Rotten weather…
Published on 17.12.2007 - Beyond Endurance
Like all of the expeditions currently underway, the group led by Pat Falvey has experienced some really tough days on account of heavy snow and white-out conditions...
As Falvey wrote in his log on 15th December: "62 expeditions â most of them in the polar regions â and I have never known weather like this!..."
In fact, it's the worst possible combination of foul weather â and all of the expeditions are currently enduring these conditions during this southern summer season 2007-08: white-out and fine powdery snow that keeps on falling for days on end...
It's hard to imagine what it is like out there in this perfect blend of terrible weather: struggling through white-out conditions is like being on another planet, lost in some sort of milky way. If you add to that the thick, impenetrable white curtain of ceaseless fine snow, you get just about the worst imaginable weather type combination. Then there's the problem of lack of progress: not only because the terrain is difficult, but also because this type of weather weighs heavily on everyone's morale.
On the morning of 16th December, a short-lived blue sky came to boost the spirits of the troops. But a few hours later, at the beginning of the afternoon, the white-out returned, plunging Falvey's men into a situation of zero visibility, with no bearings to help them on their way.
Having said that, they have still managed to cover 696 km since they left. They only have another 438 km to go before they reach the Pole.
