ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS
Tourism Industry |
Brief news items on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic
non-government expedition activities.
ANAN 60
Wednesday, 21 November 2001
News as at 0600 UTC, Wednesday, 21 November 2001
News in this edition:
60-01. Inland non-government activities limited to Weddell Sea sector.
60-02. Ross Sea tourist/adventure voyage cancelled.
60-03. Significant decrease in SGP traverse activity.
60-04. Delay to start of inland tourist adventure programs.
60-05. Skiers, boarders complete program but miss major goals.
60-06. Three Sentinel Range peaks targeted by climbing pair.
60-07. Around-the-world racers pass Kerguelen.
60-08. Oceanites commences eighth season of field operations.
60-09. Declining blue-eyed shag populations not visitor related: Oceanites.
60-10. Planned private flight to KGI "delayed": timing uncertain.
60-11. Proposed Heard Island climbing expedition abandoned.
60-12. Funding problems force postponement of 2002-03 traverse.
60-13. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.
INLAND NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES LIMITED TO WEDDELL SEA SECTOR
[ANAN-60/01]
Non-government expedition activity in the interior of Antarctica during the 2001-02 season appears likely to be limited to the Weddell Sea sector. Nothing concrete has yet been announced regarding a proposal for tourist flights to Dronning Maud Land from South Africa (ANAN-54/01, 29 August 2001), and for the first time in several years no one is attempting a trans-Antarctic traverse (see ANAN-60/03 following).
All inland operations expected over the next two and a half months are being conducted, or supported, by, United States based tour operator Adventure Network International (ANI), and all up may involve no more that 100-150 people.
Most activities are expected to take place either in the general vicinity of the company's Patriot Hills and Vinson Massif field camps, or in the narrow corridor between the Patriot Hills and the South Geographic Pole (SGP). ANI had scheduled a start to its field season on 1 November, however, the start of the season has been delayed (see ANAN-60/04 following).
ANI key revenue programs this season involve clients who are attempting climbs of Vinson Massif, Antarctica's highest peak, tourists who go south specifically to visit to the SGP, or athletes who are taking part in marathon run between Latitude 89.5° South in the Ellsworth Land sector and the SGP early in January (ANAN-44/01, 11 April 2001).
Seven parties of six to eight people appear scheduled to attempt the Vinson climb, and probably the same number of smaller groups are listed for SGP flights between now and the end of January, however, it is not currently known how many people plan to take part in the marathon. The cost of participating in each of the three programs is around $US26,000.
Other activities on ANI's program this season involve support for several traverses to the SGP (see ANAN-60/03 following), week-long or day visits to the Patriot Hills area, and smaller programs of various kinds (see ANAN-60/06 following).
For the first time in many years no tourist flights are listed from the Patriot Hills to the Emperor penguin colonies near the Dawson-Lambton Glacier of Coates Land. Ship-based tourists are, however, expected to visit Emperors in both the Weddell and Ross Seas in the next few weeks (ANAN-58/02, 7 November 2001).
Australia-based tour operator Ocean Frontiers has cancelled its planned voyage to the Ross Sea in January-February with its 37m vessel 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' due to what is says was "lack of participants".
The focus of the voyage was to have been an eight-to ten-day lay over near Ross Island in the south-west Ross Sea. Activities there were to include visits to the site of the 1979 Air New Zealand disaster on the slopes of Mount Erebus, heli-skiing and snow boarding down the mountain, visits to historic sites, and kayaking and scuba diving off-shore (ANAN-54/04, 29 August 2001).
Ocean Frontiers indicated in a statement last Friday that some passengers, a four-person adventurer group and a film crew from Japanese television, had made bookings for the voyage, but that following the events of 11 September "the uncertain global situation contributed to the film crew and some of the tourists withdrawing their commitments". The company said that they needed a sixty per cent occupancy rate on the ship (which carries 12 passengers and 20 crew and support staff) if the voyage was to be commercially viable, and that with "only two months from scheduled departure" and no signs of additional interest, "a-go/no-go decision was required".
Despite the cancellation, 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' is still scheduled to visit George V and Adélie Lands late this year. The ship is expected to leave Hobart, Australia, on 16 December and spend around ten days visiting Cape Denison, the South Magnetic Pole, the French national program station Dumont d'Urville and possibly the former French facility at Port Martin (ANAN-54/05, 29 August 2001).
Ocean Frontiers' yacht 'Arctos' is currently undertaking a circumnavigation of Antarctica, and is to visit a number of sub-Antarctic islands over the next seven months (ANAN-58/10, 7 November 2001). 'Arctos' arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, on 14 November after a ten-day trip from Tasmania, and is expected to leave there today for Ushuaia, Argentina. The voyage can be followed on line at: http://www.oceanfrontiers.com.au/adventuresail/updates.html.
The cancellation of 'Sir Hubert Wilkins' Ross Sea voyage reduces to two the number of tourist operators who will be operating in the Ross Sea region in 2001-02. United States based Quark Expedition's 'Kapitan Khelbnikov' is to make three voyages there in the two months from early December, and New Zealand company Heritage Expedition's 'Akademic Shokalskiy' will make two in January-February (ANAN-58/02, 7 November 2001).
Ice conditions in the south-west Ross Sea region this season are expected to be particularly challenging, with ship access to the Ross Island area being in some doubt due to extraordinary large areas of winter fast ice that are currently present off-shore.
Only three major adventure treks to the South Geographic Pole (SGP) appear to be scheduled for 2001-02, and for the first time in several years no one is attempting a crossing of the continent. That makes this season the quietest for traverses since 1993-94 and means that it is significantly down on 2000-01 levels when there were nine traverses involving just over thirty people (ANAN-40/08, 31 January 2001).
The three traverse parties are the 'Solo Bike to the South Pole', the 'Poles Wearables Expedition', and a commercial operation organised by tour operator Adventure Network International (ANI). The bike attempt is to start from the Patriot Hills sometime in December, while the other two traverses were to have commenced from Hercules Inlet on the continental coast of Ellsworth Land three weeks ago, however, flights into Antarctica from Punta Arenas, Chile, have been delayed (see ANAN-60/04 following).
United States adventurer Doug Stroup, who is currently returning from a climbing/skiing expedition to South Georgia (see ANAN-60/05 following), plans to ride a specially-designed two-wheeled 'polar ice bike' overland to the Pole. Stroup originally hoped to undertake the venture last season, however, a trek he was guiding to the SGP arrived there too late for him to proceed at that time (ANAN-44/03, 11 April, 2001). Doug indicated last year that he anticipated taking only twenty days on what he says will be a 1,100km journey, a time which, if achieved, would require him to average 50-60 km per day en route to the Pole, something that is normally only possible with parasails or powered vehicles (ANAN-36/04, 6 December 2000).
The Wearables pair, Thomas and Tina Sjorgen, who are also based in the US, will be making their second 'unsupported' attempt on the Pole, having got to within 260 km of it late last January (ANAN-40/08, 31 January 2001). The Sjorgens, who arrived in Punta Arenas on 24 October and were hoping to fly to the Patriot Hills about a week later, anticipate taking nine weeks to reach the Pole, arrival there originally being put at around 3 January.
The current delay means that they will have to make good time once under way if they are to reach the Pole before season's end in late January. The delay also reduces the period they will have to recuperate between the completion of their southern journey and the start of their proposed trek to the North Geographic Pole (NGP) next northern spring (ANAN-53/05, 15 August 2001).
ANI's 'Ski to the South Pole' (SSP) traverse is believed to involve three people, a guide and two clients. The guide is Paul Landry from Canada who has led similar journeys to the NGP. The two clients, who each paid $US45,000 to take part, are understood to be a Finn and an Australia-based Briton. SSP's schedule is very similar to that of the Wearables pair, although unlike them, ANI is expected to resupply the SSP skiers by air several times during their two-month trek (ANAN-39/10, 17 January 2001).
Apart from the SSP traverse, ANI is understood to also be offering a shorter ski-based commercial trip between latitude 89° south and the Pole.
The 'Ski the Last Degree' trek involves a journey of just under 100km, those involved being flown to 89° south and back from the SGP at the end of their journey. Pre-season planning called for the party to be flown into the Patriot Hills around 8 December and back from there to Punta Arenas two weeks later, the traverse itself being conducted some time around the middle of the month. It is not known at this time how many people will take part in it, or what impact the current delays will have on its timing.
Prior to the events of 11 September, a smaller number of SGP traverses than has become the norm in recent years appear to have been planned. Those that were hoping to undertake treks were, even before that date, reporting difficulty in raising funds as the corporate sector tightened its belt due to the slow-down in the world economy.
The tragedies in the US occurred at a particularly critical time for private expedition fund raising. Many published accounts of successful ventures in the past speak of the hectic, "last-minute", efforts needed during the September-October period to ensure that funding required for the ventures was obtained.
Persistently bad weather on the 3,074 km intercontinental flight route between Punta Arenas, Chile, and the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land, has delayed the start of inland tourist and adventure activities planned by tour operator Adventure Network International (ANI) in the Weddell Sea sector of the continent this month (see ANAN-60/01 preceding).
Reports from Punta Arenas indicate that the key facility for ANI's inland operations, its summer field camp in the Patriot Hills of Ellsworth Land, had not yet been opened for the season, and that the company's flight program may now be up to three weeks behind schedule. ANI is using a chartered, jet-engined, heavy-lift, Iluyshin-76 (IL-76) for intercontinental feeder flights between Punta Arenas and the blue-ice runway adjacent to the Patriot Hills camp this season.
While the company has used the aircraft-type previously, this is the first time that it has relied entirely on the Russia-designed aircraft for feeder operations. C130 'Hercules' chartered from South African operator Safair have been used by ANI for many years, however, the IL-76 offers greater payload capacity and generally better performance (ANAN-33/03, 25 October 2000 and ANAN-35/02, 22 November 2000).
Pre-season planning called for the IL-76 to make a total of twelve flights from Punta Arenas to the Patriot Hills between 1 November and the last days of January, with four flights per calendar month during that period. This compares with seventeen intercontinental flights scheduled by ANI last season, two-thirds of which were operated by a 'Hercules' and the rest by an IL-76.
ANI normally uses two chartered Twin Otters to fly its personnel to the Patriot Hills to dig out and open the camp there, prepare the blue-ice runway, and provide weather information for the larger wheeled aircraft. After that, the Twin Otters, and the company's single-engined Cessna 185, which is left at the Patriot Hills each winter, go on to conduct a range of intra-continental flights with clients who arrive there on the larger aircraft from Punta Arenas (see ANAN-60/01 preceding). The company's intercontinental flights with tourists and adventurers, cannot commence from Punta Arenas until the Patriots field camp is operational.
Documentation prepared by the company for 2001-02 indicates that the Twin Otters were to have left Punta Arenas some time after 20 October for the camp and runway establishment flight to the Patriot Hills, and that they would make a refuelling stop en route at Chile's Teniente Marsh air field on King George Island. Several reports received by ANAN suggest that those aircraft have not yet actually arrived in Punta Arenas from Canada, their usual point of origin, however, it has not yet been possible to clarify the situation with ANI.
An ANI-chartered 'Basler 67' turboprop (ANAN-1/06, 4 August 1999) arrived in Punta Arenas from Canada on 12 November, and it is apparently being used to open the Patriot Hills camp. The Basler left the Chilean city last Saturday, but was forced to wait at the UK national program station Rothera on the south-west Antarctic Peninsula for three days due to bad weather. A so-far unconfirmed report indicates that it reached the Patriot Hills yesterday.
Serious delays to flying operations due to weather are a normal part of Antarctic aviation for both government and non-government programs and are considered as 'routine' for operations on the continent. ANI has experienced similar problems in the last two seasons, but despite that, the Patriot Hills camp was ready for intercontinental operations by 22 October in 1999 and 3 November last year (ANAN-7/01, 27 October 1999 and ANAN-35/02, 22 November 2000).
The delay in opening the camp this year means that ANI may need prolonged good weather to ensure that clients can complete any lengthy treks or programs. Traverse programs to the South Geographic Pole that do not use parasails for assistance, take around two months from the Patriot Hills area, and would probably need to get under way before the end of November if they are to be successfully completed before the high-plateau season ends in late January (see ANAN-60/03 preceding).
The 'Beyond Endurance' group completed their climbing/skiing program on South Georgia last Sunday, but despite climbing and descending a number of mountains during their three-week stay, the early loss of their tents and frequent periods of bad weather prevented them from tackling their major goals.
Expedition plans had the island's highest peak, 2,933m Mount Paget, as their first target, and 2,244m Mount Roots as the second objective. After this, an attempt on Sir Ernest Shackleton's famous 1916 crossing route from King Haakon Bay to Stromness was proposed (ANAN-57/01, 24 October 2001). However, those goals had to be abandoned when they lost their tents in a severe storm on 2,375m Mount Nordenskjold, the island's second highest peak, sometime around 2 November (ANAN-58/06, 7 November 2001).
Following their time on Mount Nordenskjold, their yacht 'Golden Fleece' took the six involved to the south-east end of the island, the period from 6-15 November being spent in either Drygalski Fjord or nearby Larsen Harbour. During the first four days the weather was very poor with winds that were reported to have been between 50 and 60 knots for much of the time, then a clearance allowed them to climb a number of steep slopes in the area where "excellent snow" allowed some very good ski and snow board runs.
On 15 November they reached their first and only summit, Mount Norman, in the Salveson Range, a peak of around 1,300 m that climbs "straight out of the water" from Larsen Harbour. The expedition reported that they ascended through cloud until they broke into sunshine about half way up the mountain. After reaching the top they were able to ski and snow board down through the clouds to close to sea level.
After the day on Mount Norman, 'Golden Fleece' headed west along the coast to Leith Harbour where, as one report put it, the group went into "tourist mode". They visited the old whaling station there, then went ashore at Albatross Island and Salisbury Plain over the next two days before the yacht commenced its journey to Stanley in the Falkland Islands last Sunday.
'Golden Fleece' is currently expected to arrive in Stanley late this week. Beyond Expeditions’ leader, Doug Stroup, is, according to his web site, now planning to make an attempt to ride a specially designed bicycle between the Patriot Hills of Ellsworth Land and the South Geographic Pole next month (see ANAN-60/03, preceding and ANAN-44/03, 11 April 2001).
This story was prepared using information provided in daily messages provided by expedition members. Both audio and written versions of those reports are available on the expedition web site at http://www.xstreamclimb.com/.
Two climbers hope to reach the summit of three peaks in the Sentinel Range in Ellsworth Land under the banner 'The Omega Shinn GPS Expedition 2001' during the next three to four weeks. Vinson Massif, Mount Shinn and the so-far-unclimbed 4,157m Mount Anderson, are being targeted by the pair, who also hope to make highly accurate measurements of Shinn's elevation.
Australian Damien Gildea and New Zealander Mike Roberts are currently in Punta Arenas, Chile, waiting to be flown to the Patriot Hills and on to the Mount Shinn area by commercial tour operator Adventure Network International (ANI). They were expected to fly into Antarctica on 16 November and return from there around 8 December, however, like other ANI-supported programs they have been delayed and it appears that they may not reach the ice until next weekend at the earliest (see ANAN-60/04 preceding).
Once they reach the continent they hope to first climb Mount Shinn via the normal route and spend six hours or more on the summit logging data from Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Various references put the height of the mountain at anywhere between 4,650m and 4,800m. The data collected are to be analysed by the Australian Survey and Land Information Group, a government body who anticipates that it will be able to determine the mountain's height to an accuracy of one metre. A similar measurement was made on Vinson Massif earlier this year by a non-government group (ANAN-50/04, 4 July 2001).
From Shinn's summit the two climbers expect to descend to the Vinson-Shinn col (where Camp 3 for Vinson climbers is normally located), climb Vinson by the standard route, then travel back down the mountain to ANI's field camp at the base of the mountain. Once there they will repack their sleds for the forty-five kilometre journey north to Mount Anderson. After climbing that mountain the pair are to be flown back to the Patriot Hills and then on to Punta Arenas as weather allows.
Gildea was a guide for ANI on the 'Challenging Horizons' trek to the South Geographic Pole from Hercules Inlet on the coast of Ellsworth Land in 2000-01 (ANAN-40/08, 31 January 2001) and later in the season also supported an ANI tourist/mountaineering voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula. Roberts, who is based in the United States, has spent nine seasons in Antarctica with the US national program, taken part in one Peninsula climbing trip, and was a guide on Vinson Massif for ANI last season.
Damien and Mike's venture is being funded by the Omega Foundation, a US-based group that supports scientific programs. Omega is understood to have funded the placement of several automatic weather stations on the Embree Glacier on the northern side of the Sentinel Range over the last few seasons.
The leading yachts in the 'Volvo Ocean Race' were close to Kerguelen in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean last Monday during what is the first of two planned sub-Antarctic passages scheduled for the around-the-world event over the next few months. Seven of the eight 20m-long yachts that are taking part in the leg of the race between Cape Town, South Africa and Sydney, Australia were in the vicinity of the island last Monday morning, while the eighth, 'Team Tyco', was back in Port Elizabeth, South Africa after breaking its rudder a week ago.
The fleet left Cape Town on 11 November and is due in Sydney on about 4 December. The leg across the sub-Antarctic South Pacific between Auckland, New Zealand and Buenos Aires, Argentina, via Cape Horn, is set for the period between 27 January and 19 February. Details of the race and up-dates on the current position of the yachts are available on line at: http://www.volvooceanrace.com/
The U.S. based, non-profit foundation Oceanites is collecting baseline environmental data at key tourist landing sites in the Antarctic Peninsula region again this austral summer, the eighth season of field operations since its Antarctic Site Inventory (ASI) project began in November 1994 (ANAN-37/07, 20 December 2000).
Over the three-and-a-half-month season, Oceanites plans to focus its research on sites it considers have high species diversity and are potentially most at risk to environmental disruptions. The Foundation's recently released annual report identifies Hannah Point, Paulet Island, Baily Head, Orne Island, and Petermann Island as key examples of such locations. The report also lists other places it believes have varying degrees of sensitivity.
Four Peninsula sites, Hannah Point, Penguin Island, the Aitcho Islands, and Turret Point are classed by Oceanites as having "high sensitivity to potential disturbances by visitors", while nine, Brown Bluff, Fort Point, Gourdin Island, Orne Island, Paulet Island, Petermann Island, Pléneau Island, Georges Point, and Waterboat Point, are of "moderate sensitivity".
Hannah Point, Penguin Island, the Aitcho Islands, Cuverville Island, and Fort Point have "high species diversity", while those of "medium diversity" include the area around Poland's Arctowski Station, Astrolabe Island, Baily Head, Brown Bluff, Half Moon Island, Heroína Island, Port Lockroy, Point Lookout, Orne Island, Paulet Island, Petermann Island, Pléneau Island, Turret Point,Whaler's Bay, and Yankee Harbour.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour operators (IAATO) discussed site visit issues at its annual meeting held last June and plans to establish guidelines for visits to a number of so-far unidentified tourist sites in the Antarctic Peninsula region (see ANAN-51/03, 18 July 2001).
The Inventory's 2001-02 operation commenced last week and is scheduled to extend through until early March. Primary field activities are being conducted from the tour ship 'Endeavour' which is operated by US company Lindblad Expeditions. Researchers who will be conducting field work again this season include Ron Naveen, Steven Forrest, Rosemary Dagit, Wayne Trivelpiece, Richard Polatty and Laina Shill. New to the program this year are John Carlson, Laura Gittings-Carlson, Megan McOsker, and Chris Edelen.
During the 2000-01 season, forty-nine site-visits were accomplished and seven new locations were added to the Inventory database. In addition, what Oceanites says are key north-eastern Peninsula study sites were photo-documented successfully in an on-going, cooperative effort with the UK government using the British Royal Navy's ice patrol ship, 'HMS Endurance'. No such work is scheduled from 'Endurance' for the present season.
In its seven completed seasons of effort, the researchers have now conducted a total of 336 survey-visits to 66 locations in the Antarctic Peninsula region, including the region's most heavily visited sites. The Inventory's season-to-season data collection is regarded by many researchers as a key monitoring tool for assessing any changes that might be occurring in Peninsula faunal populations and floral communities, although there is also general recognition among Antarctic researchers that the issues involved are very complex and may be beyond any one monitoring program (ANAN-60/09 following and ANAN-24/02, 21 June 2000).
The 'Oceanites Site Guide to the Antarctic Peninsula' is now out-of-print (ANAN-10/05, 8 December 1999), however, a second revised edition, this time in CD-ROM format, is planned. The Foundation also indicated recently that it is working to establish and maintain a "comprehensive, multi-language website" on visitor locations.
That on-line system is being designed so that all data and relevant information on Inventory sites can be readily accessed by "interested scientists, environmentalists, diplomats and citizens". Website development has begun but is reported to have "stalled temporarily" because of the rising costs involved in the "intricate cross-referencing of Inventory data, specific site-descriptive information, scientific papers, orientation maps and photo-documentation". Oceanites says that the work will continue as additional funds become available.
An Acrobat/pdf version of Oceanites' latest Annual Report is available from the Foundation via e-mail on request to oceanites@radix.net.
DECLINING BLUE-EYED SHAG POPULATIONS NOT VISITOR RELATED: OCEANITES
[ANAN-60/09]
The fall in the populations of blue-eyed shags in the Antarctic Peninsula region in recent years does not appear to be caused by human visitation, according to research published recently by the United States based Oceanities Foundation.
Oceanites said in a paper in the UK journal 'Polar Record' that the decline in shag numbers at five of the thirteen Peninsula breeding sites it monitored over six years, is of considerable concern. At three of the sites the declines were reported as being "significant".
The research group says that many shag colonies whose numbers are falling are either "inaccessible to tourists or receive very few tourist visits" and that "human disturbance does not appear to be a cause [of the decrease]". The paper goes on to say that observations indicate that basic breeding activity seems to be unchanged and that "sufficient, available breeding ledges" exist at many locations.
The paper suggests that the decline "may be linked to the warming Antarctic climate", or to a changing distribution, or even availability, of the fish the shags target as prey. Oceanites says that blue-eyed shag populations, and the potential mechanisms involved in their breeding success, require further systematic, coordinated, monitoring work in the Peninsula and other regions to determine why the decline has occurred.
A conference held last year to try and identify ways in which potential long-term cumulative impacts from visits by humans can be identified, emphasised how difficult it is to separate these impacts from those caused by natural changes. The conference highlighted the need for a more pro-active coordinated approach in many fields if the issues involved are to be adequately addressed (ANAN-24/02, 21 June 2000).
The Oceanites’ paper, 'Censuses of penguin, blue-eyed shag, and southern giant petrel populations in the Antarctic Peninsula region, 1994-2000', can be found on pages 323-334 of 'Polar Record' 36 (199), published by the Scott Polar Research Institute in the UK.
PLANNED PRIVATE FLIGHT TO KGI "DELAYED": TIMING UNCERTAIN
[ANAN-60/10]
A private flight to King George Island (KGI) in the South Shetland Islands, planned as part of a 200,000km around-the-world attempt, has been "delayed" and there is no indication as to just when it might occur. Organisers say that the global venture, which all-up was to have visited 168 nations, has been deferred due to the "present global uncertainty". The operation is being organised by a Saudi Arabian company Najaco, whose interests are believed to include real estate, publishing and adventure sports.
According to the latest up-date on Najaco's web site, the operation was to have commenced from Saudi Arabia on 1 November. The 'Antarctic leg', from Rio Grande in southern Argentina to Chile's Teniente Marsh air field on KGI, then back to Punta Arenas, Chile, was to have been undertaken this month or in December. A single-engined Cessna Grand Caravan 208B aircraft with four people on board was to have made the return journey across the Drake Passage (ANAN-40/12, 31 January 2001).
The latest delay to Najaco's global flight is the fifth deferral of the venture in the last sixteen months (ANAN-30/03, 13 September 2000). Separate private US and Australian groups undertook similar flights to the Antarctic Peninsula area in the 1999-2000 season (ANAN-29/05, 30 August 2000).
PROPOSED HEARD ISLAND CLIMBING EXPEDITION ABANDONED
[ANAN-60/11]
An attempt by an Australian party to climb to the 2,745m summit of sub-Antarctic Heard Island in the South Indian Ocean that was mooted for December-January has been abandoned due to lack of sponsorship funds.
Sydney-based group 'Beyond Expeditions' originally hoped to make the climb in 2000-01 but was forced to defer it late last year as the group was unable to find satisfactory affordable transport for the venture (ANAN-34/13, 8 November 2000). Over the past twelve months a number of transport options were explored, with several yacht owners in Australia and New Zealand being contacted to try and arrange support.
While a number of the owners are understood to have been interested in chartering their yachts, the costs involved proved prohibitive for the climbing group. One owner told ANAN recently that he was keen to be involved, however, the severe conditions that were "likely to be encountered" on such a journey meant that the overall cost was high as he had to "cover for the very real possibility" that his yacht might be damaged.
Beyond's leader, Norman Bradshaw, said last week that he was "not prepared to give up on [the] project just yet". He continued by saying that he was hoping "something could be arranged for the 2002-03 austral summer", but emphasised that the task of "obtaining sufficient funds from corporate sponsors [for the venture] will not be easy in the current world climate".
FUNDING PROBLEMS FORCE POSTPONMENT OF 2002-03 TRAVERSE
[ANAN-60/12]
A planned 2002-03 traverse to the South Geographic Pole has been postponed after it proved impossible to raise the $US800,000 needed to support the venture. Organisers of the expedition, which was to have used a "previously unused" route from the edge of Antarctica, say that the generally gloomy world economic outlook has led potential sponsors to focus on their core businesses with little "spare cash" apparently being available for sponsoring adventure activities.
The proposed three-month 1,800km trek was to have been led by Belgian-born, Australian adventurer, Brigitte Muir, together with team members Sumiyo Tzuzuki from Japan and Lily Leonard from the United States (ANAN-54/07, 29 August 2001). Details of the route the three women planned to use have still not been released as Muir is concerned that others may copy her ideas.
This is the second disappointment for Muir in just three months. Problems with sponsorship forced her to cancel an attempt this austral summer on a still un-named, "unclimbed", Antarctic peak (ANAN-50/03, 4 July 2001), a venture that replaced an original plan to undertake the 'new route' SGP traverse in 2001-02 (ANAN-37/03, 20 December 2000).
Brigitte took part in tour operator Adventure Network International's 'Last Degree' commercial traverse earlier this year (ANAN-39/10, 17 January 2001) and in 1994 climbed Vinson Massif, Antarctica's highest mountain.
COMING EVENTS RELEVANT TO NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES
[ANAN-60/13]
Please forward notice of events via e-mail to: tourism@aad.gov.au. Up-dates are made to ANAN's web site at http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp as soon as new information comes to hand.
YEAR 2001
14 December (London, U.K.)
Inaugural meeting of the South Georgia Association (ANAN-59/06, 14 November 2001).
Contact: stephen.palmer@fish.co.uk.
YEAR 2002
4-11 January (South Geographic Pole)
High Plateau Marathon (ANAN-44/01, 11 April 2001).
Contact: general@adventure-network.com
2 March (King George Island, Antarctica)
Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon (ANAN-53/04, 15 August 2001).
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan).
Last week of June [Dates/location to be set] (Europe).
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
15-26 July (Shanghai, China).
XXVII SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research).
15-26 July (Shanghai, China)
COMNAP XIV (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).
3-14 September (Warsaw, Poland)
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXV
YEAR 2003
July [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
23 November (Queen Mary and Dronning Maud Land regions).
Total solar eclipse (See ANAN-59/04, 14 November 2001).
Next edition issued on Wednesday, 5 December 2001 @ 0600 UTC.
Deadline for items: Sunday, 2 December 2001 @ 2359 UTC.
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.
ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS (ANAN)
ANAN's aim is to provide a periodic summary of non-government activities in Antarctica. It is prepared from contributions from company, governmental, academic and private individuals with an interest in this area of endeavour on or around the southern-most continent.
EDITOR: Dave Moser (David.Moser@aad.gov.au).
POSTAL: Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia 7054
TELEPHONE: +61-3-6232-3347 (2200-0600 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3357.
RESEARCH/WRITING: Martin Betts (Martin.Betts@aad.gov.au)
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© 2000 Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston Tasmania 7050
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