The North Face

Dec 21 | Mission Antarctic Dispatch 7 :: To Falklands with Love

By The North Face

Here I am sitting at this very brit looking like cafe place in Stanley Falklands just getting my head (and stomach) together after four days of delightful seasickness through the Drake Passage.

Coming back to the civilization, I'm getting all these flashbacks in my head.

The bays surrounding us, all the untouched faces, all the moments we shared with the crew through hell and heaven.

Beforehand I felt that this could be the trip of my life and I am certain now that it is indeed true.

I am so thankful to have had the chance to put the dream trip together and I can't wait to share it all with everyone.

There is a massive packing underway back at our boat the Golden Fleece. We are flying off tomorrow to hopefully make it on time for father Xmas.

We could feel all the way back on the peninsula all the stoke from our posts and it really helped us to carry on day after day with our exploration.

Thank you sooo much from the whole crew for all your cheers.

Stay tuned for more!

-Xavier

 

Dec 17 | Mission Antarctic Dispatch 5 :: Behind the Scenes with Muppets & Monkeys

By The North Face

Xavier is poised at the lip ready to drop “The Captain," one of the steepest lines of his career. I’m a part of the camera crew in position below. Unfortunately, we are all staring blankly at each other, dazed and confused…

It’s an honor to be here. Although I’m a not a rider, I was lucky enough to be able to puke my brains on the Drake passage and contribute to the team as a The North Face climber and Camp 4 Collective filmmaker. I’m a Yosemite climber ‘monkey’ at heart and am a bit of a fish out of water this mission.

Did I mention that last time I filmed with Xav in Jackson, WY I almost died with skull and vertebrae fractures? Yup, that makes this all a bit more exiting.

At any rate, it’s been amazing to be here collaborating with Xav’s Timeline creative team of storytelling ‘Muppets’ consisting of Tero Repo and Guido Perrini. Tero is a Finnish photographer with a lifetime of experience shooting on snow. Guido is a Brittish filmmaker who is also a veteran shooting in the cold and has shot/edited all the Timeline movies to date. I’m not sure why Xav calls them the ‘Muppets’ but I think it might be because they are so chill and have a great sense of humor. A few times so far they have surprised us with their full body Penguin outfits they have stashed somewhere. They have been a great tool for breaking the tension when documenting stressful and dangerous lines but it's not working right now.

“OK if you guys can’t decide I’m going to hold this little piece of paper behind my back in one hand and whoever guesses it is the lucky winner.” Tero crumples the paper and puts it behind his back. Between Guido and Myself the lucky winner gets to fly tandem in a Paragliding system to get aerial shots of Xav dropping in. Since helicopters are not allowed down here this was a major part of Xav’s dream for this expedition: To show the beauty of Antarctica from the air with aerial riding shots on par with big productions….but in a low impact lightweight ‘expedition’ style.

I guess Xav and his Muppets have been testing and learning about flying a bunch this last year, but the story’s are less than inspiring. Tero said when he tried it back in Europe he crashed multiple times before successfully taking off and then when Guido tried he lost a shoe it was a catastrophe. Then when I talked to Conrad Anker, my climbing partner who has spent a lot of time in Antarctica he was also really sketched out “The one guy I knew, he was one of the most experienced paraglider pilots on the planet and died down there doing that, the winds are fickle…”

So with all that in mind I picked Tero’s right hand and of course from it emerged the winning piece of paper. Meanwhile, Xav is shitting himself at the top of ‘the gnar’ waiting for us, so I got ready to fly as fast as I could.

Despite the fears, It’s certainly some relief to be flying with Christophe Blanc-Gras a pilot that has 25 years of experience and seems to be quite safe. Its also comforting that with Xav on top of the line is legendary climber/guide Tony Lamiche who is reporting to us about wind conditions up high and in general staying acutely aware of everyone’s safety while on the snow during the expedition. All in all it’s a pretty motley crew of Monkeys and Muppets but also an amazing team working together behind the scenes and firing on all cylinders when time is right. (I won’t even mention captain/crew of our ship in this dispatch, they need a whole post to do them justice!).

Click, click, click….all the little clips to the paraglider rig are in place. I have empty 128GB card, a full battery, a GoPro shooting BTS on my helmet, a lifejacket and an emergency dry bag to stuff the camera into in case we crash into the sea.

Christophe initiates the launch sequence and we ski off and into the cold aerial world. The massive icebergs quickly become tiny white puzzle pieces surrounded by mesmerizing emerald green rings interlocking along the coastlines. The camera strap is cutting painfully into my neck, my balls are being crushed by the awkward position I’m in and I feel a bit airsick from looking at the camera monitor and not the horizon….quite the gripping first paraglider experience.

All of that is quickly blocked out as we approach “The Captain”, the king line of the expedition. I hit the radio one last time, “20 secs Xav. Nice Christophe perfect altitude. Tony, you do the final count. Tero, Guido 10 seconds...” Tony picks up where I left off “3,2,1 dropping…”

Well you know the rest, hopefully you will see the results of all the teamwork and vision if we manage to make it home safe back across the Drake Passage.

Thanks for following,

Renan Ozturk

Thanks to Camp 4 Collective and Tero Repo for the exceptional photographs.

Follow Mission Antarctic from November 21st to December 21st at www.thenorthface.com/missionantarctic or on Instagram at #missionantarctic

 

Dec 04 | ANTARCTICA: A LAND OF UNPREDICTABLE EXTREMES

By Dean Karnazes

In hindsight, we were fortunate to make it to Antarctica. Our boat had a hole pierced through the steel hull by an iceberg. Thankfully, repair efforts were successful and we were able to get to the frozen continent.

Once there, the running on Antarctica was absolutely spectacular. We ran past thousands of penguins in some of the most stunning and unique settings imaginable, turquoise ice formations and huge frozen glaciers as the backdrop.

The 4 Stages of running we were able to complete went by fairly quickly, the soft snow and restricted timeline for getting back onboard the boat making these stages rather compact endeavors. During the first three stages, I was plagued by vertigo and lightheadedness to the likes I’ve never experienced before (presumably a byproduct of the seasickness medication I’d taken on the boat journey over from Argentina). By the fourth stage, my legs were feeling less wobbly. I was really looking forward to Stage 5, the infamous ‘long stage.’ But it was not to be. Severe weather hit the night prior and we were forced to discontinue the racing after Stage 4, which was a bit of a disappointment.

But in Antarctica, you get what you can take. We were incredibly lucky to be able to hold the event at all. When the weather turns bad down here, survival is top of mind.

As far as results go, we held a small ceremony on the boat during the passage home. Paul Liebenberg, of South Africa, had the most cumulative mileage logged after 4 Stages of racing and was thus declared the winner of The Last Desert race in Antarctica. It was a pretty close race after four stages of running—just a few miles separated the top handful of competitors—but I was very glad to see Paul come out on top. He had worked so hard throughout the year to be able to complete the 4 Deserts series, he really deserved a win.

As for my performance, I managed to bag the coveted 4 Deserts Series Championship crown, my overall performance during the deserts races throughout 2008 putting me in first place. There will be an awards dinner held in San Francisco for winning this title. I’m honored to have captured this award as it was a lengthy and hard-fought battle that required consistent performance stage after grueling stage, across a multitude of climates, terrains, environments and settings. You really couldn’t have a bad race, there was just no margin for error.

That said, the 55-hour boat ride back to Argentina from Antarctica was an endurance event which paralleled any stage. The Drake Passage is one of the most treacherous waterways on earth, and it shined in all its glory for us. There are distinct bands of winds across the world’s latitudes. The equator has the ‘trade winds,’ which are fairly consistent and moderate. Moving out from the equator toward the tropics, you have the notorious ‘doldrums’ in which the wind may be nonexistent for days or weeks at a time. The doldrums are sometimes referred to as the “horse latitudes” because early sailors used to push their horses overboard with a tether line attached so that they could tow their boat out of this windless confinement. Moving further out toward the world’s poles, you have distinct latitudinal bands of wind that become progressively more intense the closer you get to the poles. First it’s the ‘roaring forties,’ then the ‘furious fifties,’ and finally the ‘screaming sixties.’ Explorers to Antarctica had a saying, “Beyond 50 degrees south there is no law, Beyond 60 degrees south there is no God.”

The wind on the boat ride home howled as if coming from an enraged Cyclopes, whipping the ocean into a frothy torrent of white and kicking up massive swells of mythical proportions. Only, there was no mythology involved, those gigantic liquid mountains outside our portholes were real. We made the crossing on a modern research vessel with all the latest technology; still, it was a harrowing experience. I couldn’t imagine what the early explorers a century ago must have gone through. During that heroic era, it’s been said that ships were made of wood and men of steel. I couldn’t agree more.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest, place on earth (the coldest temperature ever recorded, negative 126.8 F, was recorded on Antarctica). Because the cold receives much of the attention, the katabatic winds are sometimes overlooked. They shouldn’t be. Routinely they gust to near hurricane strength, literally flattening everything in their path. When the katabatic winds kick in, it’s time to run for cover. And after Stage 4, that’s precisely what we did.

It’s just that a boat isn’t exactly the ideal place to seek refuge. For the past two days, there’s been lots of moaning and sounds of anguish onboard as we tossed about violently like a cork in a washing machine. All of us on the ship can run, but riding out a storm in a small vessel is a different story. Never have I been so happy to place my foot on solid ground. If they ask for my suggestion on where to hold the awards banquet in San Francisco, I’m definitely not recommending a harbor cruise.

For those of you who have followed my progress throughout the year, it’s been a tremendous ride which I am both relieved and saddened to see come to a conclusion. The 4 Deserts races have been grueling, arduous, and incredibly rewarding. If you’ve ever considered a race of this format (i.e., 250 km, six-stage, self-supported), I would say give it a try, you’ll never forget the experience. Racing the Planet (the organization which hosts the 4 Deserts events) does a superb job; I have been extremely impressed with how well these races have been coordinated in some of the most remote and exotic places on earth. As exhausted as I am after completing all four races this year, I’m already eying a couple of the new deserts they’re planning on adding in Africa and Australia. Who says all good things must come to an end?

From the airport in Tierra de Fuego, Dean Karnazes heading home.

Be well.

Dec 02 | Get the Facts & Get Involved- The Last Desert, Antarctica

By Dean Karnazes

Antarctica (Nov 19 – Dec 5) EMBRACE THE RACE:

The final leg of the Grand Slam Desert takes place on the coldest, driest, and windiest continent. Antarctica has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Since there is little precipitation, except at the coasts, the interior is considered the largest desert in the world, composed of 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock.

By this point, the runners have put themselves through some of the most grueling conditions on the planet. One former Desert Slam Challenge runner gave this advice to future runners about how they would feel by the time they reach Antarctica: "Think about something to flavor your water. Adding some powder can make water much more palatable. We learned in Sahara that putting a flavored tea bag in our water bottles made drinking more enjoyable."

FACE THE REALITY:

For over a billion people around the world, the taste of clean, safe drinking water would be a delight. Many rely on local, open water sources or resign themselves to hand-dug open pits that are sometimes shared by humans and animals. Surface water can contain microbial contaminants or industrial pollutants and can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Through projects funded by Blue Planet Run, experts can provide education and community-based evaluation and problem solving. Implementers work with local communities to build systems to trap rainwater or tap into groundwater and keep it clean. For only $30, you can provide one person with a lifetime of safe, clean drinking water.

WALK IN THEIR SHOES:

An enormous amount of fresh, potable water is used to water lawns and gardens. This places an unnecessary burden on local water sources and municipalities. It also assumes reservoirs will continue to be able to replace what is pumped out. Do your part to

conserve water using these simple tips. They will save you money! • Replace water-thirsty lawns with native plants.

• Install water-saving drip systems.

• Water during the coolest part of the day to reduce evaporation.

For real savings, some people divert their grey water (water used in showers, sinks, etc.) to feed their thirsty outdoor plants! In some regions, rainwater catchment systems can be installed to collect water from rooftops and gutters.

Nov 25 | About the Last Desert Race...

By Dean Karnazes

The Last Desert race in Antarctica is an invitational event only open to those who have successfully completed at least two of the '3 Deserts' – the Gobi March (China), the Atacama Crossing (Chile) and the Sahara Race (Egypt). In order to participate in The Last Desert race, you must first have successfully qualified by finishing at least two of these races. The race format during these three desert races is the same: six-stages, 250-kilometers (155 miles), self-supported. Of course, the elevation, terrain, temperature, environmental conditions, etc… are different in each.

The Last Desert competition is the only multi-day stage race on the Antarctic continent. Twenty-eight individuals will be traveling to Antarctica to compete in the 2008 Last Desert race. A special medal is awarded to anyone who completes the 4 Deserts series by finishing The Last Desert event, regardless of the number of years it has taken to do so. Fourteen individuals this year are attempting to do just that. Two of us—Paul Liebenberg of South Africa and myself—are vying to complete the 4 Deserts series in a single calendar year, which has never been done before. One person will also be crowned the 4 Deserts series champion, based on rankings in previous desert races, regardless of the year they were completed.

The race will be held in three or four locations on and around the Antarctic Peninsula. There are some notable differences, however, with format the format of The Last Desert race when compared to the others in the series. For one, each individual competitor is only required to carry a minimal amount of equipment, not everything needed to support oneself for seven days. Additionally, competitors in The Last Desert event will generally sleep on the ship at night, not in tents. Though perhaps best of all, morning and evening meals will be provided by the crew. Yes, no more astronaut food!

The Last Desert race is an epic expedition across the final frontier, Antarctica. Deserts are separated into four categories: subtropical, cool coastal, cold winter and polar. The 4 Deserts events are located in the largest desert of each category, which also represents the driest, hottest, coldest and windiest places on Earth. All of the courses have been set up to pass through some of the most beautiful and pristine land on Earth. Antarctica is the dramatic conclusion to this remarkable series.

Racing locations on Antarctica have been carefully chosen with special consideration to the environment, wildlife and landscape. Competitors will be transported between land and the ship on small transport crafts (called Zodiacs), though passage will be entirely dependant on favorable wind conditions. Along the course, racers will pass a number of international research stations, penguin rookeries, iceberg-scattered coastlines and even an active volcano. Due to the unpredictable weather, race stages can vary in distance from 10 to 100 miles per stage.

Below are some of the particulars:

Flags and Banners –

Custom made flags and banners are used in The Last Desert. Sometimes the katabatic winds are so strong that the flag poles can't be used, so an alternative method is utilized. In the past, race officials have had to secure the flags and finish line with large chucks of ice that had washed upon on the shore from the severe winds.

Special Bibs –

Because the winds can be so relentless, competitors in The Last Desert will be using specially designed bibs that are designed to withstand these extreme conditions.

Satellite Event Coverage –

Five satellites are being used in Antarctica, called BGANs. BGANs provide broadband internet access virtually anywhere in the world. Breaking news, photographs, features, results, daily stage updates and videos will be uploaded through BGAN terminals. However, satellite reception over Antarctica is not always 100% reliable, so information may occasionally be delayed.

Ship to Shore Transfers –

Competitors are delivered to each stage by special boats called Zodiacs. Zodiacs can only be used in moderate winds. If the katabatic winds become too intense, competitors will have to wait on shore until the winds calm before returning to the ship. All equipment must be transported in waterproof bags, as ice cold water can sometimes splash into these small transport boats.

Spectators Along the Course –

Are not human. The only spectators in Antarctica will be the ever-friendly penguins. Competitors will see thousands of penguins and other forms of wildlife as they conquer The Last Desert. Penguins reside in the exterior of Antarctica and not the interior, such as at the South Pole. On my last trip to the interior of Antarctica, I saw no wildlife whatsoever, so it will be nice to see the course this time lined with our little waddling friends.

Course Markers –

Special biodegradable bags are used to mark the course for The Last Desert race. These bags are filled with snow and designed so that no wind can blow them away. The bags are dyed a bright pink color keeping with the pink marker color used in all 4 Deserts races.

------------------------------------------------------------------- P.S. For those of you who have been asking when the 50 Marathons DVD will be available, I’ve finally got an answer: it’s out now. Visit www.50Marathons.com for more details.

Nov 23 | Getting to Antarctica / Men Wanted

By Dean Karnazes

In an effort to immerse you in the experience, I thought it might be helpful to describe what it takes to get to Antarctica.

From the West Coast of the US, I boarded a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina (via Atlanta, GA). Travel time to Buenos Aires was 17 hours 15 minutes. From there, I caught another flight to the tip of Argentina, Tierra de Fuego. Travel time was 7 hours 23 minutes (with 1-stop at El Calafate). I’ll overnight in Tierra de Fuego. Tomorrow, we’ll board a ship in the port of Ushuaia bound for the frozen continent, a two-day journey across one of the most treacherous causeway on the planet, Drake’s Passage (it’s been reported that 98% of the prior participants in The Last Desert race suffered from some form of seasickness).

The ship we are traveling on is called The M/S Professor Molchanov. She was built in Finland in 1982 for polar research and has been refurbished for expeditions to Antarctica. The Molchanov carries a maximum of 52 passengers. While the crew is mostly Russian, the official language on the ship is English.

That’s what’s involved in getting to Antarctica. You have to work almost as hard to get here as you do to run the race (with the seasickness part being especially taxing).

Now to dispel a widely held myth, there are no polar bears on Antarctica. There are plenty of penguins, and there are these terrifying creatures called leopard seals, but no polar bears. For those of you interested in reading a great adventure book about penguins, leopard seals, survival and leadership, I would highly recommend: ‘The Endurance,’ the story of Ernest Shackleton’s legendary Antarctica expedition.

While us participants in The Last Desert race signed up without duress, Shackleton recruited his men for the expedition with the following post:
MEN WANTED
FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOUR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS.

Only question: how do I sign up?

From the tip of South America, Dean Karnazes signing off.
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P.S. For those of you who have been asking when the 50 Marathons DVD will be available, I’ve finally got an answer: it’s out now. Visit www.50Marathons.com for more details.

Nov 18 | Frozen Assets

By Dean Karnazes

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting entries about the upcoming Last Desert race in Antarctica. If you’re like me, you probably didn’t realize that Antarctica is classified as a desert, given that the continent is largely covered in snow. It is. In fact it is the largest desert on earth, just a cold one.

Antarctica is also very remote. How remote? The continent is 1.4 x larger than the USA, yet there are only about 3,000 inhabitants. Could you imagine just 3,000 people living in all of the US? Clearly, urban sprawl isn’t a problem they’ll be facing anytime soon.

The Antarctic is filled with superlatives and remarkable facts; it is a fascinating and astounding place that captured my senses from the moment I first stepped foot on the continent six years ago. I’ll pontificate on the wonders of this frozen land in upcoming postings. As an introduction, though, I thought what we’d do first is revisit my historic maiden journey.

As some of you know from reading my book, Ultramarathon Man, I first visited Antarctica in 2002 to participate in the inaugural South Pole Marathon, an event that has yet to be replicated (which speaks volumes about the intelligence of attempting a marathon on the polar plateau). But this marathon wasn’t the only harrowing event that took place during my travels to the South Pole. Something even grander transpired afterward.

Huddled near the finish line, one of the other participants, a friend of mine by the name of Don Kern, had another bright idea: “Now that we’ve become the first to run to the South Pole, let’s be the first to run around the world naked.”

My initial thought was that I’d either heard him wrong through my earmuffs, or that he was suffering acute hypothermic dementia.

“Around the world naked?” I asked.

“I’ve been doing some calculating,” he said.

At the South Pole there is actually a candy-striped Barber Pole with a stainless steel orb on top. Don went on, “If we run around that Pole, we’re literally circumnavigating the globe, just at its smallest circumference.”

He was technically correct; there was only one small problem, “Don,” I said, “It’s minus 40 degrees outside.”

“Just don’t let any of your appendages touch that metal ball and we should be fine.”

Being the gentleman that he his, he volunteered me to go first. Geez, thanks Don.

I made him promise that if the situation got “sticky,” under no circumstances were they to deploy a tourniquet. Thankfully, the endeavor was completed without incident or loss of limb.

Now we have the dubious distinction of being in the first party to run to the South Pole and being in the first pair to run around the world naked. Gives new meaning to the term: “being buff.”

Stay tuned for frequent updates on The Last Desert Race in Antarctica. As Don likes to say, “And the journey continues…”

Dean

P.S. For those of you who have been asking when the 50 Marathons DVD will be available, I’ve finally got an answer: it’s out now. Visit www.50Marathons.com for more details.