north pole challenge 2014

Take part in this once in a lifetime challenge to the North Pole! In 1909 Robert Peary, his partner Matthew Henson, and four Inuit reached the North Pole. They were recognised as the first, although there is still controversy surrounding this claim, as some believe the men missed the North Pole by several miles. Following many further failed expeditions, by sled, balloon, airship and ship, the Pole was next witnessed in 1926, but it was 1948 before anyone actually stood there again. Travelling across the dynamic polar ice in temperatures that often fall below -35c, requires patience, determination and physical fitness, not to mention a flexible attitude to deal with the many obstacles that may crop up over the course of each day, and which make reaching the North Pole all the more satisfying. The goal of the challenge is to ski and haul your sledge (weighing around 50-60kgs) for around 8 hours per day, encountering many and varied challenges against a backdrop of breathtaking scenery. If conditions are good, your route will take you across large pans of flat ice that present few obstacles. When conditions are less favourable, you will have to manoeuvre around open water leads and over pressure ridges that can range from 1-5 meters in height. On your expedition you will really have to ‘muck in’. You will participate in all aspects of the expedition including hauling your own sledge packed with gear, setting up camp and cooking. This is all part of the challenge as you reach your goal - the Geographic North Pole! Only a select few make it each year. This is your chance to add your name to the short list of

adventurers who have made the ultimate journey to the top of the world!

Challenge Objective The overall objective of the challenge is to reach the North Pole. There are so many factors that can impact on the success of an Arctic challenge that the itinerary below is very much a guideline as to what we will aim to achieve. You have to be 100% flexible in your approach to the outcomes once you depart as much of the decision making will be out of your hands. If all goes well, you could have as much as 8 or 9 days on the ice. With poor weather, broken ice, injuries amongst the group, delayed flights from Barneo etc, you could be flown that much closer to the Pole and ski for fewer days. Training Your challenge includes an induction and training weekend where you will be sized for all thermal & polar clothing, Arctic boots, skis and sledge harnesses. You will leave the training weekend with your personal harness to train with, and the knowledge to empower you to prepare for the challenge ahead. For training, to simulate the

motion of pulling a sledge, you will drag a 4x4 car tyre on uneven ground using the harness. (29 March) Day 1 – International travel Meet at the airport for your flight to Longyearbyen, Norway. Our Charity Challenge representative will be there to assist you with the check-in and any last minute questions. Your indirect flight will journey via Tromso or Oslo where you may have to overnight depending on the flight schedules, and catch the connecting flight to Longyearbyen the following day. (02 April) Day 5 – Fly to Barneo Ice Camp Today you will take your flight (weather permitting) to Barneo Ice Camp. Camp Barneo is an ice drift base normally situated about 60 miles from the North Pole, first established in 1993. Because of the constant moving ice on the Arctic Ocean, Barneo has to be rebuilt from scratch each year so the location is not confirmed until it is successfully set up. If you cannot fly to Barneo Ice Camp today, you will remain for another night in Longyearbyen. (30 March) Day 2 – Arrive at Longyearbyen After clearing customs in Norway, you will transfer through to Longyearbyen on the Archipelago of Svalbard, a remote, yet modern village situated well above the Arctic Circle at 78 degrees north. On arrival you will transfer to your guesthouse, located about 15 minutes walk from the town centre and adjacent to your polar training area. The rest of the day will be spent sorting out equipment, having briefing and fitting skiing kit ready for the upcoming challenge. (31 March & 01 April) Days 3 & 4 - Training, kit prep, briefings in Lonyearbyen. The next two days will be spent on a short training trips into the surrounding wilderness. This will involve perfecting your skiing technique with your pulks and kit and practicing as a team, setting up camp and using the cooking facilities. You will also take this time to become familiar with all of your equipment, the cold temperatures and the terrain. Once you have become familiar with the routines involved with polar expeditions you will have a final preparation back at the guesthouse for your flight to Camp Barneo the next day (or take an earlier domestic flight to Barneo Ice Camp – the flight schedule will be determined on the ground and according to prevailing conditions). Later on Day 4 you will conduct a debrief and pose some questions to your team on the challenge ahead. Dinner will be taken in town. Overnight at the guesthouse.

(03 April) Day 6 – Fly to Barneo Ice Camp or Begin your Polar Challenge Fly to Barneo Ice Camp (or you may already be there). Today you will prepare your sledges for the helicopter and load the helicopter. Your team will be dropped at the start point which will be decided upon at the sole discretion of the expedition leader after a full briefing from the Barneo team, and taking into account factors such as ice drift, open areas of water called leads, the present climate, strength of the group, expected weather, flight schedules and Base Camp logistics. Should these factors be deemed prohibitive you will begin your challenge closer to the North Pole.

You will begin skiing and dragging the sledges north. You will be well escorted by two head guides. For reasons of safety and the sharing of knowledge about the ice conditions, both guides

will discuss the routes and tactics for the day. This evening you will set up your first ice camp in the frozen Arctic.

The evening routine will last around three hours and we would aim to get around 8 hours sleep per night. On reaching the North Pole you will erect your tents and wait for the helicopter to pick up the group giving you adequate time for celebration photos! If the weather is poor, you could find yourself sleeping overnight at the Pole and waiting for the weather to improve. You will return to Barneo Ice Camp and potentially take an immediate flight back to Longyearbyen, weather depending, and subject to the schedule and logistical demands of the Antenov plane that will take you.

(04 - 11 April) Day 7 - 14 – The Polar Expedition For anywhere up to the next eight days you will ski and sledge all the way to North Pole! You will complete around 8 hours of ice travel per day plus approximately 3 hours to set up camp, melt snow for drinking and evening meals plus preparation for the next day’s trek north.

On the final evening of your trek you will enjoy a special celebration dinner with your team. Overnight at a hotel.

A typical day will start with you melting ice for hot drinks porridge and filling of thermos flasks for the day, preparing your personal sledges for a day’s travel and checking the team are in good shape. The morning breakfast routine will take approximately three hours. We will then head north walking for an hour at a time then stopping for 5 – 10 minutes to eat and drink rest the legs and check the team members to make sure all is ok. We will repeat the hour walk then rest routine for up to 8 hours a day working our way north around frozen and open leads over ice rubble and pressure ridges and across flat pans of Arctic ice. At the end of the days’ walk the guides will look and choose a suitable place to pitch camp for the evening. The team will then erect the ice camp dig the tents in and secure the tents in case of strong winds during the night.

(12 April) Day 15 – Contingency day This day may be used for extra time on the ice. e.g in the event of negative drift, late start to the programme etc. Should you be in Longyearbyen for this day then there are some great activities you could take part in such as dog sledding, skidoo hire, museum visit etc (subject to availability and at an additional cost). Overnight at a hotel. (13 April) Day 16 – Contingency day or fly to the UK arriving late afternoon After a final group breakfast you will transfer to the airport for your return flight arriving back in the UK later the same day.

Then the group will melt ice and prepare the evening meals and hot drinks for the team. During the evening and once we are settled in the tents we will make contact with base camp and check in sending our current location and condition, write diaries check any medical conditions, speak to families and generally relax and rest ready for the following day’s walk.

N.B. The itinerary is there as a guide and almost certainly will change due to all of the above mentioned factors. The expedition on the ice may be affected by the strength of the group and geographical challenges once en route to the Pole. We will do our very best to keep to the general itinerary; however we cannot be held responsible for any last minute changes that might occur and we fully expect such changes to take place. In all such circumstances, your challenge leader will have the final say.

4. The whole challenge takes place on the frozen ice on top of the Arctic Ocean. The ocean ice pack is moving and the ice can and does crack causing open leads and pressure ridges. 5. A moving ice pack has implications for journey times. If it moves in your favour (towards the North pole), you will have to walk less distance to reach the Pole. If it moves against you, you can go to sleep and wake up to find yourself with a few hours walk just to get back to where you were the night before. Important additional information For over a decade Charity Challenge has been successfully running challenges across more than 30 countries worldwide in some incredibly wild and remote locations. As such, we have identified and put in place a number of measures to best manage our North Pole challenges and the many potential issues that have an immediate knock-on effect for the day-to-day logistics involved. The following information is intended to better inform you of the environment in which the challenge will take place, and also some of the extra measures that we have put in place to manage any changes that need to be made to the itinerary. The information also gives you an indication of the additional costs you will incur in the event of an extended delay or change to your North Pole expedition, or early departure from the ice. please read very carefully … Please read the following information in full and ask any questions that you may have. If you are not 100% prepared to accept the nature of the challenge environment and the points clearly detailed below, please do not book on to the challenge. background 1. The North Pole trek takes place in one of the last true wildernesses in the World. 2. Temperatures centigrade.

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3. The essential Barneo Ice Camp and runway is only set up for one month of the year (April) and this is when we have the very narrow window of opportunity to trek/ski to the Geographic North Pole.

6. The Barneo base camp is set up by first airlifting a bulldozer on to the ice, creating a runway, landing a plane with the equipment and building a base camp for the duration of the one month North Pole season. Issues with poor weather, mainly visibility for the helicopter to make the initial drop, or for the plane to land at any point, can delay flights on to the ice to start the challenge. Even once the base camp is set up, the runway can crack and have to be repaired or relocated. 7. Despite many years of setting up and dismantling the Barneo Ice Camp, each year presents new challenges and so the camp operators absolutely reserve the right to make schedule and logistical changes at a moments notice, even when you are airborne en route to or from the ice. Implications All of the above means that even before the ski challenge itself begins, there can be major delays and changes to the programme. We will make the reasonably necessary changes to the programme and will at our discretion incur the expense involved for the first two nights of any additional accommodation and meals in Longyearbyen that need to be arranged. (Longyearbyen is the town from where you catch the flight that takes you on to the ice; and it is to Longyearbyen that you return to after your expedition to the North Pole.) If delays mean that you have to stay in Longyearbyen for more than two additional nights, this will be at your expense (food and accommodation). We shall also (conditions permitting) try to mitigate any costs and enhance your experience of the polar conditions by taking a training expedition to ski out of Longyearbyen and camp out overnight, should the delays be before the flight to the polar ice cap. This will also help with the pre-expedition training and preparations. Any flight changes to accommodate delays or early departure will be at your expense. A standard flight

change with the same booking class is approx £60 per sector. Once on the ice, your progress will depend on the weather conditions, the physical state of the group, the technical and logistical demands of Barneo, whether the ice is flat or broken up, whether you encounter any leads (breaks in the ice) or polar bears. There are so many variables that you absolutely must be prepared for any changes and delays that might occur. Weather can also delay the flight home, or your return from the ice cap may have to be delayed. Again any additional hotel and meal costs over and above the two extra days, we have agreed to fund, will be to your own account. We strongly advise you to ensure your diary is free of any important meetings or events for at least four days after the planned return to the UK in case we do have to delay your return flights. If you are on the ice and we need to amend the return date by up to four days, we will do so to enable the challenge to continue without checking with each individual (as this may be difficult to do once the challenge has begun). Please note that this is also subject to also being able to extend the internal flights from Barneo to Longyearbyen which are at the absolute sole discretion of the Barneo camp operators, and subject to availability of alternative dates with the international carrier.

Please do note that our standard itinerary does already include contingency days and this information document and supplementary conditions are to inform you of what we have planned and what costs you should expect if your North Pole expedition is extended beyond those contingency days. your acknowledgement implications

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1. I hereby acknowledge that I have read and understood and agree fully all the information and conditions as set out in this document. 2. I hereby understand that I have booked this challenge with Charity Challenge and consent to their booking conditions and these conditions which I agree shall be incorporated into and form part of my agreement with Charity Challenge." 3. I hereby acknowledge and understand that the operation of the North Pole challenge is incredibly unpredictable and accept that there are circumstances where I could be denied from even starting the challenge if for example, the base camp cannot be established or flights cannot land on the ice due to poor weather.

4. I acknowledge that such situations are out of Charity Challenge’s control and that I will not be entitled to a refund of costs if the challenge cannot take place. 5. I acknowledge and agree that Charity Challenge may, if it is considered necessary to enable the challenge to continue successfully, delay my return flight by up to a maximum of 4 days once the challenge has begun. I note that Charity Challenge will try to advise me if this is necessary but will not need to check for my permission to do so. The above notes are also contained in and form a part of your booking terms and conditions.