They Made It!
The Test Your Limits team toasted with champagne at the North Pole! Once they reached the Pole, all directions pointed south, all lines of longitude converge; it really is the top of the world. The sun stayed continuously in the sky, permanently above the horizon, in essence time stood still as the North Pole has no assigned time zone. It wasn’t an easy trek and it was filled with extreme challenges and weather.
Both level of skill and physical conditioning were extremely important for the team as they encountered their fair share of adverse conditions that tested their abilities.
The last degree of the North Pole was a challenging ski expedition requiring stamina, strength and unmatched determination to make it across the uneven and broken pack ice of the Polar Sea. Each team member pulled his or her own sled which weighed close to 100lbs!
The skiing, though not technically difficult, was very rigorous and it required excellent cardio vascular endurance and muscular strength. It was all in a day’s work on this classic expedition which truly is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure! Once they reached the Pole, all directions pointed south, all lines of longitude converge, it really is the top of the world.
Read the final blog as Dr. Heather Ross and team complete their trek to the top of the world!
Before the team could reach the Pole, the faced some extreme weather that brought them to an immediate stop.
[testimonials1 by=”Dr. Heather Ross”]”…the weather was bad, closing in and we should conserve fuel…. being told that you may be stuck on the ice for a few more days waiting for the weather to change was really actually very scary. We had a look at the food and fuel and immediately went into conservation mode. …Dale, reminded both Michel and I that this is what it feels like day in, day out, for someone waiting for a transplant. No control over events, vulnerable, waiting – it put a whole new perspective on things. My admiration and respect for transplant recipients and those waiting continues to grow. What we experienced was only a small fraction of what they go through day in, day out while they wait – I really can’t imagine it.”[/testimonials1]
RELIVE THE ADVENTURE: READ THE BLOG
The Team
[one_third]
Dr. Heather Ross
MD, MHSC, FRCP(C)[/one_third]
[one_third_last]
Dale Shippam
Heart Transplant Patient[/one_third_last]
[one_third]
Dr. Michael White
MD, FRCPC, FACC, FESC[/one_third]
[one_third_last][/one_third_last]
The North Pole Trek
Expedition Itinerary – North Pole “Last Degree” Ski Expidition provided by Polar Explorers.
Both level of skill and physical conditioning must be high as participants may encounter adverse conditions that will test their abilities. They will spend both days and nights in some of the most extreme conditions the planet has to offer. They will test all of their limits.
A challenging ski expedition crossing the uneven and broken pack ice of the Polar Sea. Each team member pulls his or her own sled which weighs between 60-80 lbs (30-40 kilo). The skiing, though not technically difficult, is very rigorous and it requires excellent cardio vascular endurance and muscular strength. At any given moment team members may feel exhilarated and accomplished, or overwhelmed by difficult terrain. It’s all in a day’s work on this classic expedition which truly is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
This expedition includes a 5 day polar shakedown training trip in northern Minnesota in the United States in January 2009 or a 3 day Polar Shakedown training trip near Longyearbyen just prior to the expedition.
The North Pole: Did You Know?
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- At the North Pole, the Sun is permanently above the horizon during the summer months and permanently below the horizon during the winter months.
- The North Pole is significantly warmer than the South Pole because it lies at sea level in the middle of an ocean (which acts as a reservoir of heat), rather than at altitude in a continental land mass.
- Winter (January) temperatures at the North Pole can range from about ?43 °C (?45 °F) to ?26 °C (?15 °F), perhaps averaging around ?34 °C (?30 °F). Summer temperatures (June, July and August) average around the freezing point (0 °C, 32 °F).
- The sea ice at the North Pole is typically around two or three meters thick, though there is considerable variation and occasionally the movement of floes exposes clear water.
- Polar bears are believed rarely to travel beyond about 82° North owing to the scarcity of food, though tracks have been seen in the vicinity of the North Pole, and a 2006 expedition reported sighting a polar bear just one mile (1.6 km) from the Pole. The ringed seal has also been seen at the Pole, and Arctic foxes have been observed less than 60 km away at 89°40? N.
- Birds seen at or very near the Pole include the Snow Bunting, Northern Fulmar and Black-legged Kittiwake, though some bird sightings may be distorted by the fact that birds tend to follow ships and expeditions.
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