Kiting and Ice Sailing in Michigan

I spent most of last week on Michigan's Upper Peninsula where I had the opportunity to play in the cold and snow for a few days. As someone who grew up in that kind of climate, but now lives in a warm weather state, I always appreciate getting the chance to enjoy some winter activities. While there, I was able to ride a snowmobile through secluded backcountry and go snowshoeing on more than one occasion. But I also had the chance to spend a few days at the World Ice and Snow Sailing Association (WISSA) Championship, an experience I wrote about today at Gadling.com.

The event was a week-long affair that featured athletes from around the world coming to St. Ignace, Michigan to race on a small, frozen body of water called Chain Lake. Those athletes used a variety of wings, sails, and kites to propel them across the ice, sometimes at amazing speeds. Watching the top competitors harness the wind currents to generate momentum was nothing short of impressive and it was surprising how nimble and agile they were even at top speeds.

Of most interest to me were the kiters. Over the years, I've read and written my fair share of stories about how polar explorers have used kites to help propel them across some of the more remote places on our planet. While I always had a good understanding of how that worked, actually watching them in action was a great experience. I spoke to one of the competitors who told me that he routinely hit speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour on his home ice and has even set some unofficial speed records in the process. He let me hold on to his kite while it was in flight and the power that it generated was amazing. Steering the thing was no easy task either as it only required a few subtle movements of the wrist to adjust direction. For the inexperienced, like myself, it only took a few subtle movements to send the kite crashing into the ground as well.

While it was clear that the big kites were the best option for all-out speed, some of the other competitors preferred something that was a bit more agile on the ice. Those athletes gravitated towards the wings, which resemble a small paraglider, or a sailboard which look like the sailboards you would find on any beach save for the addition of skis attached to the bottom to help facilitate movement. Those different types of wind propulsion methods put the competitors into different race categories, but watching them all out on the ice was a bit like watching organized chaos at times. Each racer had his or her own individual approach to capturing the wind with some accelerating more quickly, while others were more capable at maneuvering across the slick surface.

As I mention in the Gadling article, one of the things that impressed me the most about the WISSA Championship is how close each of the competitors are with one another. In a way it felt like they were one big family who had gotten together for a little winter fun and the small, closely knit community reminded me of something that I'd see at an adventure race. Everyone was helping each other out, offering equipment to replace broken or damaged parts, sharing tips and insights on how to go faster, and generally having a good time. It was fun to be a part of that atmosphere even if it was just for a few days.

The WISSA Championship will go back to Finland next year, but the dedicated crew in Michigan that helped bring the event to North America for the first time hopes to continue hosting similar events in the future. The want to build a larger audience for the sport and attract a larger following moving forward. Hopefully they'll be successful as it was a lot of fun to take part in.

To plan your own adventures in Michigan be sure to visit Michigan.org.

Antarctica 2011: Dixie and Sam Are Heading Home, Antarctic Season Nearly Over

Last week we watched as the last ALE flight picked up Antarctic explorers from Union Glacier, leaving just one team out on the ice. That was kite-skiers Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour, who had recently set a new record for the longest unsupported journey across the frozen continent. Last Friday, the boys decided to pull the plug on their expedition as well, and while they're still waiting for flight out, they are now more than ready to head home.

According to updates on their website, Sam and Dixie are currently camped at a great location for a plane to land and retrieve them from the ice. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't all that cooperative over the weekend, so they were forced to hang out in their tent and await extraction. That is expected to change in the next day or so, and as I write this, the two men may already be on their way out of Antarctica.

As it stands now, the official numbers for the expedition are 68 days of travel (they're now at 78 days total time) covering 5013km (3114 miles). They averaged about 68km/day at an average altitude of about 3147 meters (10,324 ft).  Oh, and the average temperature while in the Antarctic? A balmy -30.4ºC/-22.7ºF.

Hopefully Dixie and Sam will be on their way to warmer climes soon. When you consider they had an aborted start to their expedition way back in November, you realize that they've been in the Antarctic for nearly three months now, and that is long enough for just about anyone. Job well done boys. Now get home safe.

Antarctica 2011: Cas and Jonesy Off The Ice

After spending more than three months out on the ice, Aussies Cas and Jonesy, as well as Norwegian skier Aleksander Gamme, have now left Antarctica and are safely back in Chile. The three men completed their expeditions late last week, and have been waiting for a pick-up ever since, but bad weather and treacherous conditions left them sitting at ALE's Union Glacier Camp for several extra days. Now, they're back in Chile, enjoying a comfortable bed and warmer weather, before making their way back home.

The news of their departure from Antarctica means that only Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour remain on the continent, continuing their epic journey by kite-ski. They've now been out on the ice for 72 days and have covered more than 5000km (3106 miles) and aren't ready to leave yet. How exactly they'll be getting out from Antarctica remains to be seen however, as they plan to end their expedition at the Novo Station, which they'll reach by skiing across the Lazarev Ice Shelf. The last plane from Novo, a Russian research base, is scheduled for February 28th, but according to ExWeb, that flight is completely full. That means Dixie and Sam will need to catch an earlier flight, but exactly when they'll be leaving has yet to be decided. Stay tuned for updates.

It has been an amazing season in the Antarctic. Not only have we seen our first two successful unsupported expeditions from Hercules to the South Pole and back, but we've also had Felicity Aston's solo traverse of the continent and Dixie and Sam's distance record. All in all, it has been a very successful year for explorers at the bottom of the world. We'll see if the North Polar season can rebound from last year and have a similar level of success.

Antarctica 2011: Still Waiting For A Lift

The Antarctic season was suppose to be all but over by now, but bad weather is keeping ALE's planes grounded in Punta Arenas and leaving the last of the explorers stranded out on the ice. That meant that Cas and Jonesy, along with Aleksander Gamme, had to spend the weekend at the Union Glacier camp, where they at least had the opportunity to enjoy a few creature comforts while they wait for their lift home.

Union Glacier is actually the site of ALE's base of operations on the continent, and as a result, there is a small, but busting community there this time of year. That meant that not only did the boys receive a hot shower, they're also getting better meals and warmer tents to stay in. All that said, they are anxious to start their journey for home, but the next attempt at picking them up won't come until tomorrow, January 31st. If conditions improve, they should be on their way back to Chile at that point, then home to Australia and Norway shortly there after.

As you can imagine, it has been a huge relief for the three men to have completed their individual expeditions. No one has ever skied from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, and back again, completely unsupported. But now, both Cas and Jonesy and Aleksander have made that journey. It wasn't easy, and they suffered greatly at times, but now it is done and they all have a huge sense of satisfaction over having  reached their goal.

Once they do leave the Antarctic, there will be just one team remaining. Kite-skiers Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour have now been out on the ice for 70 days and are still going strong. Today they have established a new record for covering the most distance on a non-motorized, unsupported expedition across Antarctic. Dixie and Sam have now traveled 4829km (3000 miles), and they aren't done yet. They plan to keep skiing for a few more weeks, well into February, before calling it quits and heading home. That means they not only meant to break the record (set by Norwegian Rune Gjeldnes in 2006), they want to set a new one that will be almost completely out of reach. Considering they're knocking off more than 100km (62 miles) per day, that shouldn't be a problem for them.

I'll continue to post updates on Dixie and Sam's progress until they're done. The season is almost over, but they intend to drag it out for a bit longer.

Antarctica 2011: Johan Ernst Nilson Reaches Second Pole

One of the bigger adventures of the past year came to an end last week when Swedish adventurer Johan Ernst Nilson reached the South Pole. That point marked the final destination of his Pole2Pole expedition, which began last spring when he set out from the North Pole and began traveling south.

The initial plan was for Nilson to make the journey completely without the use of motorized vehicles, going on skis from the North Pole to Greenland for instance, then employing dogsleds to reach the coast and sailing the northern Atlantic to Canada. He ended up skiing directly to Canada instead, and once there, he began riding his bike towards South America, where he had hoped to arriving in Punta Arenas in time for the Antarctic season. With the cycling leg behind him, he would then sail across the Southern Ocean, to Antarctica, and kite-ski to the Pole.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to travel as fast as he would like and that plan didn't come together completely. The bike ride took longer than Nilson expected, and as a result, he had to abandon his two-wheeled transportation and fly to the Antarctic in order to take advantage of the weather window that comes with the austral summer. Once on the ice, he did kite to the Pole, but it was a tough go that left him injured with a couple of broken ribs that must have been incredibly painful

Now, Nilson will return to South America and after a brief rest, get back on his bike and continue his ride to Punta Arenas. Once there, he still intends to sail to Antarctica, which would allow him to finish the expedition in the manner that he had started, just with a slight detour along the way. He hopes to accomplish this goal by early April, which would mean that he truly has gone from Pole2Pole in a single year.

Antarctica 2011: Weber Team Finishes Expedition

With now just a little over a week to go in the current Antarctic season, more teams are finishing off their expeditions and preparing to head home. One of those teams was led by polar legend Richard Weber, who took a group to the South Pole a few weeks back and had been kite-skiing back to Hercules ever since. They managed to reach their destination yesterday, but not without some very long and challenging days on the ice.

The team traveled for several days in near whiteout conditions and covered large distances over the last two days of their journey, before arriving at Hercules Inlet yesterday. On Monday of this week, the group covered 200km (124 miles) alone, and followed that up with another 150km (93 miles) to the finish line yesterday. They are reportedly, and understandably exhausted, as their entire expedition covered more than 2000km (1242 miles). Now, they'll have some time to rest, as they wait to be picked-up and flown back to Punta Arenas.

Meanwhile, another pair of kite-skiers, Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour, have now spent more than 58 days out on the ice and have covered more than 3565km (2215 miles) themselves. The past few days haven't been amongst their best either, as the surface conditions have conspired against them to make for some rather challenging moments. Large, and extremely hard, sastrugi (ridges on the ice) have battered the men and their gear, forcing them to make repairs to some of their equipment while on the go. Worse yet, one of their skis actually punctured a fuel bottle, which caused them to lose about 1.5 liters of fuel, which also contaminated several of their pre-prepared meals. Fortunately, it doesn't seem that that will hamper the expedition at all, as Dixie and Sam have been extra-conservative so far, and have enough supplies to stay another 40 days out on the ice.

Felcity Aston is dealing with high winds and fresh snow this morning, which is making it tough going for her as well. She has her final destination squarely in sight at this point however, and seems a lock to complete the first solo traverse of the continent by woman. As of this writing, she still has about 265km (164 miles) to go to reach Hercules, which should put her there in about another week.

Finally, I wanted to comment briefly on the Helen Skelton South Pole expedition which is currently underway as well. For those who don't know, Skelton is a television personality in the U.K. who is currently kiting, skiing, and biking (yes, biking!) to the South Pole to raise funds for charity. Until now, I've been reluctant to comment on her expedition or write about her progress, mostly because it seems to be mostly a shameless grab for publicity.

Now, I respect anyone who works to raise awareness and funds for charity, but Skelton seems as much about self-promotion as she is about actually accomplishing the things she sets out to do. Make no mistake, she is an adventurous young woman and very athletic, but while many are content to undertake their adventurous activities solely for the experiences and the exploration, she seems to try to find ways of always claiming a record of some kind, even if it isn't necessarily merited.

If you read Explorers Web, you probably saw their post this morning calling Skelton out for another rather dubious speed-record claim. A few days ago, Skelton, and her companion, kite-skied 100km in just under eight hours, and as a result, they have already petitioned Guinness for a world record claim. As ExWeb points out, that distance and speed are not all that uncommon (see Weber Expedition above!) and that Skelton doesn't deserve recognition for doing something that others have been doing for some time. For there part, Guinness has responded by saying that they have confirmed Skelton's GPS data, and that while others have gone faster and further, no one else has ever petitioned them for the record before. That alone speaks volumes about the adventure community as a whole and Helen's claim to fame within it.

I'll likely not post much more about her expedition, but I definitely wanted to weigh in on the situation. Personally, I respect Helen's accomplishments greatly and think she's done some great things, but her constant need to set "records" is a bit embarrassing, and disrespects some of the accomplishments of others.

Antarctica 2011: The Clock Is Ticking...

The 2011/2012 Antarctic Season is starting to wind down as the teams close in on their final goals and the  days quickly march by. ALE has set the date for the last flight out at January 27th, which is just two weeks away from today. That means that a number of the explorers will be racing the clock right up until the end, and for some there is no room for error as they approach the home stretch.

One of those skiers is Norwegian Aleksander Gamme, who is attempting to become the first person to go solo and unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back again. He has been making good time, and covering large distances (56km in one day!), but as of Tuesday of this week, he still head half-way to go on the return trip. Still, Gamme seems to be strong, focused, and determined, and unless there is some unforeseen issue that arises, he seems poised to reach his goal. Bad weather or equipment failure could slow him down, but I believe he's going to make it back to Hercules in time for the flight out.

Aussies Cas and Jonesy are hoping to accomplish the same feat, and I'm not quite so optimistic about their chances. They have also picked up the pace, but as of this writing they still have 588km (365 miles) to go.  That means they'll need to continue to average roughly 42km (26 miles) per day on the return trip to make it back on time. As I mentioned earlier this week, that is doable, but it is going to be one tough challenge. Check out their latest video update from the ice below.

Meanwhile, one solo skier who is closing in on the finish line is Felicity Aston, who now is less than 200 nautical miles from Hercules. Felicity started her journey at the Ross Ice Shelf and is hoping to become the first woman to traverse the continent solo. She stopped by the South Pole on her journey as well, and is now making good time on her return to the coast. While she's not done yet, she does have a bit more of a cushion that some of the other skiers.

Sam Deltour and Dixie Dansercoer continue their epic traverse of Antarctica as well. They've been using kites to cover large distances, and so far, after 53 days out on the ice, they've covered more than 3345km (2078 miles). The duo took the past couple of days off to rest and recuperate, and now they're waiting for the wind to pick up again so they can resume their journey. They plan on staying in the Antarctic well into February as they pursue one of the longest expeditions ever to that cold and hostile place.

Finally, the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race continues as the the Scott Team closes in on the Pole. As of today, they still have 63.6 nautical miles to go, but improved weather has meant that they've been able to pick up the pace some, and they now hope to be at the Pole to celebrate Robert Falcon Scott's arrival on Monday. Their mates on the Amundsen Team completed their journey a few days back, and now wait for their friends to join them.

Antarctica 2011: Felicity Closes In On The Pole

It was another productive weekend for the Antarctic skiers heading to the South Pole. The weather was generally good for the past few days, although some of the teams are now reporting a change once again, with high winds working against them, even as they close in on their destination.

One of those skiers is Felicity Aston, who has now entered the last degree to the Pole and should be arriving at 90ºS in the next few days. It won't be an easy journey to that point however, as she reports very strong winds this morning, which are making it tough to make progress. On her Twitter feed she also laments the fact that after skiers have passed the last degree, they aren't allowed to leave anything behind. That includes human waste, and as a result, she's now "pooing in a bag." Such are the hardships of a polar explorer. As a reminder, don't forget that the South Pole is not the finish line for Aston, who will then ski to Hercules Inlet for pick-up.

South African adventurer Howard Fairbank has crossed the 88th degree himself and his hoping to reach the South Pole sometime next week. He has been going solo and unsupported until this point, but will join Richard Weber and his squad to kite ski back to Hercules. Howard reports that the winds have increased for him as well, although it was the terrain that really made it a tough go today. He did manage to cover 30km (18.6 miles), but it was a real struggle that has left him physically and mentally drained. Still, his spirits seem high and he is happy to have reached another milestone in his journey.

Speaking of Richard Weber and the team he is leading to the South Pole, they reached a milestone of sorts over the weekend as well. The group managed to cross the last of the crevasse fields, and the 87th parallel, but not without a few injuries. A members of the squad by the name of Chris de Lapuente fell on the ice, and managed to break his wrist and tweak his knee fairly seriously. He has managed to keep skiing, although his knee is reportedly quite swollen. In a bit of ingenuity, the team used a paperback book as a make-shift splint to protect the wrist, and for now Chris is toughing it out. Hopefully these injuries won't prevent him from completing the expedition.

Dixie and Sam had hoped to close in on the Pole today or tomorrow, but the winds they are using to drive their kites, all but disappeared yesterday. As a result, they took the opportunity to rest and plan for their post-Pole adventure. The boys are closing in on 30 days out on the ice, but that is roughly on a third of what they have planned, so after they pay their respects at the South Pole Station, they'll be continuing on for another two months of travel throughout the continent. If the winds cooperate, I'd expect them to arrive at the Pole before the end of the week, as they are now notching as much as 150km (93 miles) per day when the winds are blowing right. As of this morning, they were sitting at about 87.5ºS, leaving them just 2.5º to go.

It seems we should start to see a steady stream of skiers arriving at the South Pole over the next few days. For some, it will be the end of the line, for others, just another stop over on a much  longer and challenging adventure. Stay tuned for more.

Antarctica 2011: Antarctic ICE Expedition

The start of the 2011 Antarctic season is now just a few short weeks away, and as such, the explorers, both solo and on teams, are in the final stages of preparation. Almost before they know it, they'll be arriving in Punta Arenas, Chile, the last stop for many who will be heading out on the ice this year.

One of those teams consists of Belgians Dixie Dansercoer and his partner Sam Deltour, who will launch their Antarctic ICE expedition at the end of October. Dixie is, of course, a veteran with many adventures under his belt, including a previous trip to the South Pole and visits to a number of other arctic destinations. Sam, who is a med student, has an impressive resume of his own, having raced sled dogs in both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, as well as having competed in cross country races and other endurance events.

The two men have joined forces to travel to the remote, and largely unexplored, East Antarctica, where they plan to kite-ski approximately 6000km (3728 miles) between November 2011 and February of 2012. Along the way, they hope to set a new record for the longest non-motorized, self supported, expedition ever, while also exploring a new route across the continent using wind power. They'll also be taking a number of meteorological measurements along the way, turning that data over to aid scientific research upon their return.

This will be just one of several Antarctic expeditions that I'll be following closely this season. For these two men to stay out on the ice for more than 3 months, completely unsupported, will be very impressive, and the distances they hope to cover are ambitious as well. I'm looking forward to the start of the new season in just over a month's time.

Good luck to both Sam and Dixie and thanks to Matthias for sharing this information with me!