Unfortunate news has reached us from the Arctic. Another participant in the push to the North Pole has been forced to finish early. Solo skier Yasu Ogita’s expedition has come to an end, due to dwindling supplies. That leaves just one team remaining, that of Ryan Waters and Eric Larsen. A distance of over 200km remains between them and their goal. Meanwhile, Bernice Notenboom, Eric Philips and Martin Hartley – the Expedition Hope team – are in the process of covering the 600 mile distance the other way, between the North Pole to Canada. It’s day seventeen on the Greenland Ice Expedition. An epic attempt to kite-ski over 5000km, in order to circumnavigate Greenland. It is expected to take the two polar explorers, Dixie Dansercoer & Eric McNair-Landry, eighty days to complete the expedition.
Sea kayaker Aleksander Doba has completed a 5,400-mile crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. A journey that began in Lisbon, Portugal on October 5th, and ended in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The 67-year-old successfully navigated his 23-foot yellow kayak OLO into the record books. Another expedition to come to a successful finish this week is Dave Cornthwaite’s 1,000 mile crossing of the Atacama Desert on a Whike, alongside Ned Aufenast and Jamie Fulbrook. The challenge is the ninth journey to fall under his Expedition1000 umbrella. The tenth expedition is set to begin on the 28th of April where Cornthwaite will cover a distance of 1000 miles on an ICE Trikes Sprint. The journey is expected to last two weeks, with the route itself being determined by social media interaction.
An upcoming summer expedition to watch out for is The Alpine Coast to Coast. A challenge taken on by Charley and Sophie Radcliffe to cycle the eight Alpine countries and climb their highest mountains. The challenge encompasses a distance of 1,653 kilometres with 51,016 metres of ascent, through Slovenia, Austria, Leichenstein, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France and finally finishing up in Monaco. Closer to home, a team is currently preparing for the Beeline Britain Challenge, an expedition which kicks off in May to complete the first ever attempt at a straight-line ‘beeline’ journey between Land’s End and John O’Groats. The team of four will use several methods of non motorised transport to make the journey north, including; two tandem sea kayaks, road bikes, mountain bikes and on foot. The team consists of Nick Beighton, Tori James, Adam Harmer, and Ian O’Grady. The unique journey is expected to take just eighteen days to complete.
And finally, an upcoming event to squeeze into your diaries. The Royal Geographical Society will host a conversation between The Ice Warrior Jim McNeill and Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The event will take place on the 16th July, so get your tickets here.
Written by Orla O’Muiri | Photo © Greenland Ice Expedition