Here are excerpts from our November issue. If you'd like a free sample issue, please send a long, self-addressed stamped envelope with 33 cents postage to the below address. - The Editors
EXPEDITION NEWS is a monthly review of significant expeditions, research projects and newsworthy adventures. It is distributed online and by mail to media representatives, corporate sponsors, educators, research librarians, explorers, environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts. This forum on exploration covers projects that stimulate, motivate and educate.
A blind adventurer from the U.K., Miles Hilton-Barber, plans to undertake the 682-mi. (1,100 km) traverse from Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land to the South Geographic Pole (SGP). According to the Antarctic Non-Government Activity News (ANAN), Hilton-Barber, 52, will trek with sighted companion Jon Cook, 38. Their project begins Nov. 9 and plans to conclude at the South Pole around Jan. 11. The purpose of the Challenging Horizons Expedition is to inspire blind and partially sighted people to regard their circumstances as a challenge rather than a handicap, and to raise over $3 million for the U.K.'s Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). If he succeeds, Hilton-Barber, a project manager for the RNIB, will be the first blind person to walk to the South Pole.
"Ten Tips for Negotiating Expedition Sponsorship"
by David G. Concannon, Esq.
Exploration in the new millennium, but is fraught with peril. Explorers encounter danger not only on expeditions, they must also successfully negotiate a myriad of issues just to get their expeditions into the field. One such issue is negotiating expedition sponsorship. Expeditions cost a lot of money. In fact, many expeditions would never get beyond the dream stage if it were not for the support of generous corporate benefactors. To help explorers achieve their dreams, our November issue contains ten tips for negotiating expedition sponsorship. Order your copy today at the single issue price of $4.
Lack of Funding Foils Trans-Antarctic Expedition - Uiloq Slettemark and Sunniva Sorby have decided to cancel their planned Antarctic crossing this month due to a lack of funding. Instead, they are throwing their moral support firmly behind the Bancroft Arnesen Expedition (see below) The decision was made after a sponsor pulled out, leaving a deficit of $200,000 needed for flight costs, search and rescue insurance, and resupplies of food and gear. The proposed route was from Berkner Island to the Ross Sea via the South Geographic Pole (SGP).
Trudeau Honored - The Canadian government has renamed the country's highest mountain to honor former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who died last month at the age of 80. Prime Minister Jean Chretien said 19,554-ft. (5,960 m) Mount Logan in the Yukon territory, near the Alaska border, would henceforth be known as Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau. ton Miffin, 1942). Our thanks to Sunniva Sorby for this month's quote.
Capital of 'Biners - Salt Lake is the capital of carabiners, those metal oval rings used by climbers to fasten ropes. The city is home to Petzl America and Black Diamond Equipment, which both claim the world's highest sales for carabiners, according to an Associated Press story by Paul Foy.
The High Price of Living a Dream - Todd Balf's account of an expedition to the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet is reviewed by Miami Herald book editor Margaria Fichtner in the Oct. 15 issue. On the 12th day of the 1998 National Geographic-financed expedition, paddler Doug Gordon, a chemist, father of two, and former classmate of Bill Gates, launched his kayak off an eight-foot waterfall; it flipped and spilled into the swift, rain-swollen currents. Man and boat disappeared forever. Balf, author of "The Last River," wonders, "How does a team that is mature, experienced and bonded uniquely not see what everyone else seemed to see, which was a river that was extremely dangerous, near flood level."
Explore 2000 - The Royal Geographic Society, with the Institute of British Geographers, will host Explore 2000, the 24th annual expedition planning seminar, Nov. 18-19 in London. The event, which provides inspiration, contacts and practical advice, attracts over 100 field scientists and explorers. Explore 2000 is organized by the RGS-IBG Expedition Advisory Centre, which assists over 500 expeditions annually. This year the conference will highlight advances and innovations in the expedition world, with hot topics including remote communication equipment, intellectual property rights, and enabling equipment for the inclusion of disabled explorers. Cost for the weekend is approximately $52. (For more information: Anna McCormack, U.K. 0207 591 3030; eac@rgs.org).
-Inexpensive, well organized. 7000 and 8000 meter peaks. Beginner and expert routes. Tel: 406-363-7747, e-mail: himalaya_inc@cybernet1.com.
2 WEB SITES: www.shishapangma.com and www.nojintangla.com
From WWII shipwrecks to remote jungle tribes and the chance to swim with whale sharks, Zegrahm's exploration of the PHILIPPINES archipelago offers a bounty of incredible wonders. From Manado to Subic Bay, we will sail through a host of beautiful, history-rich islands. Culture and nature at its wildest. Join us for this exhilarating 16-day odyssey to the land of smoking volcanoes and pristine coral gardens. April 2001.
For reservations/information:
ZEGRAHM EXPEDITIONS, 192 Nickerson St., #200, Seattle, WA 98109. Phone: 800-628-8747 or 206-285-4000; Fax: 206-285-5037; Web site: www.zeco.com; E-mail: zoe@zeco.com.
is published by Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc., 28 Center Street, Darien, CT 06820 USA. Tel. 203 855 9400, fax 203 855 9433, blumassoc@aol.com. Editor/publisher: Jeff Blumenfeld. ©2000 Blumenfeld and Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN: 1526-8977. Subscriptions: US$36/yr.; international postal rate US$46/yr. Highlights from EXPEDITION NEWS can be found at www.expeditionnews.com.