NEWS

News in this edition:
41-01. Adventurer Rescued Following Avalanche, Fall.
41-02. NAE Pair Complete Trans-Antarctic Journey.
41-03. Transport Arranged For NAE Trekkers As Season Nears End.
41-04. National, International, Scrutiny Expected Of EAP/NAE Performance.
41-05. 'Braveheart' Barred By Heavy Ice, Flight Made to B17B.
41-06. Decision Time Near For 'Your Expedition' Pair.
41-07. Mount Roots, South Georgia, Climbed For First Time.
41-08. Kayakers Head For Circle, But Recent Progress Unknown.
41-09. 'Seamaster' Reaches George VI Sound, Ice Delays Departure.
41-10. QMLIE Completes Climbing, Traverse Programs.
41-11. Yacht 'Spirit of Sydney' Heads Slowly Northwards.
41-12. Peninsula Climbing Plans Altered, Then Cancelled.
41-13. KGI Marathons Cancelled, Events Run On 'Lyubov Orlova'.
41-14. ATV Used Improves Ross Sea Visit Options.
41-15. Mir Deorbit Deferred, Flight To Observe Re-entry Proposed.
41-16. Removal Of Private Expedition Hut Deferred.
41-17. Injured Passenger Air Lifted From 'Kapitan Khlebnikov'.
41-18. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.

IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation concerned.

Australian adventurer Peter Bland was seriously injured on 30 January when an avalanche carried him over a fifteen metre ice fall as he and his companion Jay Watson were descending to sea level from the plateau above Charcot Bay in the north-western Antarctic Peninsula. Following the accident it took the combined efforts of the crew of the expedition support yacht 'Tooluka', the tour ship 'Marco Polo', and personnel, a helicopter and aircraft from the Chilean national program, to retrieve Bland from the crevasse and deliver him to hospital in Punta Arenas, Chile, where he is now recovering.

When the incident occured Bland and Watson were three weeks into a journey that was supposed to take them some 220 km along the plateau of the Antarctic Peninsula from Hope Bay in the north-east to Charlotte Bay on the north-west coast (ANAN-33/08, 25 October 2000). The venture was conducted under the name 'Expedition Antarctic Peninsula' (EAP).

The trek, which was to have commenced around 6 January, actually started on the 12th as 'Tooluka' was delayed leaving Ushuaia, Argentina, as the kayaks the two men were to use as sledges and for water transport went missing en route from Australia. The late start was of concern as the original timetable for the expedition was very tight as Peter and Jay had to reach Charlotte Bay by 7 February, a deadline that had been set well prior to the expedition commencing because of Tooluka's committment to pick up the three New Zealand kayakers late this month (see ANAN-41/08 following and ANAN-33/12 and ANAN-33/13, 25 October 2000).

Just before the two reached the 1,800 m high plateau in late January after two weeks of difficult travel (ANAN-40/05, 31 January 2001), they realised that they would not be able to reach Charlotte Bay in time to meet 'Tooluka'. Instead of retreating however they elected to continue the ascent and trek southwards down the plateau, and decided that they would descend to sea level near Charcot Bay, well north of their original target Charlotte Bay. These plans were relayed to 'Tooluka' via HF radio, the trekkers having elected not to take their Inmarsat M satellite communications unit with them to save weight.

Once they reached plateau level on 25 January, Bland and Watson made good progress southwards although most of the journey was undertaken in whiteout conditions, the pair relying on their global positioning system navigation units to keep track of their location (ANAN-21/10, 10 May 2000).

The two men commenced the descent to Charcot Bay on 30 January in continuing poor conditions, however by the time they had reached the 1,200 m elevation they were forced to camp as strong winds and heavy snow had developed and they were concerned about finding an appropriate path around an ice cliff which lay ahead of them. While they were setting up the camp, and as Watson was inside preparing equipment and Bland was outside about ten metres away, an avalanche swept through the area, missing the tent but carrying Peter down slope and over the fifteen metre ice cliff.

Because of the high winds it took Jay sometime to realise what had happened, but after locating his companion it took him four hours in the conditions that prevailed, to find a suitable route down to where Bland lay. At that time, and for some time afterwards, Bland was unconcious. Watson then returned up slope and retrieved enough equipment so that he could set up a suitable shelter over his companion.

Realising Peter was badly injured, Jay called 'Tooluka' via HF radio for assistance. The yacht, which was waiting near Charcot Bay, landed three of its crew in Linblad Cove, just to the south-west of Auster Point early on 31 January and they commenced the climb to the accident spot.

By good fortune the tour ship 'Marco Polo', which is operated by the U.S. based Orient Lines and is the only tour ship working the Peninsula area with a helicopter, was in the general vicinity and was contacted early on the morning of the 31st and asked to assist. The ship, which at the time was en route from Port Lockroy to Paradise Harbour, immediately diverted to Charcot Bay and arrived there that afternoon after a 200 km dash. It was not possible however for the helicopter to fly to the accident site that day as cloud still enveloped the area, but it was able to deliver a fully charged radio to the rescue party later as their batteries were running low.

'Marco Polo' remained on standby in Charcot Bay until mid-morning of 1 February in case the cloud ceiling lifted, and until a helicopter and a Twin Otter aircraft from the Chilean national program Tenente Marsh air field on King George Island 150 km to the north arrived to assist with the rescue. 'Marco Polo', which had over 400 passengers on board, had planned to offer them the opportunity of the traditional 'landing on the continent' at Paradise Bay, however it was able to make some use of its time in Charcot Bay by giving those on board the chance to 'very briefly' step ashore there.

Tooluka's climbing party reached the two trekkers on the afternoon of the 1st and provided initial first aid, however despite making several attempts the Chilean helicopter was unable to reach the spot that day due to continuing cloudy conditions. As a result the four who were now with Bland carried him down the ice slope to the 800 m level overnight in the hope of getting below cloud level by the next morning, however the helicopter was able to reach the party early the next day as conditions in the area had improved dramatically.

The helicopter ferried Bland, and Andrew Watson brother of Jay who was one of the rescuers, from Charcot Bay to the hospital at Chile's Presidente Aduardo Frei station on King George Island, while Jay and the other two in the rescue party returned down the ice slope to 'Tooluka'. Andrew had become ill during rescue operations.

The initial diagnoses made by doctors at Frei was that Bland had fractured his scull, pelvis, ribs, and ankle, and his speech was affected, and while his condition and Watson's health problems were stabilised while there, full specialist treatment could not be provided until after a Chilean Air Force C-130 'Hercules' aircraft flew the pair to Punta Arenas on 7 February. At last report Bland's speech is still slow, but improving, and doctors hope that he will have recovered sufficiently so that he can fly back to Austraia sometime in the next week. The long-term prognosis is that he is expected to make a full recovery, however a long period of rehabilitation is likely to be required.

After a day's rest at Deception Island, 'Tooluka' headed north for Ushuaia where it arrived on 9 February. It left there for its second voyage to the Peninsula this season on 12 February, and is currently headed for the Adelaide Island area to pick up the New Zealand kayak trio (see ANAN-41/08 following).

While the incident appears to have ended well in that Bland seems likely to make a full recovery, Australian authorities are concerned about many aspects of the planning and execution of the EAP, and particularly that despite the concerns that they expressed prior to the expedition's departure, they had little formal ability to ensure that program plans had been made in an appropriate, thorough, manner.

The Australian national program intends to conduct a full review of the venture in order to ensure that they understand what happened, how it happened, and what steps are required to try and ensure that its nationals who are planning activities in Antarctica are fully and suitably prepared for the activity they propose to conduct.

The incident is also likely to be part of discussions at a number of Antarctic Treaty and other forums later this year on matters related to the management of small-scale non-government activities (see ANAN-41/04 following).

[ANAN-41/01]

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Norwegian Antarctic Expedition (NAE) pair Eirik Sønneland and Rolf Bae arrived at Ross Island early on 5 February after successfully completing a 2,900 km, 107 day, un-supported crossing of the Antarctic continent from Troll station in Dronning Maud Land (ANAN-27/02, 2 August 2000). After a week spent seeking transport, the two men embarked on the tour vessel 'Akademic Shokalskiy' yesterday (see ANAN-41/03 following), however despite their success it seems likely that NAE's performance in a number of key areas will trigger discussions about such adventure activities in Antarctic Treaty and other forums later this year (see ANAN-41/04 following).

Reports from Ross Island indicate that Eirik and Rolf endured the stresses of their long journey well, and that they were in good condition at the end of their trek. At the end of the journey the two men are believed to have had three days of breakfasts, about seven days of lunches, and fifteen days of fuel left, and in the circumstances the New Zealand national program accommodated them at Scott Base and allowed them to use its facilities in the nine days that elapsed between their arrival and departure on 'Shokalskiy'.

Bae and Sønneland's main problem after leaving the South Geographic Pole on 22 December was lack of wind which meant that they had to man haul most of the way northwards as their parasails could not be used frequently enough (ANAN-40/03, 31 January 2001). They were able to use their sails on three days while crossing the Ross Ice Shelf, and on one day made a remarkable 210 km, however otherwise the opportunities for parasailing were very limited.

As a result of the generally slow progress they missed what they saw as the opportunity to depart Ross Island on the tour vessel 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' on 30 January. As ANAN understands it, transport on that vessel had not been formally arranged (ANAN-40/04, 31 January 2001), however despite a number of requests to NAE headquarters for comment, it has not been possible to obtain the expedition's views on that situation.

The two men also said that the reason no details of their position had been available since 10 January was that the aerial on their Orbcomm satellite communications unit (ANAN-32/06, 11 October 2000) broke off as they were descending the Axel Heiberg Glacier in mid-January. Such an accident does not explain however just why only two position reports had been received from the two men in the seven weeks prior to that, or why other back-up systems were not available to them.

It is understood that the NAE pair had two, possibly three, Orbcomm units with them, however only one reportedly worked for much of the crossing but this was rendered useless when its antennae was broken, thus prevented any communications being sent to the outside world; although the two men did have emergency beacons. Reports suggest that the trekkers were not able to tell at any time whether or not any of their Orbcomm units were working properly, and that they also experienced other problems with their use.

A communications engineer familiar with Orbcomm use in Antarctica told ANAN that the system can be tricky for those not well briefed on its nuances. Several other traverse parties have experienced problems with the Orbcomm system this season, and it seems likely that had the Iridium system been available to the NAE they may not have had such difficulties with communications (ANAN-36/03, 6 December 2000 and ANAN-18/01, 29 March 2000).

[ANAN-41/02]

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Arrangements have finally been made by the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition (NAE) for its trans-continental trekkers Eirik Sønneland and Rolf Bae to leave Antarctica on the tour ship 'Akademic Shokalskiy', after what ANAN understands has been a 'flurry' of activity and negotiations over the past week, and the two men are now on their way to New Zealand (see ANAN-41/02 preceding). The move comes only ten days before all national program air and sea links between Ross Island and the outside world are due to cease and the area's six month period of isolation for the 2001 austral winter begins.

Following their surprise attempt at a trans-Antarctic crossing, which was only revealed publicily after they left the South Geographic Pole on 22 December, NAE headquarters had suggested that there were several options by which Sønneland and Bae could leave Antarctica, although it never spelt these out in any detail (ANAN-39/09, 17 January 2001).

NAE's transport options were reduced further as a result of their slow travel across the Ross Ice Shelf due to lack of wind, and the trekers were unable to arrive at Ross Island by the time the tour ship 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' left the area on 30 January; although no formal agreement for transport on that, or any other non-government vessel, was in place prior to the completion of their trek (see ANAN-41/02 preceding and ANAN-40/04, 31 January 2001).

In the week after their arrival at Ross Island on 5 February, NAE headquarters in Norway are believed to have been engaged in considerable negotiations to arrange both transport for the two men from Antarctica, and to obtain the funds involved from family, friends and other sources.

It is understood that there have also been discussions about the situation between a number national program authorities. During those talks, the U.S. national program, which has the ability to transport Bae and Sønneland from Ross Island by both sea and air prior to season's end next week, made clear its long standing and well publicised views on the need for non-government expeditions to operate in a self-sufficient manner. Sources indicate however that as a humanitarian gesture they offered to repatriate the pair by air or sea to New Zealand provided the U.S. program was reimbursed for the costs involved, however it seems likely that the cost was beyond Bae and Sønneland's means.

An attempt was apparently made by Antarctic enthusiastics outside the region last week to try and arrange free passage for the two men with the owners of the U.S. national program chartered vessel 'Archangelgracht' which is to deliver cargo to McMurdo station over the next few days, however this proposal was reportedly blocked by U.S. authorities.

Given the U.S. position, and following 'Khlebnikov's departure, only two non-government related options remained by which the two men could leave Antarctica. One was to obtain berths on the New Zealand tour company Heritage Expeditions' ship 'Akademic Shokalskiy', and the other on the Australian company Ocean Frontiers' vessel 'Sir Hubert Wilkins', which is to retrieve Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnsesen should they reach McMurdo Sound late this month (see ANAN-41/06 following).

A report received this morning Australian time indicates that Bae and Sønneland embarked on 'Shokalskiy' late on 13 February, some funds apparently having been found to cover costs available for their passage from Antarctica.

The ship, which was then at the edge of the fast ice in the vicinity of Cape Royds, used one of its all-terrain vehicles (ATV) to pick up the men from Hut Point adjacent to McMurdo station. The ATV had to make a fifty kilometre round-trip across the fast ice as the channel into McMurdo had refrozen and the icebreaker 'Polar Star' and its helicopters were conducting operations in the vicinity of Cape Adare some 700 km to the north. This is the first season Heritage Expeditions has used ATVs in Antarctica (see ANAN-41/14 following)

Shokalskiy's operator, New Zealand based Heritage Expeditions, told ANAN just prior to the commencement of the current voyage that its vessel would be at its SOLAS 'personnel on board' limit during this visit to the Ross Island region, and that it would therefore not have the capacity to carry the two Norwegians (ANAN-40/03, 31 Janaury 2001).

While it has not been possible for ANAN to clarify the position with the company, it is most unlikely that the SOLAS limit would have been exceeded, and the ship may therefore have sailed south with fewer people on board than was previously anticipated, thus allowing the Norwegians to be carried.

'Sir Hubert Wilkins' is believed to have the capacity to carry Bae and Sønneland however there is still no guarantee that the vessel will actually reach the vicinity of Ross Island (see ANAN-41/06 following).

Such an arrangement would however have had a number of implications for the Bancroft-Arnesen venture should the two reach the ship, including that the two women, who are engaged in a 'for profit' venture, would have had to share the media spotlight in Hobart, Australia, with their fellow trans-Antarctic trekkers. While it is likely that the two men would have been accommodated had it been necessary, such an arrangement would been an awkward one in the circumstances.

'Shokalskiy' is due to leave the Ross Sea region over the next few days, and arrive in Bluff, New Zealand, via the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands on 24 February. It is not known what if any arrangements have been made for Eirik and Rolf to return to Norway from New Zealand.

[ANAN-41/03]

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Problems experienced by a number of national program operators this season as a result of difficulties encountered by small-scale non-government ventures such as Expedition Antarctic Peninsula (EAP) and the Norwegian Antarctic Expediition (NAE) (see ANAN-41/01, 41/02 and 41/03 respectively), appear likely to trigger both evaluations at the national level of the circumstances involved, and discussions at a number of Antarctic Treaty and other forums later this year.

The need to divert, at considerable cost, resources from both national program and non-government operations to mount what in the circumstances was a complex and potentially dangerous rescue operation for the EAP venture, underscores the problems that can still occur if the resources available to support activities in Antarctica are inadequate, and planning is not carried out in a thorough manner.

Similarly, and even though a full-scale rescue did not have to be mounted for the NAE in the field, the way it planned and conducted its operations required considerable attention and time being given to it by a number of national program agencies, and could have presented an even more complex rescue scenario had an incident occured during the long trek across Antarctica, particularly given that little detail was available about their locations for much of the time.

Expedition Antarctic Peninsula pair Peter Bland and Jay Watson were formally warned by Australian authorities in the lead up to their venture about the limited time that was available for the planned program, the nature of the areas which border the plateau, the very high possibility that they would often have to travel in whiteout conditions, the lack of suitable options that were available to them for retreat once they were there, and that if they got into difficulties that they were likely to have to call on outside assistance to rescue them and therefore should ensure they had adequate insurance cover (ANAN-37/05, 20 December 2000).

While acknowledging the warnings however, it seems clear that the pair did not adequately consider just what they were trying to attempt or to prepare themselves accordingly, nor did they arrange any insurance for their venture. Australian authorities have made arrangements with the EAP to conduct a detailed examination of the way in which it prepared for the traverse program (see ANAN-41/01 preceding).

While there has been general acknowledgement of Sønneland and Bae's Norwegian Antarctic Expedition (NAE) achievement in crossing Antarctica, and relief that they completed their journey safely, reaction to their accomplishment has been mixed. The media, many Antarctic station personnel, and Antarctic enthusiasts in a number of countries have focused on the achievement alone, however national program managers in a number of countries, and some non-government commercial operators, are known to be concerned about the manner in which the NAE appears to have planned and conducted its operations.

Those concerns relate to reports from Ross Island which suggest Bae and Sønneland always wanted to attempt a crossing of the continent. It is understood that the NAE made no reference to such a journey in formal documentation submitted to Norwegian authorities prior to the expedition's departure south late in 1999, and as a result information distributed by that nation under Antarctic Treaty System exchange mechanisms in the lead up to the 2000-01 season said only that a traverse was to be made to the South Geographic Pole.

NAE's document, which was submitted as required under Norwegian legislation, is also understood to have stated that on arrival at the Pole the trekkers were to be air lifted from there to South America by commercial air operator Adventure Network International, however ANAN has been told by that company that no such arrangements were ever made (ANAN-39/09, 17 January 2001). Despite a number of attempts it has not yet been possible however for ANAN to obtain the NAE's view of that matter.

Given the support Norwegain authorites gave to the NAE in transporting them to Antarctica and allowing them to use Troll station for the winter (ANAN-27/03, 2 August 2000), the fact that they were not informed of the crossing plans at any stage is likely to result in an investigation of the issued involved being carried out in Norway.

Such basic uncertainties about the expedition's intentions have been compounded by other serious issues, such as its apparent failure to secure search and rescue services for the duration of their trek, to provide reliable on-going advice about the trekkers' position and condition, or to arrange transport from Antarctica well prior to arrival of the trekkers at Ross Island. Concerns have also been expressed about the 'inadequecies' of the group's headquarters operation in Norway, including that even allowing for the communications difficulties, it frequently demonstrated little understanding of what may, or may not, have been happening on the ice.

National program authorities in several nations, and some commercial non-government operators, are known to be concerned at what appears to be a growth in the number of small-scale, non-government, adventure expeditions who are attempting to conduct activities without sufficiently considering, and preparing to deal with, the difficulties the Antarctic region continues to present for those who visit there.

A number of observers have expressed the view to ANAN that it is becoming harder for all of the many ventures that are now being conducted in Antarctica to raise sufficient funds to adequately cover their needs, and that rather than cancel their plans or wait until resources are available as some have done (see ANAN-41/06 and 41/12 following), expedition organisers are pushing on in the hope that all will go according to plan.

One official from a European country who did not wish to be named, told ANAN that is his view, it was inevitable that further incidents involving small-scale ventures will occur unless the Treaty System considers the issue and 'comes up with an adequate response', although he was keen to see that anything that might result from such discussions was not 'overly draconian'.

Such comments, and those by others in the Antarctic government and non-government community who have spoken to ANAN, appear certain to result in the issues involved being raised at this year's Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Russia which will probably be held sometime in May-June, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators 2001 meeting in the U.S. mid-July, and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs annual gathering in The Netherlands in August.

[ANAN-41/04]

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Pack ice has prevented the 'Ice Island' expedition vessel 'Braveheart' from reaching any of the very large icebergs in the Ross Sea region that were the target of the venture's documentary and scientific program (ANAN-39/03, 17 January 2001). Despite this, limited reports available from the ship indicate that it was able to get within 30-40 kilometres of the B17B iceberg, that personnel were deployed there for 'a day and a night' by helicopter, and that filming and diving activities have been undertaken in the vicinity of smaller icebergs encountered during the voyage.

'Braveheart' appears to have met pack ice in the northern reaches of the Ross Sea around 29 January after what was described as a 'very rough' voyage from Lyttleton, New Zealand. The route southward taken by the vessel suggests that its first target was B17B, a forty by sixteen kilometre fragment of last year's massive calving from the Ross Ice Shelf which is currently located within the pack ice zone in the north-central Ross Sea area (ANAN-39/02, 17 January 2001).

Once in the pack, the ship spent four to five days trying to reach B17B, however the way ahead was blocked by what was described as 'heavy ice', and despite frequent ice reconnaissance flights by the ship's Hughes 300 helicopter, a suitable route southwards could not be found. Reports indicate that during the first few days in the ice, expedition filming activities commenced and that some underwater work was carried out in the vicinity of smaller icebergs in the area, although this work was interupted for several days by bad weather.

It appears that sometime in the period 3-4 February the decision was taken to cease attempts to reach B17B as there was, according to the expedition's web site, "too much danger of [the ship] getting stuck and not being able to retreat". It is likely that the ship's reported lack of any significant ice strengthening would have been a key factor in making that decision, as last week's ice analysis from the National Ice Centre in the U.S. suggests that pack ice of up to nine tenths concentration lay between 'Braveheart' and B17B.

A decision was probably taken at the same time to conduct a visit by air to B17B with the ship's sole single-engined Hughes 300 helicopter. The 'Ice Island' web site says that a good photographic record was obtained of B17B as a result of this operation, although it is not known how many people were placed on the iceberg, whether the helicopter remained with them, or what contingency plans existed in the event that the retrieval of those involved had not been possible. Given the helicopter's limited capacity and the flight distance involved however, it would surprise if more than two people visited B17B.

After completing work in the area north of the large iceberg, 'Braveheart' quickly headed west overnight on 7-8 February, and has spent much of the last week within a few tens of kilometres of Cape Adare and Cape Hallett, conducting filming and diving activities as conditions allowed.

Reports from the Ross Sea receieved yesterday by ANAN indicate that 'Braveheart' is to head north from the Cape Adare area sometime today New Zealand time. That information is consistent with the ship's pre-voyage schedule, which indicated that it was to travel north to New Zealand via the Balleny Islands and Campbell Island, with arrival in either Dunedin or Lyttleton put at around 10 March.

Last week's ice analysis and recent ship reports from the Balleny Islands area suggest that ice in that vicinity may preclude Braveheart's proposed visit there.

[ANAN-41/05]

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'Your Expedition' pair Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen face a crucial decision during the next few days on whether to proceed with, or abandon, their attempt to cross Antarctica from Dronning Maud Land to Ross Island. The two women, who reached the Ross Ice Shelf at the bottom of the Shackleton Glacier on 12 February, still have 780 km to travel to Ross Island and face a probably impossible task of completing the journey by season's end late next week.

Over the past two weeks Bancroft and Arnesen have only managed to travel a total of 315 km at an average of just over twenty kilometres per day, less than half the daily progress they needed to achieve if they were to have a chance of reaching Ross Island on time (ANAN-40/06, 31 January 2001).

The descent down the Shackleton Glacier was always expected to be slow however and like Norwegians Sønneland and Rolf Bae before them in January however (see ANAN-41/02 preceding), the two women experience little wind as they approached the head of the glacier and were unable to use their parasails to any effect; that and continuing soft snow conditions severely limiting their progress.

If they are to travel the remaining 780 km in the eight days that are left, Ann and Liv must have wind of sufficient strength and direction such that they can use their parasails to travel close to 100 km a day. At the same time however other weather parameters must be favourable such that visibility and surface definition are sufficient so that they can proceed with an appropriate degree of safety.

The chances that all these factors will be present together over an eight day period appear very slim, and Ann and Liv, their headquarters staff in the U.S., the operators of their chartered ship 'Sir Hubert Wilkins', and staff and aircrews at Adventure Network International's (ANI) field camp in the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land, can be expected to contribute to discussions of the situation as it unfolds over the next few days.

While the two women were making their way northwards, their chartered ship the 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' left Hobart, Australia, on 5 February bound for Ross Island to pick them up. The ship is expected to enter the Ross Sea sometime today New Zealand time somewhere in the vicinity of Cape Adare and if ice conditions allow it may reach Ross Island by the weekend.

'Sir Hubert Wilkins' is believed to have set 22 February as the day on which it will leave Ross Island, however with winter approaching the ship, which is ice-strengthened but has limited power, will have to watch conditions closely and may be forced to make an earlier retreat, particularly given the heavy ice season that has been experienced in the region this austral summer. Another factor for the ship is that the U.S. national program icebreaker 'Polar Sea' and cargo vessel 'Archangelgracht' are expected to leave McMurdo around 21 February, and after that the Vanuatu-registered vessel would be alone in the area.

As an additional complexity, Bancroft and Arnesen and their expedition headquarters also have take into account issues related to the search and rescue cover that is being provided by ANI from their field camp in the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land.

If a decision is taken to abandon the trans-Antarctic attempt, one of the two Twin Otters that are currently at the Patriot Hills would have to make the long 3,400 km round-trip to pick up the two women and fly them to Ross Island. Should that be necessary both aircraft would probably carry fuel drums such that one of them can make the return journey more directly, and without drawing on ANI fuel reserves at the Pole. Weather conditions in the Ross Island area, or if the 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' is not able to reach the vicinity of Ross Island, may dictate however that the traverse pair be flown from the pick-up point back to the Patriot Hills and then to South America.

Once both aircraft arrive back at the Patriot Hills ANI's field camp, which has been being operated by a skeleton staff over the past two weeks (ANAN-39/08, 17 January 2001), it would be closed down for the season, and the Twin Otters would return to Punta Arenas with remaining ANI staff, and possibly Bancroft and Arnesen should that situation arise.

Quite apart from the complexities involved the current two pronged operation 'Your Expedition' is maintaining is proving to be very expensive. It is estimated that the combined cost of operating the 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' and maintaining ANI's Patriot Hills camp and air cover is costing the venture in the region of $US250,000-300,000. 'Your Expedition' headquarters have told ANAN that they believe such arrangements are part of the obligations they have as part of their decision to conduct operations in the Antarctic region.

[ANAN-41/06]

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The summit of South Georgia's Mount Roots was reached for the first time early on 19 January by two members of the U.K. based 'Southern Challenge' expedition. The 2,244 m mountain, which had until then been the highest unclimbed peak on the South Atlantic island, had previously thwarted at least four expeditions which have attempted to reach its summit over the last two decades (ANAN-36/07, 6 December 2000).

Will Manners and Stuart Macdonald summited just four days after they and six other climbers were deployed on the Nordenskjold Glacier at the base of the mountain, and a week after the expedition had reached the island on the sloop 'Ice Maiden' (ANAN-40/10, 31 January 2001).

The pair, who reached the top via the North Buttress, reportedly took seven hours to ascend the final 1,000 m from the highest of two camps which had been established on the nothern side of the mountain. As yet no details are available as to the degree of difficulty involved in the final ascent, although previous attempts had reported dangerous, loose rock, and over-hanging ice cliffs in the last few hundred metres.

After the successful ascent, the eight climbers on the mountain broke into two groups of four, one which was to attempt a new route to the summit of 3,200 m Mount Paget via the steep and exposed knife-edge ridge that connects it with Mount Roots, while the other, a ski-mountaineering party, hoped to ascend an unclimbed, and un-named 1,400 m peak at the head of the Heaney Glacier below Mount Kling.

The Mount Paget party were forced to live in a 'high-level' snow cave for six days while awaiting a break in the weather, however once they were able to start they were forced to retreat when within a few hours of Mount Paget's summit when the weather broke without warning.

The descent along the narrow ridge to their snow cave was made in very difficult conditions of zero visibility and winds that at times were thought to have exceeded 100 knots. Two of the party fell through cornices on the way down and it took eight hours, twice as long as it had taken to ascend, before the four were able to once again enter the snow cave. After a difficult night the party was able to travel down to their base camp near the 1,300 m level, however high winds continued and there was concern that the tents there would be blown away.

After the decision was made to break into two groups on 19 January, the second party skied down the Nordenskjold Glacier and back up past Sheridan Peak, before eventually reaching the summit of the un-named mountain early on the morning of 25 January. During their return across the higher reaches of the Nordenskjold Glacier they experienced severe winds and lost both their tents, and were forced, like the group higher up the mountain, to take shelter in a snow cave. Several previous parties have experienced similar high wind conditions whilst in that area and have also lost tents (ANAN-9/02, 24 November 1999).

The two climbing parties met up again on 28 January, 'cold, tired and wet', and then spent two days moving down the Nordenskjold Glacier and preparing equipment for placement on 'Ice Maiden'. News of their accomplishments did not reach the outside world for sometime however as both their VHF and satellite communications equipment had failed for so far unknown reasons.

While climbing activities were underway, the six sailors on 'Ice Maiden' conducted an eleven-day circumnavigation of South Georgia. They left King Edward Point on 18 January and travelled westwards along the northern coast in generally poor weather, overnighting at Maiviken, a bay in the headland that separates Cumberland West and East Bays, Husvik and Prince Olav Harbour.

Conditions improved somewhat on 23-24 January and the north-west tip of the island was rounded and the yacht then motor sailed along the southern coast, entering Larsen Harbour past a large iceberg which has grounded itself near the fjord's entrance, as the weather again deteriorated. Three days were spent visiting many places in the Harbour area via small boat and on foot, before the yacht headed for King Edward Point in poor weather, arriving there late on 28 January.

'Ice Maiden' retrieved the climbing party from the Nordenskjold Glacier on 30 January and left King Edward Point on 2 February. It was to have spent several days exploring the island's north-western coast while waiting a break in the weather in order to commence the journey back to the Falkland Islands. Given the frequent bad weather that had been experienced by the expedition it had been decided that there was insufficient time available in which to attempt Shackleton's route across the island from King Haakon Bay to Stromness as originally planned.

If conditions have been suitable 'Ice Maiden' may reach Stanley later this week or sometime next weekend.

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The three New Zealander kayakers who are currently attempting to paddle some 700 km down the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula (ANAN-35/06, 22 November 2000), left the Ukranian national program station Vernadsky bound for the Antarctic Circle and Adelaide Island on 5 February, however since then no reports on the progress have been received.

The trio, Graham Charles, Marcus Waters and Mark Jones, commenced their journey from Hope Bay at the north-east tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on 17 January, reaching the half-way point of their planned trip two weeks later in the vicinity of Cuverville Island on the Danco Coast (ANAN-40/05, 31 January 2001).

After leaving Cuverville, the three men paddled down the Errera Chanel and through Andvord Bay before camping at Waterboat Point. From there they travelled around Paradise Bay and then across Gerlache strait to Truant Island which lies just to the south of Wiencke Island, where they made another overnight stay. Port Lockroy was visited on 1 February and the next two days were spent passing through the Lemaire Channel and visiting Peterman Island, before Vernadsky was reached on 4 February; the three men being treated 'very well' by station personnel and staying overnight.

The last report from the trio available on the expedition's web site indicates that they left Vernadsky on 5 February bound for the Antarctic Circle 160 km to the south. The three kayakers are understood to have radios however they are of limited range, therefore the men can only advise their New Zealand headquarters of their position if yachts or ships that are in their vicinity can relay their messages using satellite communications systems.

The Australian commercially operated yacht 'Tooluka', which is to retrieve the men from Antarctica late this month, had passed information on their position and status while it was in the general area of the kayakers, as did the German company Halpag Lloyd's tour ship 'Bremen' which they encountered at Port Lockroy. 'Tooluka' moved out of radio range just before they had cross Gerlache Strait however (see ANAN-41/01 preceding), and 'Bremen' also moved northwards.

Similarly the yacht 'Seamaster', which deployed the trio at Hope Bay, has been in the King George VI Sound area over the last week, too far south for radio contact to be made with the kayakers (see ANAN-41/09 following). Few other ships usually operate in the area south of Vernadsky even in late summer.

It is understood that the kayakers are not carrying an Argos beacon, a small, readily available, and relatively light, compact, device that automatically provides position reports via satellite to a base station, which then relays the data to wherever is required such as an expedition's headquarters.

Given the length of their journey and the food and equipment they need, and that they only have one cubic metre of storage space in the three craft combined, it may not have been practical to carry the Argos unit, although another factor may have been the cost involved. Such a beacon is however likely to have provided a more reliable method for tracking the location and status of the paddlers than the arrangements that are now in place.

'Tooluka' left Ushuaia, Argentina, on 12 February with a film crew on board, its aim being to first find the kayakers and then to spend as much time as possible with them making a documentary of their activities. Pre-season advice to ANAN was that the men would embark on 'Tooluka' on or around 26 February at the latest for the return to Ushuaia, where they expected to arrive around 10 March.

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The Channel Islands registered, New Zealand crewed, schooner 'Seamaster' reached the edge of the fast ice at the head of George VI Sound in the south-west of the Antarctic Peninsula on 7 February. Ice delayed its departure north for several days, however conditions eased over the last few hours and it has now commenced its journey northwards up the Antarctic Peninsula towards Ushuaia, Argentina.

'Seamaster' left Puerto Willimas, Chile, on 10 January with fifteen on board, its first task being to deploy the three kayakers who are attempting to paddle 700 km south along the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula (see ANAN-41/08 preceding).

After a quick passage the Hope Bay area was reached on the 15th and the kayakers were deployed, a visit to the Argentine national program station Esperanza was made, and the group's filming and diving program commenced. The period from 18-21 January was spent at Half Moon Island in the South Shetlands where four days were spent filming and diving, the latter including use of the group's diver propulsion units for the first time. At the end of this period three of those on board embarked on the U.S. operator Abercrombie and Kent's tour ship 'Explorer' for passage back to Ushuaia, which meant that the numbers on 'Seamaster' were now down to nine.

From Half Moon Bay the schooner spent the next week working its way southerwards, visiting Omega and Danco Islands, then Paradise Bay, before arriving at Port Lockroy on the 29th, filming and diving programs continuing en route; one of the crew members attempting a to use a paraglider on several occasions however conditions were not suitable. While at Lockroy all except one of the yacht's crew were entertained at dinner on the tour ship 'Marco Polo' (see ANAN-41/01 preceding).

'Seamaster' passed through the Lemair Channel on 31 January, and visited the Ukranian national program station Vernadsky in the Argentine Islands, then travelling south into Crystal Sound and through the narrow Gunnell Channel and The Gullett which separate Adelaide Island from the Antarctic Peninsula proper on 3 February. Reports from those who have long-term knowledge of the area indicate that in the late sixties and and most of the seventies the Gullett would not have been navigable at any time of the year. However, over the last decade conditions have changed and it is now generally easy to navigate from late January through to late March, although like all things Antarctic conditions can vary greatly from year to year.

Once past those narrow passages the yacht spent a few days around the south-east end of Adelaide Island, before travelling quickly south across Marguerite Bay until the George VI Sound fast ice was reached in Latitude 69 54' South on 7 February.

Over the next few days the group conducted a number of dives in the vicinity of the yacht, and filmed animals on the fast ice to which they were moored. Ice conditions changed however and reports indicated that the yacht was unable make way for several days, however reports received in the last few hours indicate that it has now commenced its journey northwards. Pascal Grindberg, who now operates the charter yacht 'Fernande' in the Peninsula area, was trapped in that area by ice in the late 1980s in his smaller craft 'Scherzo', and for a time the craft bore heavy pressure, however the situation eased allowing escape without serious damage.

Blake Expeditions, Seamaster's operator says on its web site that it aims "to help protect life in, on and around the waters of the world'. The expedition's principle Sir Peter Blake talked by satellite telephone from the yacht on 8 February to a meeting of some eighty nations who were attending a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) gathering in Nairobi, Kenya, which is examing the problems that may be associated with global warming. Blake's venture is believed to be affiliated to the UNEP however just what the connection is is currently unknown.

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Members of the Queen Maud Land International Expedition who have been conducting climbing and other activities in the Orvin Mountains area of Dronning Maud Land this austral summer have now completed their program and left Antarctica last week by air and sea.

Following the completion of the venture's main aim, the ascent of Holtanna Peak on 31 December, expedition members who then remained in Antarctica spent their time climbing peaks in the area, filming, and undertaking a traverse to look for meteorites, although reports indicate that none of those objects was actually found (ANAN-40/09, 31 January 2001).

The eight who remained eventually left Antarctica in two separate ways, five travelling on a flight operated by commercial air operator Polar Logistics from 'Blue 1' last week, while expedition leader Alain Hubert and Rene Robert left the German national program station Neumeyer on 11 February on board the ship 'Polarstern'.

Hubert and Robert had been flown from 'Blue 1' on a Polar Logistics chartered Basler 67 aircraft (ANAN-1/06, 4 August 1999) to the South African national program station SANAE. From there they skied and parasailed the 200 km westwards to Nuemayer, arriving there on 5 February just as the changeover ceremony for the wintering parties was occuring. Polar Logistics reportedy provided search and rescue cover for the two men during their trek under a contact with Adventure Network International.

The two men, who are understood to be travelling on the 'Polarstern' as guests of the German national program, are expected to arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile, on 22 February.

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The nineteen metre yacht 'Spirit of Sydney', which was caught in ice and damaged north of Adelie Land late last month (ANAN-40/02, 31 January 2001), has been heading slowly northwards since 31 January and is not expected to reach Hobart, Australia, until early next week.

Following its release from the ice, the yacht, which is owned and operated by the Australian company 'Ocean Frontiers' (ANAN-36/06, 6 December 2000), made a precautionary rendezvous with the French national program vessel 'L'Astrolabe' late on 31 January.

Prior to that however the yacht's skipper, a crew member and a naval architect on board, assessed the damage that the craft had incurred and concluded that it was possible to sail it safely back to Hobart, although the journey was likely to be slow. The skipper and the crew member were 'Ocean Frontier' employees, however the architect was one of the eight on board who had paid some $US5,000 for the priviledge of visiting Antarctica on the yacht.

Despite that assessment, a number of the other paying crew on 'Spirit' made a request to the Captain of the 'L'Astrolabe' to be taken on board his vessel as they were concerned about the situation and the long voyage north that was ahead of them. Following formal advice from 'Ocean Frontiers' headquarters in Australia that the yacht was considered sea worthy and that transfer of those involved to the French vessel was not warranted, the Captain declined the request.

'Ocean Frontiers' Principle Don McIntyre told ANAN earlier this week that in his view the Captain's response to the request for passage was 'entirely proper' in the circumstances, and that it was 'most unfortunate' that some Australian press reports had portrayed the Master's decision in a bad light. He indicated that his company had done its best 'to set the record straight' with the journalists concerned however little has since been written or broadcast about the issue.

'Spirit' left Hobart on 11 January on what is her eighth, and now probably last voyage to the George V, Adelie Land region. Due to poor weather and ice conditions it took two weeks to reach its objective, Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay. Once there however a landing could not be made and by the time the yacht reaches Hobart, its crew members will have been on board for close to six weeks.

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Plans by mountaineers from Australia and Germany to undertake a series of climbs in the Danco Coast area of the north-western Antarctic Peninsula this month were first altered to focus on 2,520 m Mount Parry on Brabant Island, and then cancelled, when research indicated that it was not feasible to attempt the climb in the short time that was likely to be available for the venture.

Original expedition plans were for a four-person party to climb peaks around the coast of Wilhelmina Bay area of the Danco Coast over a two-week period in February and March (ANAN-31/03, 27 September 2001) . The party, which were to have used sea kayaks for transport in the area around Wilhelmina Bay, proposed to travel to and from the region on the commercially operated yacht 'Sarah W. Vorwerk'.

In the lead up to the expedition however, its aims were altered to an attempt on Mount Parry via its the north-west ridge, which was described by the expedition as a 'truely alpine classic by any standards'. Plans were drawn up for what was now a four man Australian and New Zealand group to be placed ashore for the attempt at Minot Point in the island's south-west, the only viable landing place on that part of the coast. A key factor in expedition planning was that their time on the island was expected to be limited to little more than two weeks because of the yacht's other committments (ANAN-31/02, 27 September 2001).

After what the group describes as a 'considerable amount of planning and preparation', advice was eventually received from members of a U.K. expedition which made the first ascent of Mount Parry in October 1984 that indicated that the north-west ridge is inaccessible from Minot Point as a steep and unstable icefall would have had to have been crossed. The only alternative was a climb up the mountain's south-west ridge, however the U.K. group advised against using that route as the rock is loose and is considered too dangerous.

After weighing up all the factors involved the Australian-New Zealand group decided that it was inappropriate to proceed with their plans. Those involved told ANAN last week that they currently have no plans to climb in the Peninsula area in the forseeable future.

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Attempts to conduct the fourth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon events on King George Island in the South Shetlands were thwarted by bad weather early last week, however both were eventually run on board the tour ship 'Lyubov Orlova' in somewhat unusual circumstances.

'Orlova', which is operated by Canadian company Marine Expeditions, arrived at KGI on 2 February in the lead up to the planned events. While a small number of personnel from event organiser U.S. based Marathon Tours were landed to commence marking routes for the two events, gale force winds which persisted for three days made it too dangerous to consider landing the 108 runners involved.

This was the first time the KGI events have had to be cancelled, although Marathon Tours President Thom Gilligan, who concurred with the decision not to go ahead with the races in the circumstances, told ANAN today that had the runners been able to make shore, he believes that the race could still have been able to have been run in the windy conditions.

Following the decision to cancel the event on KGI, 'Lyubov Orlova' headed south down the Antarctic Peninsula to conduct normal tour operations, however en route the decision was taken to run both events on board. Subsequently, with the ship in Neko Harbour, the Half Marathon was run on 6 February and involved sixteen participants making 172 laps of Deck 5 on the ship, while the full marathon was held the next day with ninety-two competitors making 344 revolutions of Deck 6.

Despite the problems it experienced this year Gilligan says that his company is still planning to conduct the Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathons on KGI on 30 January 2002 (ANAN-25/10, 5 July 2000).

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Heritage Expeditions, the New Zealand company which has conducted tourist voyages to the Ross Sea region since 1994, says that the scope of its operations in the south-west Ross Sea region have been increased following the successful operation of two all-terrain vehicles (ATV) over fast ice in the south-west Ross Sea in the last month. In addition to providing Heritage's clients with access to Capes Royds and Cape Evans, the ATVs were also used to pick-up Norwegian trans-Antarctic trekkers Eirik Sønneland and Rolf Bae on 13 February (see ANAN-41/O3 preceding).

'Akademic Shokalskiy', the vessel that Heritage currently uses for their Ross Sea operations, is ice strengthened but has little ice breaking capability. The fast ice that often lingers along parts of the Ross Sea coast well into summer, and which sometimes extends well off-shore, presents a challenge for the company's tour operations, particularly in a heavy ice season.

Heritage Expeditions' principle Rodney Russ said in a press release last week that in his view that without the ATVs it is doubtful whether we would have been able to visit the two key historical sites in the area, Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds, and Scott's at Cape Evans, in mid-January. At Cape Royds the vehicles carried passengers the three kilometres from the ship to shore, while at Cape Evans the distance involved was eight kilometres, and the retrieval of Sønneland and Bae from Hut Point yesterday required the ATVs travel a total of fifty kilometres.

The ATVs towed specially designed and built sleds on which Heritage's 'Naiad' watercraft were placed, Russ indicating that a speed of around fifteen kilometres per hour was achieved with the vehicles, with each vehicle carrying a driver and three passengers, and the Naiad's up to twelve people.

Rodney was quoted in the press release as saying this his company does not plan to use the ATVs on the Antarctic continent itself, however he believes that they provide 'an excellent way of expanding the areas we can visit during our limited time in the area, particularly during extremely heavy ice years like this'.

The two eight-wheeled, plastic bodied, Canadian-built 'Argo' ATVs were purchased by the company in late 1999 and were carried on 'Akademic Shokalskiy' during its 1999-2000 season, however weather and ice conditions prevented them from being trialled at that time (ANAN-17/04, 15 March 2000).

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Plans by Russia to de-orbit its Mir space station into sub-Antarctic waters between New Zealand and South America in late February have been deferred until sometime around mid March. Re-entry of the station is expected to be a spectacular 5-10 minute event for anyone who is in the region of the descent, and it is predicted that 'many tonnes' of the huge cluster of modules and stretched out solar panels will survive re-entry and fall into the Southern Ocean and nearby waters (ANAN-36/11, 6 December 2000).

News of the event has led a U.S. based group of space enthusiastics to announce that they plan charter a wide bodied, jet passenger aircraft for a flight to the general re-entry area 3,500 km south of Tahiti, so that they can observe Mir's demise above cloud from an altitude of 11-12,000 m. The group, which is believed to be offering tickets for the flight at $US600 ex-Tahiti, has indicated to media outlets that the aircraft will operate no closer than 300 km to the potential debris field, but that this should still allow good views of the event to be obtained.

It appears however that observation of the re-entry will not be straight-forward as the precise location, and more particularly the date and time it will actually take place at, may not be known until shortly before it occurs. Experts in a number of countries have warned that the operation to de-orbit the huge structure is a difficult one and the uncertainties involved may make it difficult, even if the re-entry occurs in the target area, for organisers to 'hold' a large expensive aircraft in Tahiti should delays to de-orbit operations occur.

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Plans to remove the small, privately-owned expedition hut at Cape Denison, George V Land, this season could not be realised as weather conditions and time constraints precluded its safe dismantling and return to Australia. The compact nine square metre prefabricated structure, which is known as 'Gadget Hut', has been used to support three non-government wintering expeditions since 1995 (ANAN-8/05, 10 November 1999).

'Gadget' was erected by Don and Margie McIntyre, who are now the principles of the Australian company 'Ocean Frontiers' operators of the vessel 'Sir Hubert Wilkins'. Australian authorities had requested the hut's removal under the terms of the permit they had issued prior to its erection (ANAN-37/08, 20 December 2000). 'Sir Hubert Wilkins', which visited Cape Denison several times in December-January (ANAN-38/08, 3 January 2001), was not however able to remove the hut this season.

'Ocean Frontiers' plans to conduct operations in the George V Land over the next few years with 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' and Australian authorities have asked that the company make removal of the hut a high priority in the 2001-02 season.

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Two people were airlifted from the tourist ship 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' to Invercargill, New Zealand, on 22 January after a passenger lost his balance in rough seas and suffered a head injury and doctors suspected that he might have a fractured skull. The ship, which had left Bluff the evening before bound for the Ross Sea, headed back towards the New Zealand coast and six hours after the incident a shore-based helicopter flew the patient and his wife to Invercargill where a scan later showed the injury was not serious.

Immediately following the accident, which occured when the man gashed his head after striking a mirror in his cabin, the ship's doctor stitched the cut but was forced to open it again because of heavy bleeding. By the time the transfer ashore took place however the patient, who never lost conciousness, was said to be in a stable condition and was able to walk to the helicopter. The ship-shore transfer ashore occured when the vessel was some eight kilometres south of Stewart Island, and proceeded well despite the heavy movement of the vessel, according to a NZ paramedic quoted in the 'Southland Times'.

At the time of the incident 'Khlebnikov', which is operated by U.S. based Quark Expeditions, was just hours into its third and last voyage of the 2000-01 Antarctic season. The vessel subsequently visited the Ross Sea (ANAN-40/03, 31 January 2001), George V and Adelie Lands, and several sub-Antarctic islands south of New Zealand. It arrived in Hobart, Australia, at the completion of the voyage this morning Australian time.

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YEAR 2001

13-14 March (Cape Town, South Africa).
IHO Hydrographic Committee for Antarctica.
Contact: dir2@ihb.mc (Commodore John Leech)

28 May-8 June (St Petersburg, Russia[Dates to be confirmed])
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXIV

9-12 July (Washington, D.C., United States).
IAATO year 2001 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

17-21 July (St Petersburg, Russia).
Antarctic Geodesy Symposium 2001.
Contact: aerogeodezia@actor.ru (Dr Alexander Yuskevitch)

20-24 August (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
COMNAP XIII (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).

YEAR 2002

February [Date to be set](King George Island, Antarctica)
Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon.
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan)

July [Dates/location to be set] (Europe).
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

13-18 July (Shanghai, China)
COMNAP XIV (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).

YEAR 2003

July [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

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