Sponsored by
Ice warrior targeting world first in polar exploration
PULLING a sledge in darkness towards the unknown would terrify many people, but one Leeds man is relishing the challenge of trying to reach an area no other polar explorer has conquered.
Phil Thompson, 32, and his colleagues will travel more than 750 miles from the northern shores of Canada to the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility – something never been reached before and which has been described as the "last true world first in polar exploration".
Mr Thompson said: "If you are going to do something you may as well do something that's a world first or do something that you would not expect to do.
"It's a strange British thing if there's somewhere that nobody has been before it's either us or the Norwegians that tend to get there.
"You have to be a bit silly, I think, to do it," he joked.
Team members will be pitting themselves against the elements, travelling across the snow and ice on skis and pulling their belongings and supplies in a sledge weighing as much as their own bodyweight.
Temperatures will average around minus 40 before wind chill is taken into account and could fall as low as minus 60, and they could be on their feet for 14 hours, at times in very little light.
At the start of the trip it will still be winter and during this time team members will have to cope with long, dark days. As the trip progresses and the seasons change they are likely to see some sunlight, however.
Mr Thompson, a business analyst with a utility company who lives in Roundhay, Leeds, said: "It does mean that the first leg will be the hardest."
He was asked to take part in the Ice Warrior adventure after being picked for a previous Ice Warrior challenge, which was later cancelled.
The trip, as well as attempting to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility – the farthest point from any coastline or the very centre of the Arctic Ocean – also aims to highlight climate change by showing the impact on the region and collecting important data for scientists to study.
The Northern Pole of Inaccessibility was first established in 1927 by Sir Hubert Wilkins by aircraft but has been recently re-positioned by scientists.
More than 20 people are due to take part in the expedition, expected to take 90 days. They will cover the distance in relay legs, with the option of individuals being able to sit out a leg.
Throughout the journey a portable stove will be vital to ensuring their safety. It will keep them warm in their tents, heat food and melt snow for drinking water.
"I am a bit worried about frostbite, I guess, that sort of thing, because it makes you a bit useless because you cannot operate the stove or do any other work," Mr Thompson said.
Avoiding treacherous thin ice or crevices will be crucial and at times the team expects to have to either canoe or swim across water.
Mr Thompson, a former ski instructor who was brought up in Ripon and attended St Aidan's School, in Harrogate, enjoys mountaineering and hill walking but says the trek, which begins at the start of February, will set him new challenges.
He has previously been on an expedition to Greenland with the Territorial Army, but it was in the summer months and Mr Thompson is aware that this time the temperatures will be so much lower.
He has just completed a training course in Dartmoor learning navigation and other skills.
The team will set off in January next year , setting up an Arctic training camp, when Mr Thompson will get his first real taste of the extreme polar conditions.
A few weeks later, in February, the team will then make their way to Resolute Bay, northern Canada, to begin their journey of a lifetime.
Anyone interested in sponsoring Mr Thompson can email him at phil.thompson@ ice-warrior.com
Mission aims to study climate
An important part of the Ice Warrior trip will be to collect data about climate change and its impact on the ocean.
The arctic is seen as an important indicator of the potentially catastrophic changes if the planet warms.
Arctic sea ice is decreasing, a situation which has accelerated in recent years.
Recent research suggests ice cover decline is far faster than previously forecast. The arctic may become ice free within the next two to three decades.
The Northern Pole of Inaccessibility is over 200 miles further than the Geographic North Pole.
The frozen area of the Arctic Ocean has reduced by over 3 per cent every 10 years.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Rival chips in with £500,000 to restore the original Harry Ramsden’s
- SportsTalk: Leeds United’s manager search, Super League and Calcutta Cup
- Visit from Princess as Serbian culture celebrated
- Strategic review will lead to job losses at Yorkshire Bank
- NHS spends £20m a year on translators and interpreters
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -5 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
