Gee, but he’s good this guy!
Published on 05.12.2008 - Expedition Earth
After 22 days out on the ice, Todd Carmichael is just 23 miles or 42.5 km from breaking the speed record for this route.
Feeling good mentally as well as physically, the young American is moving indefatigably ever closer to his goal. When conditions are good, he tries to do as many kilometres as he can; and when they're bad, he keeps going for as long as possible so that his average does not fall too much.
From 27th-29th November, despite zero visibility, he still managed to plod on, 13 hours a day, covering 31.5 km per day on average. And remember that because he had problems with his boots, Todd decided to walk rather than ski. "Having said that, with terrain like I'm crossing at the moment and with the visibility the way it is, I'm sure that I can move more quickly walking than skiing because you're more agile on your feet," he tells us.
For the following three days, it was the wind that made progress awkward for the solo explorer. The wind may send the clouds scudding away and bring back visibility, but it's a struggle to make any headway.
On 3rd December, with the weather ideal, Todd beat his own record with 42.8 km in a single day. That evening, he set up camp just 2 km from 85 degrees south, which marks the halfway point on his route to the Pole.
Barely 9 days ago, Todd Carmichael was 43 nautical miles or 79.6 km from beating the speed record for this route. Today he is just 42.5 km from it ... things are beginning to get very exciting!
