ALE guests who flew to the South Pole on December 14, 2012 were greeted by a simple and fitting tribute to Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first person to achieve the Pole. There were no crowds, no speeches, no great celebrations. A single Norwegian flag fluttered next to the pole marker, testament to the achievement [...]
Congratulations to Captain Neverov and his Ilyushin 76 crew on their 100th blue-ice landing!
The ALE mechanical team has completed their first big project of the season, a 280 km tractor-train traverse to the Lake Ellsworth drilling site. The tractor-train loaded with equipment arrived at Lake Ellsworth on Saturday November 24, after a difficult journey through soft snow from Union Glacier Camp. ALE Team Preps Drill Site The mech [...]
The results are in for the 2012 Antarctic Ice Marathon! The Men’s Race Dr Andrew Murray (GBR) won the men’s marathon in a new course record of 3:41.15 hrs. The 32 year old GP, who has run more than 50 marathons, said this was ‘one of his best’. Murray went on to run a 50km [...]
ALE is excited to announce that the iconic ‘Marathon Flame’ has arrived in Antarctica for the 8th Antarctic Ice Marathon on 21 November 2012 at Union Glacier. Greek-Cypriot marathon runner and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Mr Nasos Ktorides, carried the Flame on its first visit to Antarctica. Richard Donovan, organizer of the Antarctic Ice Marathon, says [...]
In 1987, Adventure Network International (ANI) made history by landing a privately operated wheeled aircraft in Antarctica. On November 22, 1987, Captain Jim Smith landed a Douglas DC-4 on a blue-ice airfield at Patriot Hills in the Ellsworth Mountains. This ground-breaking achievement changed the face of aviation in Antarctica, and paved the way for direct flights [...]
ALE Ski South Pole Guide Hannah McKeand offers some final tips to get you organized as you get ready to head to the ice.
ALE’s First Flight of the Season ALE’s first Ilyushin flight of the 2012 season landed safely at Union Glacier on Oct 30. Weather conditions were ideal for the landing and the Ilyushin crew reported that the runway was in excellent condition. The flight carried core ALE staff and one expedition, Aaron Lindsau. Lindsau hopes to [...]
ALE’s advance team have arrived at Union Glacier, Antarctica. The ski aircraft arrived safely last night with our team on board, after a two-stage flight from Punta Arenas. They report that the camp caches have over-wintered well and look in good shape. The blue-ice runway has little snow coverage and the snow surface around camp [...]
Antarctica is the highest, driest and most remote of all continents yet we know remarkably little about its weather and how it fits into the global picture. A new research project aims to change that...