Page 19 - 2023 AMA Spring

Antartica showing, in white, the landmass (inner coatsline) with the ice shelves (outer coastline) in blue
from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. A slight variation of this would be a ‘Full Expedition’, which would begin at an outer coastal area that reaches a recognisable point, e.g. the northern edge of Berkner Island to the South Pole. Hercules Inlet lies on an inner coastline and an expedition to the Pole would therefore be classified as an Antarctic Expedition. In comparison, the Bay of Whales is on an outer coastline and an expedition to the Pole would be classified as a Full Antarctic Expedition.
ANTARCTIC CROSSINGS
Compared to Antarctic Expeditions, Antarctic Crossings have to meet a few more requirements. They are also split into two categories; Antarctic Crossings and Full Crossings. Both types have to start on the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf and end on the Ross Ice Shelf, or vice versa. Crossings also have to; have a minimum arc of 90 degrees between the start and end, contact one or more points on the ACSA, and cannot start and end on the same ice shelf. Where they differ is that a Crossing starts or ends on an inner coastline and a Full Crossing has to start and end on an outer coastline. The northern coast of Berkner Island to the Bay of Whales, via the South Pole (a point in the ACSA), would, therefore, be considered a full crossing.
GROUP DEFINITIONS
Antarctic journeys are either called ‘solo’ or ‘team’ expeditions. A solo expedition must be a single person travelling alone for the entire journey, must break trail (not follow tracks), and only have transitory encounters throughout. All over expeditions other than the ‘solo’ label are implied to be ‘team’ expeditions.
SUPPORTED AND UNSUPPORTED
Whether team or solo endeavours, expeditions are also further split between being either supported or unsupported. An unsupported journey is one that: does not benefit from external resupply; does not off-load or discard anything during
the journey (even human waste is to be collected for the last degree to the Pole); does not enter any building, vehicle, or tent other than its own; does not travel on or within 2km of any seasonal route; does not require any team members to be evacuated; and is not aided by a vehicle providing physical or psychologi- cal support. These vehicles also include the use of mechanical methods including kites and bikes. These criteria need to be satisfied otherwise the expedition would be labelled as supported.
Whilst it may sound strange to enter buildings or see other people you have to remember that there is a large research station at the South Pole and numerous other expeditions on the ice at the same time. This year alone several of the expeditions briefly saw each other at Thiels Corner. Additionally, there is a 1600km route called the South Pole Overland Traverse (SPoT) ice road. The SPoT road is permanently flagged and re-graded at the beginning of each season to resupply the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station. This route down the Leverett Glacier has been used in the past and has been included in the ‘unsupported’ bracket, however, this route will now be considered supported. Given this change in stance towards the use of the SPoT road, previous expeditions will not be retroactively downgraded.
me. I will only be using human propulsion throughout and not using any assistance to movement, such as a kite or a bike.
The Frozen Dagger expedition will not be a full crossing as I will be finishing at an inner coastline. However, with this crossing’s start point on Berkner Island, it will be the first time someone has attempted an unsupported ski crossing with an outer coastline start. This start point adds significant distance to what is normally skied meaning that the Frozen Dagger crossing will be almost 500km further than any other previous attempt at a solo unsupported ski crossing of the continent. When completed, it will help understand whether an unsupported full crossing is achievable given the tight time window to achieve this feat.
An important point to note is that there have been previous successful full crossings of Antarctica, however these have involved the use of kites to aid movement rather than pure human power. No one has yet attempted a solo ski full crossing of Antarctica and questions remain on its viability due to the time constraints of the Antarctic summer and the speed required to cover the ground necessary.
With this blog, I wanted to break down the definitions and provide some under- standing regarding the nuances involved in Antarctic travel. This chiefly allows the uninitiated to understand the physical aims of this Frozen Dagger expedition as often these distinctions are not reported on by the media and can lead to inaccu- racies. Secondly, as a newcomer to the polar adventure community, I’d like to have complete clarity in what I’m attempting to achieve and outline the aims of this Frozen Dagger expedition before departure to stop any confusion on the matter. Whilst this may seem fastidious, I would like to enter this community after the expedition with accuracy and transparency in my aims to avoid ambiguity.
The ACSA is an area where crossings must contact any point or points to be considered legitimate
THE FROZEN DAGGER
EXPEDITION DEFINED
So, with the knowledge detailed above, in what is a very whistle-stop tour through only some of the definitions, what is the Frozen Dagger solo unsupported Antarctic crossing looking to achieve?
The route I’ll be taking is from the northern point of Berkner Island to the base of the Reedy Glacier, via the South Pole. The crossing will be both solo and unsupported. I will be completing this endeavour by myself and will be taking everything I will need for the duration with
The Frozen Dagger route from Berkner Island to the base of the Reedy Glacier, via the South Pole
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 19