Supporting Epilepsy Action Blog

Beyond the Pole

Just a quick blog to let you know about a film I saw recently.

Their own synopsis of the film is below.  It's set in the Arctic as two utterly unprepared idealistic young men decide to attempt the North Pole not only unsupported, but as a "carbon neutral, organic and vegetarian expedition".  It manages a good balance of poking fun at the overly-zealous climate camp without losing sight of the serious side to the debate.

For me though - and anyone else interested in (or going to) the Arctic or Antarctic - it's just a lot of fun!

"BEYOND THE POLE is Touching the Void with laughs, and Withnail and I on ice.  Funny and subversive it’s the story of two men trying to find their place in the world before the end of the world.  And it asks one question of us all: how far would you go to save the planet?"

Website: www.beyondthepole.com

Shotgun Training

On the packing weekend we were also trained by Rob – ex-Army and one of the team members – on using a pump action shotgun to protect us against Polar Bear attacks.

The chances of an attack are very remote – in 20 years of Expeditions to the Magnetic North the number of attacks requiring shootings number only a few.  We will carry a variety of counter measures – bangers, sprays and trip wires – of which the shotgun is the last resort.  The shells used start with simple bangers to scare rather than injure or kill, then “slugs” which are bolts of solid metal designed to stun but not penetrate.  Finally there are the actual shotgun shells themselves, which really are the last resort and only for use if attacked and at close range.

Each of us had a turn at learning first of all safe handling of the shotgun, then loading and firing a few shells at a target.  It was quite fun although the seriousness of why we were doing it wasn’t lost on us.  We’ll practice this again with the actual shotguns we’ll be taking onto the ice in Resolute.  It will also give us a chance to see how the cold affects the handling and operation, and of course how easy they are to handle wearing thermal gloves.

Packing Weekend

This weekend we all met in a barn in Gloucester to pack up all the kit, food and equipment we’ll be taking with us to Canada.  Aside from fuel – which we’ll pick up when we arrive in Resolute – every other bit of kit had to be tested, weighed and packed into the 12 sledges and 12 bags we’ll be transporting from Heathrow to Ottawa, then onto Resolute.  Due to weight restrictions on Air Canada and First Air – one of the airlines we’ll use which services the Nunavut region of the Canadian North, our bags must weigh not more than 23kg and the sledges 32kg.

All our food was stripped of packaging and repacked into the day bags we’ll use for energy during the day – chocolates, sweets, nuts and so on – and tent food for breakfast and evening meals.  Soups, tea, powdered milk, sugar and so on were emptied into freezer bags in tent-size rations.

Tents were put up, checked and taken down, fuel stoves lit and packed with repair kits and spares.  Thermos flasks, pan handles and karabiners were taped to prevent the chance of cold metal coming into contact with skin and ski poles were measured, cut down to size, labelled and packed into ski bags with skis and bindings. 

After the fabric and poles were checked for any faults, one of the tents being slightly wet from use was moved into the house we were staying in to dry out completely, and fuel bottles were washed with washing up liquid to remove any smell of fuel – which may prevent them being allowed on the plane if checked.

When packing we’re careful to distribute the supplies across all the sledges and bags – so if one bag or sledge goes missing we don’t lose all the stoves or all the bindings for example.  It’ll be a lot easier to replace one fuel bottle than nine, and in any case we have spares of pretty much all kit.  It’s a very long and tedious process, but essential to make sure we get to the start line with everything we need for our Expedition to stand a good chance of success.

Thank You from Epilepsy Action

Just a quick note to share with you a letter I received from Epilepsy Action, on my return from a week's training in Switzerland.  The actual total now stands at just over £3,000 - £430 through Just Giving (plus £88 Gift Aid), £1,580 received in cheques, and a further £910 pledged - so THANK YOU ALL!

I'll upload pictures and a blog update on the training week soon.

I'd also like to extend a thank you to all those members of the Downhill Only Ski Club (DHO) in Wengen, who attended a talk I gave on Monday evening in their Club Room, on my previous Expedition across Baffin Island, in Arctic Canada.  It was very well received and many members gave me many kind compliments.

If you'd like to read about this Expedition and see the photos, please see my Blog for April 2008.

If you'd like me to come and present to a group of you on the Baffin Island Expedition - maybe at your work or Support Group - please just drop me an email with the details.