Juan dìa 39 : la Antártida no está poniendo las cosas fáciles. Ayer Juan volvió a enfrentarse al viento antártico, a los bonitos pero complejos sastruguis y al Whiteout, condiciones muy adversas para poder avanzar todo lo que Juan tiene que hacerlo. Aún así, tras más de 12 horas en ruta, 24 km más cerca de la meta. El Polo queda a poco más de 180 Km, pero el alimento se acaba, y exige avanzar más metros en cada jornada.
Vamos Juan.
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Dans´FAQ
Q: Where will you start?
A: I will start at Hercules Inlet which is on the coast next to the Ronne Ice Shelf. I will bike to the South Pole and back to Hercules Inlet.
Q: How many miles is it?
A: It is about 750 miles one way or 1500 miles round trip. I start at about 80 degrees latitude which means that I have about 10 degrees or 600 nautical miles to the pole. The actual route has to navigate around deadly crevasses which makes the actual distance between 700 and 750 miles one way.
Q: How long will it take?
A: This is a good question. Nobody has ever done this before so it is a bit of an unknown. The fastest trip to the Pole on cross country skis is about 24 days. The normal time by ski is 50-60 days. If I can make 1/2 degree per day it would be 20 days. This would be an extremely optimistic goal. I do believe I can travel the same distances as people travel on ski, so my best guess would be 50-60 days to the pole. The return trip will be downhill with a tail wind. Also as the season progresses the snow gets harder which will make traveling by bike faster. So my return trip will not take as long.
Q: What are the biggest dangers?
Crevasses. Falling into a large crevasse could be deadly. There are crevasse areas along my route
Extreme cold. We will likely face -40F temperatures.
Q: Will you leave the store (Epic Biking) to me in your will?
A: No. First I am not going to die, and second it would go to my family whether they like it or not.
Q: What about animals? Are you afraid of polar bears?
A: There are no polar bears in Antarctica. Chances are I will not see any animals on my route as the only wild animals in Antarctica are near the open water, and there is a large ice shelf between my starting spot and open water.
Q: Will you have a support team?
A: Yes. I will carry two satellite phones with two batteries per phone and solar rechargers for the batteries. I will also have a tracking beacon. This will allow me to keep in contact with Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE) and they can be contacted for emergencies.
Q: What about food and equipment?
A: I will be using a combination of pulk (sled) and panniers (bags on the bike) to carry my food and equipment. Ready Store is providing me with the food I will be using. They have a great selection of freeze dried food and other items that will be extremely useful on this expedition. I will also have 3 resupply stops (which means 7 resupplies, 3 on the way to the South Pole, at the South Pole, and then the same three on the way back). The resupply stops are flown in to predetermined locations. I will be given the GPS locations of the resupply stops and GPS data for hazards such as crevasses along the route. So it becomes, in a sense, a big geocaching game.
Q: What date will you begin your expedition?
A: I'm still working out the details, but it looks like my flight from Punta Arenas Chile to Union Glacier in Antarctica will be on the 23rd or 27th of November 2013 with a tentative return flight on 22nd of January 2014.
Q: What plans do you have in place for safety/rescue in case something goes wrong?
A: I will have two Iridium satellite phones with extra batteries and solar chargers, and will keep ALE updated on my position. I am purchasing emergency extraction insurance that will cover the costs of search and rescue if needed. ALE provides the search and rescue as required by international treaty. I call in to ALE every 24 hours to update them on my condition and get navigational help. ALE is available for me to call 24 hours a day. If I go 48 hours without calling in they send out search and rescue.
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