The core expedition team consisted of Konstantin Orlov and Stanislav Makarenko from KNGS, Andrey Myller from TAC and Hlynur Sigurðsson from Arctic Trucks.

    Four further expeditions to the South Pole using Arctic Trucks vehicles are planned for the season of 2011, three starting from Novo and one from Patriot Hills.

    Source: ArcticTrucks and Guiness World Records.