"Becalmed at the South Pole"

Due to a complete lack of wind we unfortunately had to abort our attempt to kite in our special ski-buggies from the South Pole to Patriot Hills.  A wind “holeâ€? about 200 miles in diameter parked over the South Pole and when the resident Meteorologist at the US Station forecast little change before early February we chose to cut our losses after only five days.  It was a huge disappointment.

We had about 8 knots of wind when we arrived at the Pole so we quickly erected the buggies and got underway.  A 7 km long antenna, strategically placed 4 metres above the snow, has been constructed directly across the route to Patriot Hills so we were obliged to head off down the runway for a few miles before coming around on to our desired bearing.  We made good progress on the prepared surface, even in only 8 knots of wind, but as soon as we hit the soft snow at the end of the runway the wind fell away completely and we quickly became bogged down.  When researching the wind statistics at the South Pole we carelessly overlooked the effects of the altitude and zero humidity.  These combine to make the Polar winds approximately 25% less powerful than what we’re used to.  This wasn’t decisive, but it added to our problems. Also, our loaded buggies were too heavy.  It took both of us to haul a single buggy and this effectively removed any thoughts of pulling ourselves out of the Pole “holeâ€?. 

We saw a rather benign side of Antarctica.  Others have experienced its harsher side and suffered terribly from the bitter winds. It would be foolish in the extreme to go there unprepared and disrespectful but we both have felt much more threatened in the Cairngorms in a winter gale.

Since returning we’ve received a steady stream of e-mails encouraging us to have another go. It’s clear this is a popular idea.  Obviously we would like to be able to return (Kieron is already designing a faster, lighter buggy) but Antarctica is an incredibly expensive playground.  Sponsorship is essential and unfortunately that brings pressures and obligations which have little or nothing to do with the overall success of the expedition.  

Despite failing this time, more convinced than ever that this journey will soon be done in the style that we envisaged - sitting comfortably in a high-tech buggy, speeding across the glistening sastrugi under a beautiful kite at about 15 mph for hours on end – just having fun. 

We’re happy to have had the chance – “Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at allâ€?.