There are very few “firsts left in the world, and now there is one less” said Ralph Mitchell, one of my tandem masters after the first Everest skydivers entered the world record books in October 2009. This had been my greatest adventure to date and created more news worldwide than any Himalayan expedition since Mt Everest was climbed in 1953.
As I left “my” dropzone, the highest in the world at 12,350ft there was already another world first adventure, nagging at me to be undertaken.
It began in the Arctic in April 2008, while in sub zero conditions (below 20 degrees) moving the reindeer herd of my great friend and Sami elder, Lars Matis. There was Lars Matis, his reindeer herding dog Esther, me, and Norwegian outdoorsman and professional cold climate diver and instructor, Lars Petter Ole at the time, corralled from a gentle Arctic katabatic wind as the reindeer rested. Lars Petter mentioned that he was the only Norwegian to have dived under the ice at the North Pole and only a few others had ever achieved this remarkable accolade.
I knew that people had parachuted onto the sea ice there too, and also knew that they were mainly solo skydivers, as tandem skydiving (parachuting with a passenger) had not began so many years back. Lars Petter and I agreed that with the changing conditions of the sea ice, we should plan sooner rather than later, a unique expedition that would take adventurers above, and below, the North Pole in a dual discipline expedition – experiencing this temporary world from both sides, and in three dimensions – above, in a short freefall and under canopy – living on – and diving below making a circumnavigation under the ice.
Another world first challenge was born with the participants being able to join the record and history books as modern peers of the arctic, pushing themselves and the boundaries of classic adventure yet again, if successful. During the last 10 months, since finalising the return of freight and equipment from Kathmandu used for skydiving in the death zone, I have made three visits to Norway, making plans for this new adventure and all the preparations are in place for it to be undertaken from 12th April 2010.
THE MISSION
To be the first ever team of arctic adventurers to both skydive onto the North Pole and also make a circumnavigational dive under the moving ice in the same expedition.
WITH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES
To participate in the “Above and Below “programme participants must arrive in Kirkenes with a PADI basic diving certificate. All ice dive training and further PADI certification will be undertaken at the Dive Resort by Lars Petter and Anton. We stay here during the training in the Resorts accommodation, eat well and catch king crab too.
There is no requirement for training for the tandem skydive but you must be in possession of a current medical certificate stating that you are fit to skydive.
When the ice dive training is complete, we fly to Longbardyen, Spitzbergen and consolidate all our equipment and logistics, and pick up our flight by twin engine Antonov AN-74 aircraft to Ice Station Borneo, 89º North, 100km south of the Geographic North Pole. We will spend some time here for a few hours.
Our supplies and equipment will need to be repacked onto our MI-17 helicopter before we move forward on the sea ice and leats to locate the Pole. On arrival we off load and help put up the tents and shelters. Once we are safe and secure on the ice, and have relaxed into our surroundings, the parachute programme begins along with preparations for the circumnavigational ice dive.
We have two nights and three days to complete our aim at “this place that is not a place”. Once the programme is complete, we help repack our equipment and remaining stores and fly by MI-17 to Ice Station Borneo before returning to Longybarden and flying home to our own countries as world record holders.
GEOGRAPHIC NORTH POLE
The northern most point on the earth's surface is the geographic North Pole, also known as true north.
It's located at 90° North latitude and all lines of longitude converge at the pole. The earth's axis connects the North and South poles, as it’s the line around which the earth rotates.
The North Pole is about 450 miles (725 km) north of Greenland in the middle of the Arctic Ocean - the sea there has a depth of 13,410 feet (4087 meters). Most of the time, sea ice covers the North Pole but recently, water has been sighted at the exact location of the pole.
If you're standing at the North Pole, all points are south of you (east and west have no bearing). Since the earth's rotation takes place once every 24 hours, if you're at the North Pole your speed of rotation is quite slow at almost no speed at all, compared to the speed at the equator at about 1,038 miles per hour.
The lines of longitude that establish our time zones are so close at the North Pole, the Arctic region uses UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) when local time is necessary at the North Pole. The North Pole experiences six months of daylight and six months of darkness.
In 1958, the United States nuclear submarine Nautilus was the first vessel to cross the North Pole, but it was aviation that took the “exact” laurels with the first undisputed sighting on 12th May 1926 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his American sponsor Lincoln Ellsworth from the airship Norge. Norge, though Norwegian owned, was designed and piloted by Italian Umberto Nobile.
Nobile, along with several scientists and crew from the “Norge”, overflew the Pole a second time on 24th May 1928 in the airship “Italia”. The Italia crashed on its return from the Pole, with the loss of half the crew.
The Italia crash sparked the first massive airsea rescue operation in the Far North. Ultimately five countries sent planes, pilots, and ships to the Svalbard area to aid in the search. But in reality no one was in charge and there was little, if any, coordination of activities. The Italian ship Città di Milano, in the harbor at Kings Bay, served as the expedition's base ship and carried a small contingent of Alpini soldiers proficient in mountaineering; otherwise, there were no advance preparations for the possibility of a disaster. There were no airplanes in Spitsbergen at the time.
TIME AT THE POLE
In most places on Earth, local time is roughly synchronized to the position of the sun in the sky; so at midday the sun is roughly at its highest. This method fails at the North Pole where the sun is continuously in the sky for six months. As there is no permanent human presence at the North Pole, no particular time zone has been assigned. Polar expeditions may use any time zone that is convenient, such as Grenwich meantime (GMT) or the time zone of the country they departed from.
ARTIC SHRINKAGE
Arctic shrinkage is the decrease in size of the Arctic region (as defined by the 10 °C (50 °F) July isotherm). This is a change in the regional climate as a result of global warming. Recent projections of sea ice loss suggest that the Arctic ocean will likely be free of summer sea ice sometime between 2059 and 2078. Due to the rapid response of the Arctic to global warming, it is often seen as a high-sensitivity indicator of climate change. Scientists also worry about the potential release of methane from the arctic region, especially through the thawing of permafrost and methane clathrates which could be released to the atmosphere and accelerate global warming, as methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. 2007 saw a record low in summer sea ice. Most of the newly melted area refroze, and the iced area was near normal during the winter of 2007-2008. However the amount of thick perennial ice was below levels measured in the previous winter. The sea ice extent for 2008 was greater than that for 2007.
TEMPERATURES
The North Pole is significantly warmer than the South Pole because it lies at sea level in the middle of an ocean (which acts as a reservoir of heat), rather than at altitude in a continental land mass.
Winter (January) temperatures at the North Pole can range from about −43 °C (−45 °F) to −26 °C (−15 °F), perhaps averaging around −34 °C (−30 °F). Summer temperatures (June, July and August) average around the freezing point (0 °C, 32 °F).
The sea ice at the North Pole is typically around two or three meters thick, though there is considerable variation and occasionally the movement of floes exposes clear water, Studies have shown that the average ice thickness has decreased in recent years.
Many attribute this decrease to global warming, though this conclusion is disputed by some. Reports have also predicted that within a few decades the Arctic Ocean will be entirely free of ice in the summer months.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Polar bears are believed rarely to travel beyond about 82° North owing to the scarcity of food, though tracks have been seen in the vicinity of the North Pole, and a 2006 expedition reported sighting a polar bear just one mile (1.6 km) from the Pole. The ringed seal has also been seen at the Pole, and Arctic foxes have been observed less than 60 km away at 89°40′ N. Birds seen at or very near the Pole include the Snow Bunting, Northern Fulmar, and Black-legged Kittiwake, though some bird sightings may be distorted by the fact that birds tend to follow ships and expeditions. Fish have been seen in the waters at the North Pole, but these are probably few in number. A member of the Russian team that descended to the North Pole seabed in August 2007 reported seeing no sea creatures living there.
The Detailed Plan
12th April - Day One Minus
Arrive in Kirkenes by air. Transfer to Rica Arctic Hotel or similar in Kirkenes (bed and breakfast booked by yourself) via shuttle bus at own cost. PM meeting of “Above and Below” Team (ABT). Bookings for Rica Artic Kirkenes at: www.Rica-Hotel.com/Hotels/Rica-Artic-Hotel
13th April - Day One
After early breakfast at Hotel, transfer to Arctic Resort training location by coach. Check into twin share rooms. Coffee and general briefing and questions. Briefing on “dos and don’ts: hypothermia and frostbite briefings. Inspection of documents PADI Basic and medical certificates by Lars Petter and Anton. lunch. Ice dive training begins. Dinner and rest and relax. Accommodation at location.
14th April - Day Two
Breakfast. Ice Dive training continues. Coffee, lunch, dinner. Rest and relax PM.
15th April - Day Three
Breakfast. Ice Dive training finishes. Lunch. Aircraft loadmaster drills in mock up MI-17 fuselage. Allocation of North Pole Base set up tasks. Jump and Dive critical path briefing and routines. Activity changer over routines and timings. Coach back to Kirkenes for PM flight to Longyearbyen. Fly to Spitzbergen via Tromso with cargo. Check into hotel (twin Share) in Longyearbyen, the largest settlement on the Island of Spitzbergen.
16th April - Day Four
Early Breakfast followed by a group meeting and briefing on forward move to Ice Station Borneo planned for day five. Rest and relax. Lunch and supper provided.
17th April – Day Five
Fly to Ice Station Borneo, 89º North, in an Antonov AN-74. Approximately two and a half hours flying time. Off load cargo. Special meals provided by our own chef, Jenna Viney. Load MI - 17 helicopter for final lift to the North Pole. The Antonov An-74 is a light transport multipurpose aircraft, designed specially for Arctic and Antarctic regions. The aircraft can be operated on uncontrolled routes in any season at any time from concrete, pebble, ice and snow surfaced airfields, in any climatic conditions, at any latitudes, the North Pole and mountainous areas included.
18th - 20th April – Day Five/Six/Seven
“Any fool can be uncomfortable!” – Unknown “Standby” at Ice Station Borneo. Full shelter provided. Aproximately 40 minutes flying time by MI-17 helicopter to landing at the North Pole. Off load MI-17 as per allocated tasks, and secure all the equipment and special tentage. We will have a heated rest room and our Arctic chef, Jenna with us too for some fabulous meals to sustain and provide energy throughout our time here. We are sleeping on the Pole for 2 nights in special arctic tents as well.
Familiarization of the area and any hazards. Once all the preparations are complete and the crew are happy with the conditions and preparations, the tandem skydive programme begins. The “under ice” dive site will be ready for the first skydivers on completion of their jump.
Routines now established and “Above and Below North Polers” complete their mission as the first group to ever undertake such an audacious adventure. Evidence for Guinness book of records attained. Once complete we break camp and wait for helicopter extraction.
20th & 21st Apri – Day Seven/Eight
Return by MI-17 helicopter to Ice Station Borneo, 89º North.
Be prepared to sleep here if Antonov AN-74 is committed to a different task.
On return to Longyearbyen off load cargo and check in to hotel. (Twin sharing).
22nd April - Day Nine
The First ever North Pole “Above and Below” record holders and support group now depart Longyearbyen for their homes.
23rd, 24th, 25th April
Please book your RETURN flights for the 26 April.
This is to allow for contingency days – the plan is liable to change in the best interests of safety and the team achieving its aim. Weather conditions may require extra time to complete all facets of the expedition. Please allocate 3 extra days for your return flight bookings. You will be responsible for paying for your own food and accommodation on Spitzbergen if this occurs. If paying in cash, euros are accepted. It creates less pressure on participants to be home early, rather than several days late! There are some fabulous insights into the island of Spitzbergen to be explored, if waiting for your original confirmed flights that include the contingency days. Please note that in the best interests of the clients, their safety and the arctic conditions at the time, the detailed plan may have to be adapted or changed for us to achieve our aim.
YOUR FLIGHT ROUTING IS VIA:
Your flight routing is via Oslo – Kirkenes – Kirkenes – Longyearbyen (via Tromso) – Longyearbyen – Oslo – onwards to your home country. Your internal flight from Kirkenes to Longyearbyen is on 15th April.
Your flight on 15th April is at 20.15hrs from Kirkenes to Longyearbyen and is bookable on line a: www.wideroe.no (early booking is recommended). Your arrival in Kirkenes is on 12th April and departure booking from Longyearbyen is 26th April. Extra days at Longyearbyen usually cost Euro 550 – this includes a skidoo safari, use of skidoo, clothes, and accommodation. Food and drinks not included. For Skidoos you need your driving license.
UNIQUE LOGISTICS – THE OTHER CHALLENGE
To achieve the aim of going “Above and Below” creates a fascinating, special logistical challenge that has also never been undertaken before. Effectively in cargo terms we need practically “double everything”.
The uniqueness of the adventure requires the establishment of a firm base for living, a separate dropzone and a separate dive site. It means people, equipment and supplies, arriving at the same time, at the same place, in a predetermined and organised manner for preparation and task deployment while in temperatures of about -20 degrees. We need to adjust ourselves to our surreal situation as well, before the parachuting and diving begins.
All the equipment and personnel, including the adventure crew and participants will fly to the Pole in one lift forwards from Ice Station Borneo to set up, occupy and begin the adventure.
The only cargo delivery infrastructure is from the air and while air drop is a possibility, it leaves us open to objective and subjective dangers that are unacceptable. So everything has to be “landed on”, manhandled, unpacked, established, and when we are finished repacked and reloaded back into the helicopter.
In simple terms, I liken this to being “two expeditions in one” – mounted one on top of the other. We have to accept that this has an impact on the cost of deployment that is greater than for other locations and environments. Remember, we are completely on our own and have to be self-sufficient and secure on the sea ice.
CLIMATE FRIENDLY
"Above and Below" will be climate neutral. This means where possible offsetting all our carbon-producing activities with those that either reduce or capture carbon and then neutralizing the net amount released in the atmosphere through an offset project. Climate Friendly, based in Australia, is one of the leading organizations in this field and supported a recent ground-breaking Arctic Survey from April to June 2009 that produced data for examination about the thickness of the Arctic sea ice. Climate Friendly also supports the WWF.
For the Arctic Survey they offset all flights associated with the travel and logistics. This included the flights prior to and during the survey itself. Climate Friendly’s carbon footprint calculations for making offsets were reliant on accurate data supplied by the survey team, and they will be reliant on us to give accurate data too.
EQUIPMENT
All skydiving and diving equipment will be provided for you. As with Everest Skydive and some of my other extreme adventures, only the best equipment is used that has proven itself in harsh conditions and the provenance is well known and established. For personal use you will be provided with the best arctic suits and accessories to keep you warm and functioning well in the conditions.
A comprehensive personal clothing and equipment list will be provided on booking.
SAFTEY
You will have been PADI certified for ice diving in Kirkenes before we leave for the Pole. In the unlikely event of someone failing this training and assessment, you will still be able to make the tandem skydive and complete the expedition but without making the ice dive.
No previous experience is required for a tandem skydive. You will be fully prepared and briefed by the tandem masters prior to arriving at the Pole and again in location. No question is a stupid question. (Nigel asks them all the time!) They often save vital misunderstandings and lives. You can ask as many questions, of any type, at any time. You will have surface guides at the North Pole to ensure that your safety moving around is paramount at all times.
PRICE INCLUDES
PRICE EXCLUDES
REMEMBER!
Please book flexible airline tickets. If your luggage is overweight from Longyearbyen to the Pole, it is 20 euro per kilo extra.
DO I QUALIFY?
The adventure is open to all. It has already been made clear that to ice dive you will need to have a PADI basic certificate on arrival in Kirkenes. Otherwise being, fit, happy and healthy is enough. It is always good to check your sense of humour is in good shape.
16 PARTICIPANTS £35545
12 – 15 PARTICIPANTS £39163
8 – 11 PARTICIPANTS £45772
For further details contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it