Still plenty of storms along the way…
Published on 06.01.2009 - SouthPole Quest
The trio led by Richard Weber is having to put up with storm after storm. And white-out after white-out. Yet despite the conditions, by 5th January they were already 11 kilometres beyond 89 degrees South.
Everyone knows that Canadian Weber is one of the best-known and most respected polar explorers in the world. He has dozens of expeditions guiding clients and other trips to his credit and he doubtless knows both the Arctic and the Antarctic as well as anyone. Yet despite all Richard's vast experience in exploring the polar regions over thirty years, he is saying that the white-out conditions and weather encountered by the team he is guiding this season in the Antarctic, are the worst he has ever known.
But for all that, the three men continue to make headway against the elements. On 4th January they had their own minor triumph when, for the first time since setting out from Patriot Hills, they covered an entire degree of latitude (88 degrees South in this particular case) in just three days. On each of those three days, they advanced 20 nautical miles, or 37 kilometres. We should point out again that one of the men on this adventure is the ultra-marathon runner, Ray Zahab, and he is walking, not skiing.
By 5th January they were already 11 kilometres beyond 89 degrees South and are confident of reaching the Pole in under three days.
