In March 2008, a team of two attempted to ski 200km across the Penny ice cap
In March 2008, a team of two attempted to ski 200km across the Penny ice cap, unaided and with temperatures reaching as low as -60°C whilst inspiring young people into exploration and climate change through education.
The expedition left the UK on the 5th March flying out to Ottawa and then up to Baffin Island. This year had seen some heavy snow storms in Eastern Canada but luckily the weather did not get in the way of our flights and we made it up to Iqualuit with no problems.
Unfortunately our connecting flight up to Qikiqtarjuaq was another story. The flight left without problems on a beautiful sunny day but when only twenty minutes from Qikiqtarjuaq the pilot announced technical problems and had to return to Iqualuit where we were forced to over night. The following morning one of our rucksacks was run over as it was being loaded on to the aircraft and was in such a bad state we couldn’t take it out on the expedition. Luckily the expedition food packed inside survived relatively unscathed. We made it up to Qikiqtarjuaq that day and wanting to make the most of the good weather we were keen to get out to our drop off point as soon as possible.
The weather was good as we got dropped off on the 8th March at Okoa Bay – a good eight hours snow mobile ride from Qikertajuaq. Our first big problem was finding an access route onto the glacier as it was heavily crevassed. We opted to haul our kit up and around the side of the valley so that we could get on the glacier further up the valley. Over the next four days we made good progress up the glacier and began to realise that we could cross the Penny in good time. Unfortunately on the evening of our fourth night it became apparent that we wouldn’t be going any further. My feet had started to suffer from poor circulation living at -45C and to carry on would almost certainly mean frostbite. There was only one option and that was to return.
We made good time down the glacier and returned to Qikiqtarjuaq on the 13th. Vijay flew down to Iqualuit the following day to have a precautionary check up on his feet. All was well but according to the doctors to have carried would have meant frostbite.
Visit the expedition website: www.vijayshah.net/polarventure
