November 2004 – Volume Eleven, Number Eleven

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.

Welcome to Expedition News Highlights – The following are highlights of our November issue, but this is only part of the story. Click here to subscribe to the full edition. or e-mail us for a free sample copy at editor@ExpeditionNews.com

U.K. Explorers Attempt Fastest Crossing of Antarctica

A $600,000 British expedition of polar explorers begin an attempt this month to become the fastest to cross Antarctica. In the two-pronged expedition, Patrick Woodhead, 28, plans to lead a group of four skiers, starting from the Trans-Antarctic Mountains. Separately, a group of six will set off from Hercules Inlet in two Land Rover vehicles. The teams will meet at the pole and race each other back to Hercules Inlet, a journey of 1,150 miles.

EXPEDITION TO TEST NORTH POLE CLAIM

A Briton plans in March to lead an expedition designed to settle a century-old debate over whether the American explorer Rear Adm. Robert E. Peary (1855-1920) was the first to reach the North Pole.

Explorer Tom Avery, 28, a member of a team that became the fastest to reach the South Pole on foot two years ago, plans to retrace Peary's footsteps to the North Pole in 1909.

EXPEDITION NOTES

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly – Twenty of The Explorers Club’s most accomplished members will be recognized at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree, which will be held in July 2005 at Fort A. P. Hill, located in the rolling hills of Caroline County, Va. The mission of the Jamboree, which is held every four years, is to provide a diverse group of Scouts and Leaders a meaningful and memorable experience that will instill the lasting values and traditions of scouting, in a safe and secure environment. At the 2005 Jamboree, all 20 subcamps will be named for prominent Explorers Club members, including Donald Johanson, Joe Kittinger, Bob Ballard, Will Steger, Donald Walsh and Jim Fowler. These 20 EC members will attend the Jamboree and be recognized in their respective subcamps and at the event-wide Arena Show on July 31.

It Was Only a Matter of Time Department – Faithful readers of Expedition News know it was only a matter of time before someone would try to knock off the first crossing of the continental U.S. in a Segway HT. The America at 10 MPH Expedition, which departed Seattle on Aug. 9 en route to Boston, has already logged 3,391 miles and reached Johnstown, Pa., at press time. Two independent filmmakers are traveling in those wheeled contraptions that city dwellers were all supposed to be using by now instead of their cars. They hope to reach Boston on Nov. 17, after traveling 4,200 miles. As the 10 mph film crew "Segways" (their word) into the more populated part of the country, they are finding more and more people eager to share their stories and insights on America for the documentary.

"We’re discovering and seeing a humanity that spans across the country and throughout all walks of life," said Josh Caldwell, co-producer of the documentary and rider of the Segway.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"We brought meaning to the words 'burn rubber.’" – Test pilot and astronaut Michael Melvill during an aviation association presentation last month of his Ansari X Prize-winning spaceflight in SpaceShipOne. Melvill was referring to the combination of nitrous oxide and rubber used to propel the spaceship into orbit. After addressing the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association convention in Long Beach, Calif., he received an AOPA Presidential Citation and a standing, cheering ovation from 1,000 fellow pilots. (For more information: www.aopa.org).

MEDIA MATTERS

Penguin Press – The first flights have arrived at the South Pole signaling the start of the summer season – first to land was a U.S. Hercules, and two Twin Otters from Kenn Borek Air, the company that has made a name for itself in pole rescues over the past few years. Returning also is The Antarctic Sun, Antarctica’s hometown newspaper which has been chronicling news about happenings at the South Pole for the past seven years. According to communications manager Valerie Carroll of Raytheon Polar Services, the Sun is published once a week during the austral summer (October-February).

"The exact dates depend on when the journalist team can get to McMurdo and the dates are different each season according to priorities and weather conditions," Carroll tells EN. "When we took the publication over from the Navy in 1997 we updated the name, the look, and went global with the publication. Our primary audience is U.S. Antarctic Program participants (all stations, camps, ships, offices, etc.). Our secondary audience is the general public (schools, media, families, friends, etc.). We don't really know the circulation but sense that it is in the thousands."

Carroll continues, "The content focuses primarily on the scientific work being done in Antarctica with a bit of human interest about ‘life on the Ice.’ We rarely cover private expeditions."

The Antarctic Sun, part of the United States Antarctic Program, is funded by the National Science Foundation. View it for yourself at www.polar.org/antsun and www.usap.gov.

The Magic Knot – Watch for The Magic Knot, a 30-min. documentary about the Khumbu Climbing School. Instructors Conrad Anker, Jon Krakauer, Harry Kent and others, share critical mountaineering techniques and skills necessary for safe work in the Himalayas. The documentary was shown Oct. 13 at Montana State University by the late Alex Lowe’s climbing partner, Conrad Anker, and Lowe’s widow, Jennifer Lowe. The multimedia lecture was titled "A Legacy Beyond Climbing – In Memory of Alex Lowe," and served as a fund-raiser for the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation, a non-profit organization developed by Anker and Jennifer Lowe to honor the memory of Alex Lowe.

Regarded as one of the world's best climbers, Bozeman, Mont., resident Alex Lowe was killed in an avalanche on Tibet's Shishipagma in 1999.

Following his death, the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation (ALCF) was created to preserve Lowe's legacy by providing direction and financial support to sustainable, community-based humanitarian programs designed to help the people who live in remote regions of the world.

"Creating the ALCF was a healing experience," says Jennifer Lowe, who is a highly regarded artist and is married to Anker. (For more information: www.AlexLowe.org).

EXPEDITION MARKETING

Let’s Drink to This Dream Job – The makers of Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky are launching a nationwide search for an individual to help document the world’s most extraordinary sights and experiences as editor of The Chivas Life Guide. The lucky editor will be paid $50,000 and an additional $50,000 travel stipend in return for his or her travel experiences (presumably enough to pick up a whole lot of bar tabs).

The company placed classified ads in the help wanted sections of both national and major metropolitan newspapers nationwide to extend the search for the candidate. Five candidates will be flown to New York the week of Nov. 15 for final selection. For more information: www.ChivasSearch.com

EXPEDITION CLASSIFIEDS

Expedition Public Relations – Alex Foley & Associates specializes in international public relations for explorers, expeditions and adventure challenges creating maximum value for title sponsors.

Alexandra Foley is a dual British-American citizen, Honorary Secretary of the British Chapter of the Explorers Club and a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society. Her firm has executed PR programmes for numerous expeditions including the Titanic 1996 Expedition, The Ice Challenger Bering Strait Expedition, Will Cross’s Novolog Ultimate Trek to Cure Diabetes, David Hempleman Adams’s Chase de Vere, Bank of Ireland and Uniq Atlantic Balloon Challenges, and his solo and unsupported trek to the Geomagnetic North Pole, and Rosie Stancer’s Snickers South Pole Solo Challenge.

Alex Foley & Associates Ltd.
London, UK
alexfoley@btinternet.com
www.AlexFoleyPR.com
Tel: (+44) 207-352-3144
Mobile: (+44) 797-671-3478.