The PolarIce expedition ventures into and crosses one of the most inhospitable environments on this planet. The aim of the team is to complete the longest trans-Antarctic expedition ever undertaken and to be the first men to take in both the South Pole and the Pole of Inaccessibility in one trip. Success means not only completing the trip but also returning to the UK with all our enthusiasm and digits intact. Training to ensure our safety, and prevent accidents, is therefore of paramount importance. There are 3 strands to the training that PolarIce will do to prepare for the event to ensure the safety of the team:
The approach from Novolazarevskaya up onto the Antarctic ice cap is a long and treacherous one. We will be climbing heavily crevassed glaciers (over 1500m in height gain) over a period of around ten days. So it's just as important for the team to learn to travel safely over this terrain as it is to learn how to travel at speed using kites across the plateau.
Although some of the team have some experience in this area, we spent a week in Chamonix in early 2009; lots of fun but it had a serious side: 2 days of avalanche and crevasse training with an Alpine guide.
In June, PolarIce were introduced to Sergei and his company, Lostboys Kiteboarding. Sergei is an incredibly chilled out, patient, and knowledgeable kiteboarding instructor. He listened to what we said we were going to do, and far from calling the police, agreed to be our kite coach and advisor. In our first weekend with him in Hunstanton, Norfolk, despite 5mph winds (pathetic), we came away convinced that the meaning of life lies in kites.
We're definitely doing this the right way.
All the gear and all the planning in the world will be worth nothing if we are not physically capable of achieving the goals we have set ourselves. It's not a case of doing just enough to get by out there either. The more of a strain our efforts are, the more there is that requires our effort. The more we have to struggle to cover 100 miles, the longer that 100 miles takes, and therefore the more energy we must exert. It's an exponential curve.
The team will, over the course of a 9 month build up, undergo a rigourous training programme that will leave them as fit for task as is humanly possible. This does not mean we're all going to be supreme athletes, each hitting the 2 hour mark on Marathons; but it does mean that few people are going to have bodies better able to cope with kite-skiing across the Antarctic and taking on our high-octane diet.
One of the key issues the team need to prepare for is spending over 2 months with only each other to rely on in one of the harshest environments on the planet. Tasks that are simple in the UK can become time consuming and difficult at minus 45 Deg C wearing 2 pairs of gloves. To prepare for the environment the team therefore need to organise camp/tent routines and learn to check each other regularly for signs of cold injuries to minimise potential problems.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't take a long time to acclimatise to Antarctic conditions. One cold bath a night for the ten days before we get out there will acclimatise our bodies just as much as it is possible for them to be. Alternatively, we could just consider our 2 weeks preparing kit at Novo as our acclimatisation period... cold baths optional!