The Cold Feat Team
Route Map
Clothing
Equipment
Food & Diet
Expedition Stats
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Expedition Equipment
Obviously it is important that any expedition to the South Pole is properly equipped. Here you
can find out what sort of equipment Cold Feat will take with them and how this
equipment will help them trek, camp and communicate for the 70-day expedition.
Modern day exploration on snow is undertaken using Nordic
cross-country skis. Skis and poles are used to cross the snow, and all equipment for the
duration of the trip is pulled behind on a sledge or 'pulk' as they are more properly known.
The pulk is attached to the skier using a waist harness, and has a braking system to avoid the
sledge overtaking the skier if going downhill. The harnesses are custom made and attach at the
waist primarily, although shoulder straps stabilise the rig. The weight of each person's pulk
will be approximately 250lbs as the team leaves the coast at Hercules Inlet.
Camping Equipment
The polar environment requires specialised tents so the team
are likely to approach manufacturers and to agree a custom specification with them. Previous
expeditions have used a small number of companies to equip them, so the choice of manufacturer
will hopefully be relatively simple. Ice pegs rather than traditional tent pegs must be used to
anchor the tent, and valances fitted to the side of the tent can be filled with snow to further
increasing anchorage.
It is essential that the team are insulated from the ice, and an increasingly popular way of doing
this is to use 'Thermarest' sleeping mats. These are self inflating mats that offer maximum insulation
with minimum pack size and weight. The floor of the tent is also lined with a rubber sheet made
to measure to fit the tent. This insulates whilst not sleeping.
Stoves are used not only to cook and melt water, but also to heat the tents in the evenings. MSR
stoves seem to be a popular choice, as they can burn fuels that remain liquid at the ambient temperatures
experienced in the Antarctic.
Specialised sleeping bags are used that are rated to -40°C. These are fitted with unpleasant 'vapour
barrier' liners that prevent any moisture from penetrating the bag and freezing, inhibiting the insulating
properties of the down. Apparently climbing into the cold clammy bag at night is one of the worst
parts of Antarctic travel!
Navigation & Communication Equipment
A combination of map, compass, watch and global positioning
device enable the team to locate their position and navigate accurately. The use of GPS is
restricted to the evenings to locate the team and to beam this location to base camp as described
below. This is necessary to preserve batteries, as they do not last long in such cold conditions.
For the rest of the time a traditional compass is used to follow a bearing as the team walk in a
straight line for hundreds of miles at a time. A combination of this and following the sun using
a watch set to local time allows for 'easy' navigation. The team will have access to a satellite
phone whilst on the ice, allowing regular updates to be made to base and home, and allowing media
interviews to take place 'live from the ice'. On a daily basis the progress of the team will be
reported using a data uplink that sends the teams position along with a two-digit code indicating
the teams status to a pre-arranged code. Thus the location of the team is known to within ten miles
at any particular time.
Medical Equipment
Basic medical supplies including analgesics, anti infection,
anti inflammatory, dental supplies and first aid will be carried. Obviously any major incident
would require the evacuation of the team member concerned and consideration of the situation, but
supplies would be carried to cope with the inevitable aches, pains and blisters.
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