British team sets new speed record for Antarctic crossing

by Kraig Becker on

In late November, a group of British adventurers and scientists set off on a mission to the interior of the Antarctic continent in specially designed research vehicles. Their plan was to undertake several environmental research experiments while journeying through one of the most in hospitable environments on the planet, but they also managed to set a new speed record for an Antarctic crossing at the same time.

Dubbed the Moon-Regan Transantarctic Expedition in favor of its two organizers, Andrew Moon and Andrew Regan, the plan was for the team to conduct research along the way. For example, they collected samples of the Antarctic snow in order to test the impact of pollutants in the atmosphere of the Southern Hemisphere on the frozen continent itself. They also drove a specially designed snow buggy, powered by biofuels, in order to see how those experimental fuels performed in extreme conditions.

By all accounts, those research elements came off very well, but the real success of the mission was the speed crossing. It took the team just 13 days to drive from the Union Glacier Base to the Ross Ice Shelf, by way of the South Pole, on the far side of the continent. The expedition covered 1209 miles in 303 hours, using specially designed ground penetrating radar to help them avoid crevasses and other obstacles.

The expediton actually reached their destination back on December 9th, but then turned around and made the return trip so that the 10-man team, along with all their research vehicles and gear, could be plucked from the ice by Antarctic-Logistics and Expeditions, a company that specializes in delivering explorers to Antarctica. That happened last week, when the team was returned to Punta Arenas, Chile before making their way back home in time for the holidays.

Taking just 13 days to cross Antarctica is quite an impressive feat. While the team did indeed use motorized vehicles to do it, the terrain that they crossed is quite brutal on any kind of machine and the cold weather played havoc with their engines at times. Throw in the very real danger of driving into a crevasse, and you can start to appreciate the challenges of such a drive. This just might have been the most challenging road trip ever.

[Photo credit: Moon-Regan Transantarctic Expedition]

South Pole scientists activate IceCube neutrino observatory

by Kraig Becker on

The South Pole may be as geographically far away from Santa’s home as is possible, but that didn’t prevent Christmas from coming early to the scientific base that is located there. Last week, researchers completed construction of the IceCube Project, which has been five years in the making and promises an unprecidented look into the very nature of the cosmos.

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory has been built under the Antarcitc ice –8000 feet under the ice to be precise, in hopes of detecting the elusive sub-atomic particles that seem to have some link to the violent cosmic events that may have created the Universe. So far, only about a dozen neutrinos have ever been detected, but researchers hope to change that with this $279 million project.

IceCube uses special sensors, called Digital Optical Monitors, to look for the neutrinos, which leave a distinct radiation signature behind when they collide with oxygen atoms in the ice. Those collusions result in a tell-tale trace of blue light that the obeservatory can track back to the origin of the particle which will help scientists to better understand how the neutrinos are generated in the first place.

Neutrinos are a bit of an anomoly in the Universe, as they are unique paritcles that carry a neutral charge and rarely interact with other particles. They seem to pass through the cosmos, and our planet, without regard to other forces, with their origins and purpose largely a mystery. The completion of the IceCube Project should give scientists the opportunity to observe the particles more closely and possibly take steps toward a better understanding of the Universe itself.

[Photo credit: National Science Foundation]

Gap Adventures introduces new trips for 2011

by Kraig Becker on

As the final days of 2010 rapidly slip away, it is time to look to the new year for new opportunities and adventures. With that in mind, travel company Gap Adventures announced a host of outstanding new trips last week, offering up fantastic options for travelers looking for unique experiences.

Gap Adventures is amongst the top adventure travel companies in the world, offering hundreds of affordable trips to far flung places across the globe. These newly announced offerings are no different, giving travelers more than 100 new trips to choose from in 2011.

The new trips have been designed to offer a little something for everyone. For example, the Columbia Coffee Trails adventure is perfect for coffee lovers everywhere. They’ll visit some of South America’s top coffee plantations in search of the perfect brew, while exploring lush landscapes in Columbia, a country that his quickly becoming a top destination for travelers.

If coffee isn’t your thing, perhaps you’ll find an adventure more to your liking in Africa. New offerings to that continent will get travelers off the beaten path and into remote villages, where they’ll experience cultural immersion, spectacular landscapes, and fantastic wildlife. And if climbing Kilimanjaro has always been on your “bucket list,” Gap has made it easier and more affordable than ever with new options for that classic trek.

Gap has new adventures on every continent, ranging from the island of Sumatra to the deserts of Egypt, to the highlands of Guatemala and beyond. So whether you want to go to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, or somewhere in between, you’ll find plenty of fantastic opportunities in Gap’s back catalog or in their new offerings. To check out all the new trips, click here. But be warned, there are so many great trips to choose from, you may have to select more than one.

Whale Wars resumes: Sea Shepherd and Japanese Fleets Head Back to the Southern Ocean

by Jon Bowermaster on

Whaling season in the Southern Ocean is off and gunning, with both Japanese and Sea Shepherd ships alike steaming for the fertile hunting grounds off Antarctica

Last season was largely regarded a “win” for the conservation group (even though it sacrificed its $2 million chase boat, the “Ady Gil,” in a collision with a whaling ship) since the whalers missed their goals by a wide margin.

The Japanese fleet of seven ships had hoped to take home 850 minke whale — in the name of science and research in order to avoid the international moratorium against whaling that’s been on the books since 1986 — but successfully hunted only 506. They’d also hoped for 10 fin whales, but killed just one.

This year, perhaps due to the increased visibility the Shepherd’s campaign has attracted thanks to Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars” series (the upcoming season will be the fourth it has documented), the Japanese fleet left port several weeks later than usual for its annual five-month hunt.

The size of its fleet was reduced as well. Last year it included a factory ship, three harpoon ships, a supply ship and two patrol vessels; this year’s fleet has been cut by at least three ships. At the same time the Shepherd’s have beefed up their harassment team by replacing the sunken “Ady Gil” with a 115-foot monohull named “Gojira,” Japanese for Godzilla, which combines the words for “gorilla” and “whale.”

The state of Washington-based group’s mainstays the “Bob Barker” and “Steve Irwin,” as well as a faster helicopter, all of which departed Hobart, Tasmania last week, will join the speedboat, which previously held a record for blasting around the world in just 74 days.(The off-season was hardly quiet for the Shepherd’s, particularly the “Ady Gil’s” skipper Pete Bethune who spent four months in a Japanese jail and was given a two-year suspended jail term by a Japanese court for boarding one of the whaling ships. Despite having spent an estimated $1 million defending Bethune, after the trial the group’s charismatic commodore Paul Watson engaged in a public spat with the just-freed Kiwi over who exactly and what had caused the sinking of the “Ady Gil.” Apparently peace has been made though, and Bethune has launched his own group intent on protecting pilot whales in the Faroe Islands.)

Pro-whaling countries are not backing down from a fight. In a two-day meeting last week in Shimonoseki, Japan, representatives from 24 countries and regions convened to “map out their joint campaign” for resuming whaling.

Greenpeace campaigners predicted from Tokyo that this was saber rattling and that the reduced Japanese fleet and late departure means the 2010-2011 hunt will produce less than half of last year’s hoped-for-quota.

“As of August 2010, there were over 5,700 tons of whale meat in frozen storage, over a year’s supply,” said Greenpeace’s Wakao Hanaoka. “This wasteful taxpayer-backed program produces product no one in Japan wants.” He cited surveys that suggested even a majority of Japanese are against whaling in the distant high seas.

flickr image via gsz

Russian climber BASE jumps from remote Antarctic peak

by Kraig Becker on

Last week a Russian climber and BASE jumper by the name of Valery Rozov climbed to the summit of Mount Ulvetanna, a 9616-foot tall mountain located in a very remote region of Antarctica. After spending a couple of weeks preparing for the climb, Rozov wasn’t content to just stand on top of the peak however. Once on the summit, he proceeded to don a specially designed wingsuit, leap from the summit, and glide through the cold air, which registered a chilly -22 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer.

BASE jumping continues to grow in popularity with adventurers and daredevils around the globe. Participants put on a pre-packed parachute and then proceed to climb up, and leap off, some fixed object such as buildings, antennas, spans, and the Earth itself, hence the “BASE” that give the sport its name. Wingsuits have been added in recent years to allow the jumper to glide through the air for a period before they open their chute and end their flight.

This particular flight lasted all of 45 seconds before the Russian pulled his parachute and gently glided back Earth, but as you can tell from the video below, it was one heck of a ride while it lasted. Watching this video, it seems clear that all climbers should use this method for returning to base camp, as it sure is a lot faster than descending the old fashion way.

[Photo credit: Thomas Senf]