THREE DAY TRIP 25 - 27. April 2008
-One day on skis and night at the North Pole

Scedule

Time table can change due to weather and runway conditions.

How / When

This trip to the North Pole is a unique opportunity to experience the dramatic nature of the Arctic Ocean within the short time frame of three days. We travel to Longyearbyen April 24 and will use one day there to get acquainted with equipment and routines. We need to give every detail a good going over before heading north.

Departure from Longyearbyen is in the morning April 25.  The plane will be an Antonov 74, a short-runway jet with a payload of around thirty people.  We will land at "Barneo" a Russian ice-station situated at about 89 degrees North.  Barneo is re-established each year by Russian staff from Khatanga in Siberia.  Because thick, frozen leads are used for the runway, the position of Barneo varies from year to year.  Three hours after leaving Longyearbyen we'll be landing.  The plan is to set out from the base that same day, so that we can get out into the pack-ice and into our routines without further delay.

Underway

It is about 110 kilometers from Barneo to the North Pole depending on the ice drift. Two MI 8 helicopters are based on Barneo. One of these will fly us to about 10 kilometers from the Pole. The helicopter trip takes 45 minutes. We unload the equipment and start the same day on a fantastic trip over the pack ice to the Pole itself. After 7-9 hours, depending on leads, pack ice and ice conditions, we reach the North Pole. The camera is a natural companion and we take the time necessary to photograph and film on the way.

The terrain is extremely fascinating and changeable. We navigate between leads and pack ice; the landscape changes all the time and is never monotonous. The midnight sun, the pack ice and the special light will result in most of you being bitten by the polar bug; an incurable and lifelong disease.

The Pole

It is now evening, but the sun will never set at this time of the year - it is the same height above the horizon day and night. We pitch camp, set up the tents, make ourselves comfortable. Then we have our warm dinner inside the tent and digest the experiences of the day; the Arctic Ocean is a strong and majestic experience. We will spend the night at the Pole itself on top of the globe. Below us are more than 4000 meters of water.

The temperature usually varies between minus 20 and 30 Celsius this time of year. There is usually not much wind and we can keep warm with a down jacket and long underwear. The sleeping bags and sleeping mattress are designed for such cold temperatures. After a good night’s sleep we serve breakfast in the large tent.

The next day we do small trips around the area, explore and relax. After a second night at the pole, the helicopter will arrive to pick us up and fly us back to Barneo on the 26 or 27th. Here we will spend the remaining time and get to know the very special Russian base before the plane arrives on the 27th to take us back to Longyearbyen.

Guides

Depending on number of participants, there will be one or two guides.

Who's organising it?

Borge Ousland organizes this trip with help from his Russian partners Centre Polus who are providing all the logistics. Borge have been to the North and South Pole a number of times and is the world’s most experienced polar explorer Borge has done "The last degree" since 1998 and are very well acquainted with the condition and needs for such a trip.  All previous groups have reached their objective