News from Polar Race Organisers

Published: Saturday 30th April 2011 09:30

Ice rubble goes on for miles

For once the Gods did not smile on us and we were unable to get some of our Racers off the ice!

Weather was beautiful for once but when the plane flew over our camp at the Pole the pilot decided that the ice was just too rough to land on even if considerable work was further done to smooth out the landing strip. In a highly dangerous part of the world where a bad landing can be disastrous it is left to the pilot, (quite rightly) to make the final choice.

The decision was then taken to try and move the racers to an ice strip where we knew the plane could land on some 13 miles away. The Racers although “dog tired” were asked to try and ski to this position in about 5 hours. To their credit, 3 made it in time (Rob Platt, Ryan Malfara and Jo Winchcombe). The pilot stayed much longer than normally allowed but in the end had to lift off leaving Rob MacAllister, Lucy Maizels and Lee Swan being escorted in by Steve Pinfield and Neill Williams.

I would like to reassure everyone that they are all safe and well and emergency food was left for them but they will not now make tomorrow’s flight to Ottawa and London. Having “got their Pole” (and there are a lot of people currently sitting in Resolute who have not, and how disappointing can that be?) it is in a sense a minor isue and we hope to be able to lift them out in the next 36 hours nevertheless it is disappointing we are not all going back together.

However it just helps to show what a “tough place” this is and just how tough you have to be to survive.

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