A very big congratulations to our 2011 North Pole Last Degree Ski Expedition for reaching the North Pole today at 17:30 Longyearbyen time. Of course at the North Pole all lines of longitude and all time zones converge so they can pick any time zone they want! They can also walk around the whole world in just a couple steps.
Everyone is thrilled to have reached the North Pole. Upon arrival they jumped up and down, took pictures, got out various country flags (Australia and Ireland), college flags, banners and made calls to friends and family back home.
The team had very flat light today, with visibility near zero at many times. Luckily their ice conditions were good with mostly pan ice that was flat and old. It was very warm, perhaps around -10C. They made incredibly fast progress. In only 6 hours they covered the remaining 9.5 nautical miles! That's very fast! Nikki was able to take the lead for the last hour, navigating out in front, which she found exciting and fun. Once near the North Pole Maria, Alexey, Niall and Nikki all went searching for precisely 90 degrees North with GPS's.
Finding exactly 90 degrees North can be surprisingly difficult! Even when you are within a few feet of it! The reason is that the ice is in constant motion and it's a little like trying to reach and maintain a very specific point while you are on a conveyor belt. It's easy to have the GPS read a coordinate such as N89.99.96 (only a couple steps from the North Pole), but to get it to read exactly 90.00.00 can be a challenge - and when you get it, it usually only lasts for a split second before you drift back to N89.99......
The team is extremely satisfied and the mood in the camp is festive. We imagine that there will be some partying going on in their tents tonight! They will most likely not get picked up by helicopter until April 24, so they have a full day to relax, sleep in, eat, drink and be merry. No doubt that is very appealing after all their hard work!
Again, a HUGE congratulations to the team on a job very well done! We are proud of each and every team member, and we look forward to sharing more news from the team tomorrow and hopefully some more photos too. Make sure to listen to the audio report below and check back again tomorrow for another update from the North Pole!
Everyone is thrilled to have reached the North Pole. Upon arrival they jumped up and down, took pictures, got out various country flags (Australia and Ireland), college flags, banners and made calls to friends and family back home.
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| Finally they can stop skiing! |
Finding exactly 90 degrees North can be surprisingly difficult! Even when you are within a few feet of it! The reason is that the ice is in constant motion and it's a little like trying to reach and maintain a very specific point while you are on a conveyor belt. It's easy to have the GPS read a coordinate such as N89.99.96 (only a couple steps from the North Pole), but to get it to read exactly 90.00.00 can be a challenge - and when you get it, it usually only lasts for a split second before you drift back to N89.99......
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| The North Pole can be very elusive. Just ask Maria, Alexey, Niiki and Niall. |
The team is extremely satisfied and the mood in the camp is festive. We imagine that there will be some partying going on in their tents tonight! They will most likely not get picked up by helicopter until April 24, so they have a full day to relax, sleep in, eat, drink and be merry. No doubt that is very appealing after all their hard work!
Again, a HUGE congratulations to the team on a job very well done! We are proud of each and every team member, and we look forward to sharing more news from the team tomorrow and hopefully some more photos too. Make sure to listen to the audio report below and check back again tomorrow for another update from the North Pole!
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