October 2003 – Volume Ten, Number Ten
October 2003 – Volume Ten, Number Ten
EXPEDITION NEWS is the 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.
The following are highlights of our 9th anniversary October issue. But this is only part of the story. For a year’s subscription, send $36 to the below address. Or e-mail us for a free sample copy. – The Editors, editor@ExpeditionNews.com
EXPLORERS PLAN FIRST SUMMER CROSSING OF ARCTIC OCEAN
In May 2005, the One World Expedition will embark on a four-month unsupported journey across the Arctic Ocean paddling and pulling their kayak through broken sea ice.
Seasoned polar explorers Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen will travel from Henrietta Island, Siberia, to the geographic North Pole, then on to Cape Morris Jessup, the northernmost point of Greenland.
The expedition hopes to highlight the growing crisis of global warming by completing the first ever summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean. "I just want to give something back to the Arctic," said One World Expedition leader Lonnie Dupre, 42, of Grand Marais, Minn. "After 13,500 miles and 17 years of Arctic travel, it seemed fitting."
FIRST BRITISH WOMAN TO ATTEMPT SOLO SOUTH POLE RECORD
Rosie Stancer, 43, one of the celebrated members of the all-female British relay team that walked to the North Pole in 1997, announced in late September plans to become the first British woman to walk solo and unsupported to the South Pole, a distance of over 600 nautical miles (1,000 kms).
Her expedition leaves for the South Pole from most likely Hercules Inlet this November (final logistics still need to be worked out).
EXPEDITION UPDATE
Hempleman-Adams Crosses Atlantic in Open Wicker Basket
David Hempleman-Adams landed his Uniq Atlantic Challenger safely in a field in Hambleton, North East of Blackpool, U.K., ending on Sept. 29 the final few hours of his historic solo Atlantic balloon crossing.
The balloon landed in a hedge and Hempleman-Adams was able to calmly climb out of the basket.
The first man to cross the Atlantic in an open wicker basket balloon was greeted by hail and snow storms at 14,000 feet as he flew the balloon over the Irish Sea in thick clouds after reaching the Irish Coast.
EXPEDITION NOTES
Arnesen and Bancroft Say "No Horizon is So Far"
Polar explorers Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft revealed plans to cross the Arctic Ocean in 2005 during a Sept. 22 public presentation at the Explorers Club in New York.
The two friends stopped off in New York as part of a two-week publicity tour for their new book, No Horizon is So Far written with Cheryl Dahle (2003, DaCapo Press).
They will cross from Russia through the North Pole, to Ward Hunt Island. Ann, the first woman in history to cross the ice to both the North and South Poles, said of Liv, "the ice brought us together and deepened our friendship."
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"People have profound experiences in wilderness. They are spiritual. They are emotional. It is inspiring to see the beauty. But there's also a sense of adventure that comes from risk and pushing personal limits, both physically and emotionally. A lot of folks might say, 'I don't want this technology there. I want to handle it on my own.’" - Steven Shewach, the Sierra Club's national outdoor activities training manager, commenting on the use of a new high-tech panic button for outdoors lovers, the new electronic homing system that uses satellites to track "personal beacons" carried by outdoors enthusiasts.
The devices will allow rescuers to immediately locate people stranded miles from civilization and facing life-threatening injuries. The beacons weigh about one pound and are slightly larger than a Palm Pilot. Each carries a transmitter that sends a satellite distress signal, when activated, to a national rescue center in Maryland.
Used by sailors and pilots for 20 years, the devices were approved for land use for the first time on July 1 by the Federal Communications Commission at the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They cost $600 to $750, but prices are expected to fall as their use becomes more common.
EXPEDITION MARKETING
Advertisers Harness Climbing Metaphors
Madison Avenue’s love affair for climbing as a metaphor for business challenges is as prevalent now as it has been ever since we started Expedition News nine years ago this month.
This is good news for climbers seeking sponsorship. The more that mountain imagery appeals to ad agencies and their clients, the more likely advertisers will support expeditions. Our October issue provides some examples of this marketing trend.
MEDIA MATTERS
The "Next Frontiers" – Newsweek’s Oct. 6 issue examines the "Next Frontiers" in space and under the sea. Brad Stone writes about Burt Rutan, "… the man responsible for more innovations in modern aviation than any living engineer, such as the use of lightweight composite materials in aircraft."
Rutan, 60, has designed a space plane called SpaceShip One that will be thrust 62 miles to the very edge of space with a pilot and two passengers, perhaps as early as this December. His company, Scaled Composites, is leading a movement to create a new adventure-tourism industry that would take paying customers higher than Mount Everest and "make a bungee cord leap seem as pedestrian as a sled ride," writes Newsweek’s Stone.
New Hampshire Landmark Needs Nose Job – When the iconic Old Man of the Mountain rock formation on the flank of Cannon Mt., N.H. cracked into a pile of pebbles last spring, the mountains of New Hampshire lost one of it’s signature stone monuments, says freelance ski writer Steve Cohen who is also the executive director of America's Best Bootfitters (www.BootFitters.com). The Old Man’s image appeared on everything from the state’s license plates to the U.S. Mint’s commemorative New Hampshire quarter.
Granite Staters continue to debate whether to Crazy Glue the Old Man back together or create a more demure, scaled-down replica in the Franconia Notch scenic view parking area off I-93 that no longer has a scenic view.
Ravaged by time and Mother Nature, rock formations, the earth bound versions of star constellations, are certain to come and go, Cohen says. For a view of what the Old Man used to look like, see www.mutha.com/oldmanmt.html. For more on rock formations in the mountains see the December issue of Ski Magazine.
EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS
Expedition Public Relations – Alex Foley & Associates specializes in expedition PR. Alex Foley is honorary secretary of the Explorers Club British Chapter and has executed PR programs for many ventures including the 1996 Titanic Expedition, Ice Challenger across the Bering Strait, and David Hempleman-Adams' Atlantic balloon crossings and first solo and unsupported expedition to the Geomagnetic North Pole.
Alex Foley & Associates Ltd.
London, UK
alexfoley@btinternet.com
www.AlexFoleyPR.com
Tel: (+44) 207-352-3144
Mobile: (+44) 797-671-3478.
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