600 kil in 11 days : possible or not ?
Published on 08.01.2012 - The South Pole Jubilee Expedition
They'll need winf to arrive at Union Glacier ALE base camp on time
© Expedition website
Of course on the return trip SP > Hercules Inlet, things look easier : in general, expedtioners have better winds, milder temperatures and descending itinerary. But the distance remains though.
That's exactly what the four people guided by Christian Eide are thinking : if helped by the wind they will surely be able to reach Hercules Inlet on time -before 26 January. Like they did on 3 January -100 kil in one day (not bad at all for non professionnals).
But if ever they have to ski all the way through, the remaining distance becomes quite another story. On 7 January, they have 600 kil in front of them to reach Hercules Inlet. In addition, they have only one kite left capable to be lifted by poor wind conditiions.
So what happens ? On 7 January, a day of almost no wind, two men used this only kite left to progress and tow the sledges of the all group, leaving the other people with their skis on the ice. Total done : 33 kilometers. It's a fairly good way to progress as fast as possible with poor wind conditions. But stil it does not remains suifficient to do the rest of the voyage on skis.
