February 2009

2008 Season Highlights

September 2008

2008-09 season expedition links

September 2008

ALE supports Exploration of Lake Ellsworth

July 2005

ALE celebrates 20 years of private travel to Antarctica

December 2003

ALE purchases Adventure Network International

August 2003

Antarctic Logistic Support for the 2003/4 Season

2008 Season Highlights

It's been a busy and exciting season at Patriot Hills camp. Twelve expeditions skied successfully from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole, including several solo unsupported expeditions. Todd Carmichael set a speed record from Hercules Inlet to the pole in 39 days, 7 hours and 49 minutes - walking most of the way after his ski bindings broke early in the expedition. This speed record was broken in January when the i2p South Pole Quest team of Richard Weber, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Vallely, raced to the pole in just 33 days, 23 hours and 30 minutes.

Our ANI Ski South Pole groups successfully completed their expeditions in 53 days from Hercules Inlet and 42 days from the Messner start. One team member from each group opted to kite-ski back to Patriot Hills. Cancer survivor Tom Davenport and ANI guide Sarah McNair-Landry completed their return journey in 12 days. While Jeremy Rogers and ANI guide Ronny Finsas covered the distance in just 10 days.

The Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition released the following statement on arrival at the Pole, "After 100 years, five descendants of Shackleton's Nimrod expedition have stood at the Pole, and in so doing, completed 'unfinished family business'." The Ice Team followed Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition route, from the Ross Sea, up the Beardmore Glacier, and across the plateau to the pole in 66 days. A second team began their expedition 97 miles from the pole, where Shackleton was forced to turn back 100 years ago.

More records were broken during the 4th Antarctic Ice Marathon race. Clear, sunny skies and firm snow underfoot provided ideal conditions for the race. Miles Cudmore (UK) led the pack to win the Men's marathon and set a new event record, 4.36.53 hrs. Kirsi Montonen (FIN) led the women's race, also setting a new event record, 05.03.48

Marc de Keyser (BEL) and Pushpa Chandra (CAN) took top honors in the Men's and Women's 100km Ultra-marathon, setting a new Men's event record 12.49.51 hrs; and Women's event record 18.33.08 hrs.

ALE was pleased to continue our support for government science and logistic projects.

We were honoured by a visit from Prince Albert II of Monaco as part of a major expedition to more than 20 research centres in Antarctica to learn about the impact of climate change and to celebrate Monaco's accession to the Antarctic Treaty in 2008. The Prince is the only Head of State to have travelled to both North and South poles in a quest to raise awareness of the importance of environmental protection.

A group of scientists from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, part of the Brazilian Antarctic Program, were flown to Mt. St Johns where they drilled a 75 m ice core that will complete one of the gaps in the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE) snow sampling net over Antarctica. A second group undertook atmospheric and geological studies in the Independence Hills.

A team from the Korean Polar Research Institute, KORDI, continued their multi-year meteorite study near the Moulton Escarpment with logistic support provided by ALE.

Researchers from the Centro de Estudios Cientificos (Center for Scientific Studies, Valdivia, Chile) conducted glacier flow rate and bedrock studies at the Union Glacier.

Field groups and flights from British Antarctic Survey called in at our camp at Patriot Hills on several occasions to refuel and enjoy a short break during their lengthy research programs.

Now the 2008 season has drawn to a close. ALE personnel have disassembled camp ready for the winter. Waste and equipment for repair have been returned to Punta Arenas, while supplies for next season have been carefully cached, ready for the advance team who will arrive in October to start the 2009 season. We'd like to thank all of our ANI guests for travelling with us, and congratulate all of the successful expeditions. We look forward to seeing you on the ice in 2009!

Check the web pages below for information about 2008-09 expeditions supported by ALE.

ANI Ski South Pole All the Way
Four adventurers, including Steven Gates, Kari Gundeso, Ross Maxwell, and cancer survivor Tom Davenport will ski from Hercules Inlet on the coast of Antarctica to the Geographic South Pole with ANI guide Sarah McNair-Landry. Sarah grew up in the Canadian Arctic and at age 22 is already a veteran Arctic and Antarctic explorer. Information about our Ski South Pole expeditions can be found on the ANI website.
ANI website: www.adventure-network.com
Ross Maxwell's website: www.rossmaxwell.co.nz
Steven Gates' website: www.basefx.com.au/expedition/
Tom Davenport's website: www.fromend2end.net

ANI Ski South Pole - Messner Start
Five more adventurers, including Daragh Horgan, Jill Maxwell and Doug
Oppenheim, will ski from the Ronne Ice Shelf on the Antarctic coast, to the Geographic South Pole, guided by polar explorer, dog musher, adventure racer and educator, Eric Larsen. Information about our Ski South Pole expeditions can be found on the ANI website.
ANI website: www.adventure-network.com
Jill Maxwell's blog: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~jillmax/
Daragh Horgan's website: www.icecoldchallenge.com

Hvitserk Ski South Pole - Messner Start
Polar Guiding company Hvitserk, will also lead an expedition from the Ronne Ice Shelf to the South Pole.

Solo Antarctica
Mark Langridge's Antarctic vision began at age 10, when he browsed through a copy of the book, Scott's Last Expedition. Mark will attempt to ski solo, unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back, laying his own depots along the way.
www.soloantarctica.com

Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition
Descendants of Sir Ernest Shackleton's band of Antarctic explorers will recreate the 1909 Nimrod Expedition. Where their ancestors were forced to turn back 97 nm from the South Pole, they will continue on, finishing the task 100 years (to the day) later.
www.shackletoncentenary.org

British South Pole Expedition 2008
Gavin Booth and Adam Wilton will ski unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, raising funds for the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.
www.britishsouthpole.com

Subzero Solo
Todd Carmichael will attempt to become the first American Explorer ever to complete a solo and unaided trek from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.
www.subzerosolo.com

Brazilian Julio Fiadi will traverse from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole using an innovative sled-for-shelter.

Finnish South Pole Expedition
Kari "Poppis" Suomela and mate Pasi Ikonen will ski unsupported to the South Pole, via the classic route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.
http://www.thepole.fi/indexengl.php

SouthSolo
Robert Knight became the youngest Australian to ski to the North Pole in 2007, completing a 100+km expedition over the Arctic Ocean to the top of the world. He now hopes to become the youngest person ever to ski solo and unsupported from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole.
http://www.southsolo.com/

Maria Lago Rey
High altitude climber Chus Lago is no stranger to Antarctica. In 2004 she climbed a new route on Mt. Vinson. Now she will ski solo from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.

Teemu Lakkasuo
Teemu is a Finnish outdoor and adventure professional who specializes in solo expeditions. He will ski solo unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole.
http://www.southpole.fi/motor.html

2008 i2P South Pole Quest
Ultra-runner Ray Zahab, world-class ultra-athlete Kevin Valalie, and polar explorer Richard Weber will undertake a self-supported, "impossible 2 Possible" 680 mile speed trek from Hercules Inlet to the geographic South Pole in a record time of 35 days.
www.southpolequest.com

Duncan Chessell will lead will lead an 80 km Ellsworth Mountains Safari Expedition from the Rutford Ice Stream to Vinson Base on the Branscomb Glacier. The team will attempt Mt Vinson and also plan to climb Mts. Shinn and Tyree, completing the three highest peaks in Antarctica.

Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions supports Exploration of Lake Ellsworth

Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE), has provided logistic support for several visits to Lake Ellsworth, northwest of Mt. Vinson. We sent our tractor train there in January 2006 with Chilean glaciologists from the Centro de Estudios Cientificos to undertake a short survey of Lake Ellsworth to help to determine the size and extent of the lake.

A four-person team were deployed by BAS, with ALE support, between November 2007 and February 2008 and reported on UK ITN News. Using seismic and radar surveys, they were able to map the outline of the lake, measure its depth and evaluate whether sediments, which could contain a record of ice sheet history, are present on the lake floor.

ALE took part in meetings with the Ellsworth group in early 2008 and formed part of a full proposal to explore the lake made in July 2008 to the UK Natural Environment Research Council by the Lake Ellsworth Consortium. This project aims to drill through the overlying ice sheet into the lake water, before deploying a probe (to test for life in the lake) and a sediment corer (to recover sediment from the lake-floor).

View project details at www.geos.ed.ac.uk/research/ellsworth/ and www.geos.ed.ac.uk/research/ellsworth/chilean_expedition.html

The proposed exploration of Lake Ellsworth is a component of a plan to explore Antarctic Subglacial Lake Environments (a SCAR research programme). Subglacial Antarctic Lake Exploration

ALE celebrates 20 years of private travel to Antarctica

In 2005 ALE joins Adventure Network International (ANI) to celebrate 20 years of private travel to the interior of Antarctica. ALE purchased ANI in November 2003. Building on a solid infrastructure, and proven safety and environmental record, over the past two years ALE has consolidated its reputation as the only operator providing reliable expedition support and private travel to the interior of Antarctica.

2005 is a milestone year. By the end of the season, the combined companies will have helped more than 1000 adventurers climb Vinson Massif, more than 500 private travelers stand at the Geographic South Pole, and more than 70 expeditions realize their dreams.

Mike Sharp our Operations manager says, "The logistics of operating in the Antarctic are enormous and while we may leave the ice for a number of months each year, the planning and organization never really stops."

As we celebrate 20 years of innovation and operation we look forward to new initiatives and new cooperative ventures, including

• Our guided 2005 Ski South Pole All the Way expedition - an extreme journey guaranteed to challenge even the most intrepid adventurer.
• Expeditions that celebrate Antarctic history through the use of traditional techniques and equipment; and others that embrace "new" techniques such as kiting in their quest to break Transantarctic records.
• Support for every explorer's dream from youth expeditions to partially able adventurers.
• The first Antarctic Ice Marathon at Patriot Hills. This new program is offered in conjunction with Polar Running Adventures, who organize a North Pole Marathon.
• We're deeply involved in planning for the International Polar Year in 2007 when scientists from round the world will come together to pool resources to crack polar "problems". Such international polar collaboration has led to the discovery of the Ozone Hole, Climate Change and other world changing science.

Extra information:

ALE is a full member of IAATO, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, and we are dedicated to promoting sustainable and environmentally sound tourism in Antarctica.

Safety in Antarctica and for all our operations is a key ALE priority. Every client completes detailed questionnaires to make sure they are fit for the journey. Every expedition has its kit checked before we fly them to Antarctica.

Each year we offer an exciting range of programs through our subsidiary company, ANI, that reflect our roots - Vinson Massif climbs, South Pole Flights and guided expeditions to the South Pole.

Expeditions are flown from Punta Arenas to our summer base camp at Patriot Hills, Antarctica, a 4½ hour flight by large transport jet aircraft.

ALE is a US company with an office in Salt Lake City. Support in Punta Arenas Chile is provided by Adventure Network Antártida Ltda.

The managers and staff of ALE have between them the collective experience of over 100 years working in Antarctica.

Please contact us if you have any further questions about our expedition logistics or program offerings.

Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions purchases Adventure Network International

On the eve of the first commercial polar flight of the 2003/04 season, Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE) is delighted to announce that it has completed the acquisition of the pioneering commercial Antarctic tour operator, Adventure Network International (ANI). ANI postponed its Antarctic flight operations earlier this year after 18 successful seasons. Under the terms of the agreement with the company's previous owners, ANI will continue to trade as a provider of Antarctic tourism.

The purchase of ANI has further strengthened ALE's operational capability in Antarctica. ALE is now the only organisation offering expedition support and tours to the interior of Antarctica, including Mount Vinson (the continent's highest mountain and one of the Seven Summits) and the South Pole.

David Rootes, one of ALE's directors and a veteran Antarctic hand, said of the purchase: "Over two decades ANI built a global reputation for safe flight operations in Antarctica, coupled with an unblemished environmental record. We intend to build on this solid foundation by delivering an unparalleled level of client safety, as well as working hard in every aspect of our business to preserve the Antarctic environment."

The purchase of ANI's assets in Antarctica allows ALE to utilise the existing summer camp facilities at Patriot Hills, the centre for Antarctic flight operations. This will enable ALE to deliver a higher level of comfort to its clients in its first season than had previously been calculated. Furthermore, all this can be offered to expeditions without any environmental penalty since there is now no need to fly in additional base camp equipment from South America.

Grand Expeditions, Inc., the previous owners of ANI, will continue to promote the ALE/ANI product in the USA.

For more information on ANI, visit www.adventure-network.com

Antarctic Logistic Support for the 2003/2004 Season

A group of us, including Mike Sharp, David Rootes, Nick Lewis, Peter McDowell and Mike McDowell, have joined together to form a new company, Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions LLC, to provide logistic support for expeditions to Antarctica. We will operate from Patriot Hills, Antarctica, for the 2003/2004 season.

Each person in this group has extensive Antarctic experience, including experience with Patriot Hills operations and logistics. The aim of the group will be to offer support logistics and operations for Mt Vinson climbing groups as well as private expeditions along the general route to the South Pole.

The season will start around mid-November and finish around the end of January. Transportation between Punta Arenas, Chile, and the Patriot Hills camp will be facilitated using a large Ilyushin 76 transport aircraft while “on ice” transportation will be completed with a Twin Otter and a second support aircraft (still to be chosen). Contracts for these aircraft are being negotiated.

A basic camp, run by experienced personnel, will be set up at Patriot Hills. All necessary equipment will be purchased and transported to Patriot Hills on the first Ilyushin 76 flight.

A strong environmental ethic will underlay Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions LLC operations. Authority to operate in Antarctica is being sought from the relevant agencies and environmental documentation is being prepared. Application will be made to join the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO).

Many of the expeditions cancelled by Adventure Network International have been in contact with members of our consortium. We are actively discussing the possibilities for their expedition with them. Contact with further groups is welcome.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

Best regards,

Mike McDowell, Peter McDowell, Mike Sharp, David Rootes and Nick Lewis