The North Pole - any tips or experience?

ejes

ejes

Joined
Jul 17, 2007
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There is a possibility that I may be sent on a short 2-3 day trip to the North Pole in a couple of months for my job. Without the ability to get into too much detail because of the nature of the work, does anyone have any experience with what to expect in that location at that time of year? I'm sure I will be briefed at some point, but I have NO idea what to expect, being from KS, other than it will be cold! :D I might as well have been told I was going to the moon.

This trip, by it's nature, I am sure will be very well outfitted by the group we are going with; so I am not too concerned about the safety of getting there and back. However, I never put too much trust in others "taking care of me" and like to have myself prepared as much as possible, mentally, physically, and logistically. This is really an opportunity of a lifetime for me, and anyone's willingness to talk about their experience in this area, or anything close to it, would greatly interest me and be very much appreciated!
 
Look out for yeti's there everywhere up there......Seriously Can't help you can't say much other than it's cold ....but sounds pretty awesome
 
I don't have any personal experience of either pole (Poland, yes!) But many years ago I worked as a design consultant to a company that specialised in polar equipment and hence came into contact with a lot of polar explorers. They all seem to reccomend Ventile clothing very highly, it's extremely breathable, tough, and windproof to 200 mph. Also know a lot of the fellers were fond of Buffalo gear (which has been discussed before on this forum.)

A well-known British mountain clothing company spent a lot of money kitting out Ranulph Fiennes with a fur-trimmed down parka for one trip, and used to have it on display on their trade stand. I know that he barely wore it though as it was too warm (but then he was hauling a sled all day!)
 
Yes. First things first - remember that you're going into what is arguably the most hostile environment to human life on this earth. If you're going there in the summer months, you will be in polar day, where the sun will actually not set at all for months and months and months. If you're going in the winter, you will face the polar night, which is to say not a minute of sunlight for half a year. A minority of people will not be able to psychologically deal with these two things in themselves, and will, to use medical terms, "flip out". Forget everything you know about surviving in the woods or jungles or deserts - in the North Pole, there is practically nothing except endless snow and ice, and variations thereof. You will not find wood to chop or to build shelters of, and you won't find abundant game to hunt. No matter when you go, it will be relatively cold. Even in the summer, temperatures will frequently drop far into the negative Celcius degrees, and in the winter, it will be cold as hell, up to nearly -70 degrees Celcius. There may be very strong winds, that will cause such wind chill that the effective temperature will be even more lethal. Navigation by eye will often be impossible due to the complete lack of landmarks, white out, and blizzard winds.

There are four very important things you need to consider. First is always warmth - you need very heavy clothing to protect you from the cold, especially the wind, and you will need to consider the possibility that you may get wet. Second, navigations - you need to know where the hell you are, so bring the best you've got, GPS. Third, communications - you want to be able to communicate with others so you can call someone to evac you the heck out of there if things go sideways. Fourth, spirit - you need the right mindset. You're going to a place where you may quite well have the finest, most memorable and fulfilling experience of your entire life and more, or die alone only to come back in a box, if at all. No matter what anyone claims, there is no way to go to the North Pole and not be in danger. No matter how well you are equipped, no matter who you have with you, things may go bad. The risk may be very small at best, but it will always be there. The best way to make sure things don't go wrong is to do serious preparation, and above that even, to respect the place. It's not somewhere where you want to play around and not take things seriously - you could do that, and live to tell about it, or you might not.

All that said, if you're going in good company, it should very likely be a great experience. :thumbup:
 
I thought it melted because of global warming!!!!!! Maybe you need to take shorts and sunscreen.
 
It must not be to tough, Santa seems to do well there.:D However he has plenty of reindeer to eat.;)
 
From what I know about the far north in summer is the glaring sun. I was on a fishing trip near Pangnurtung in Baffin island back in the 80's in late july. The arctic char fishing was great, and the camp cook turned them into delicacies. It was an experience of a lifetime. Don't forget the camera and bring extra memory sticks and batteries.

Temps were in the low 50sF (10C). Dress for winter but do bring fall clothing as days do get warm. Good waterproof winter boots are a must. Bring a touque, but bring a couple ball caps to cut down on the sun's glare. Rain gear is a good idea, yes they get rain and it can be bad in the blowing wind. The north can be windy or calm, but often there is that steady breeze and winds are damp at that time of year.

Sunglasses, don't be without! The sun is out 24 hours a day during summer, and it is at that low angle that produces alot of glare. Take two sunglasses just incase you lose a pair. Same thing goes for sunblock. Sunblock is a must, the sun is constantly burning away reflecting off of snow and water.

Knives, carry a good fixed blade on the belt and accessible. It may save your life if you fall in the water through ice, serving as a pick to get you out. A couple of folders for you personal needs and you should be good to go.

Take everything that you will need for your trip. Supplys in stores up north tend to be limited in stock, and very expensive.
 
Elen said:
Second, navigations - you need to know where the hell you are, so bring the best you've got, GPS.

All that said, if you're going in good company, it should very likely be a great experience. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Forget the GPS. IIRC GPS doesn't work above around 75degrees north and below 65 degrees south because of the orbit the satelites were put in. Check to make sure I'm right on this. It is off the top of my head.

KR


EDIT:
I am trying to check if this is still correct. I'm not having any luck right now. I know that this use to be true. Maybe it is no longer true.
 
Elen said:
Yes. First things first - remember that you're going into what is arguably the most hostile environment to human life on this earth. If you're going there in the summer months, you will be in polar day, where the sun will actually not set at all for months and months and months. If you're going in the winter, you will face the polar night, which is to say not a minute of sunlight for half a year. A minority of people will not be able to psychologically deal with these two things in themselves, and will, to use medical terms, "flip out". Forget everything you know about surviving in the woods or jungles or deserts - in the North Pole, there is practically nothing except endless snow and ice, and variations thereof. You will not find wood to chop or to build shelters of, and you won't find abundant game to hunt. No matter when you go, it will be relatively cold. Even in the summer, temperatures will frequently drop far into the negative Celcius degrees, and in the winter, it will be cold as hell, up to nearly -70 degrees Celcius. There may be very strong winds, that will cause such wind chill that the effective temperature will be even more lethal. Navigation by eye will often be impossible due to the complete lack of landmarks, white out, and blizzard winds.

There are four very important things you need to consider. First is always warmth - you need very heavy clothing to protect you from the cold, especially the wind, and you will need to consider the possibility that you may get wet. Second, navigations - you need to know where the hell you are, so bring the best you've got, GPS. Third, communications - you want to be able to communicate with others so you can call someone to evac you the heck out of there if things go sideways. Fourth, spirit - you need the right mindset. You're going to a place where you may quite well have the finest, most memorable and fulfilling experience of your entire life and more, or die alone only to come back in a box, if at all. No matter what anyone claims, there is no way to go to the North Pole and not be in danger. No matter how well you are equipped, no matter who you have with you, things may go bad. The risk may be very small at best, but it will always be there. The best way to make sure things don't go wrong is to do serious preparation, and above that even, to respect the place. It's not somewhere where you want to play around and not take things seriously - you could do that, and live to tell about it, or you might not.

All that said, if you're going in good company, it should very likely be a great experience. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

:thumbup: excellent post ,well I won't be going to either pole....but great info...the solitude and nothing to look at but varations of snow & ice + the cold..cold weather is not for me..I mean anything below 20-30 degrees F is not for me...:D
 
Bufford said:
...Knives, carry a good fixed blade on the belt and accessible. It may save your life if you fall in the water through ice, serving as a pick to get you out. A couple of folders for you personal needs and you should be good to go.
Click to expand...

I may be wrong but I guess that you will be better off with an ice axe instead of a fixed blade. Chances are that you will be wearing loose clothes (tight ones restrict blood flow leading to cold) and the belt will end up buried with layers of overlaping clothes. Even if you had it accessible... with the big clumsy mittens you are likely to wear... there is no way you are going to get a nice grip on it. Well you could but... will be very hard.

If you are skiing or snowshoeing... you will probably be carrying poles instead of an ice axe. Hell! I even carry trekking poles even when doing mountaineering if there is no risk of taking a big slip! There are some trekking poles in the market (right now I can only think about Black Diamond) that have a little pick on the handle so, in a pinch, they could work as a pick to gain traction and pull yourself out of the water. Allow me to introduce you... the WHIPPET

Anyway, if you fall into the water and unless your partners are well trained to set up a tent, fire a stove inside and warm it up in lets say... three minutes, you are pretty much screwed. If you don't drawn, hipothermia will take care of you in no time. If there is no wind at all maybe you can make it. That said, stay away from crevases and thin ice.

Mikel
 
kr1 said:
Forget the GPS. IIRC GPS doesn't work above around 75degrees north and below 65 degrees south because of the orbit the satelites were put in. Check to make sure I'm right on this. It is off the top of my head.

KR


EDIT:
I am trying to check if this is still correct. I'm not having any luck right now. I know that this use to be true. Maybe it is no longer true.
Click to expand...

What about SAT phones? I have a Iridium; I will check with the provider to be sure, but this is one thing I do have, along with 2 good sets of wrap around polarized sunglasses. (Knives are not going to be a problem :D) The clothing is my main concern at this point.

Thanks for all the great replies; please keep them coming if anyone has anything to add.:thumbup:
 
Sunglasses, don't be without! The sun is out 24 hours a day during summer, and it is at that low angle that produces alot of glare. Take two sunglasses just incase you lose a pair.
Click to expand...

I'll just add to that, make sure your sunglasses are strongly polarized to cut out glare and that they're designed so that no light comes through the sides. Also take a good stove and plenty of fuel - Optimus Nova+ is probably the best. If you need to order online everestgear.com has a good range of the mountaineering type stuff.
 
The one thing I was going to say was good sunglasses for sure!

Glare off the snow in an all-snow environment is literally mind-blowing!
 
CanDo said:
awesome, have fun!
Click to expand...


Thanks, I will try; as long as I come with all the tips of everything I have still "pink". :D I will also try to post some pics if the trip goes through; as long as my camera can take the brutal environment.
 
If you can get a pair of good ski goggles, I would wear those instead of sunglasses, or in combination. You will be provided some good clothes, probably a snow goose parka. (I have one, it's amazing) So as long as you don't get left behind or fall through a crevasse you should be ok.
 
ejes said:
What about SAT phones? I have a Iridium; I will check with the provider to be sure, but this is one thing I do have, along with 2 good sets of wrap around polarized sunglasses. (Knives are not going to be a problem :D) The clothing is my main concern at this point.

Thanks for all the great replies; please keep them coming if anyone has anything to add.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Since the Iridium constellation of satellites is in a pretty much polar orbit with an inclination of 86 degrees and a period of around 100 minutes. I would expect them to work.

Just my guess, no guarantee. :D Let us know what your provider says.

KR
 
kr1 said:
Forget the GPS. IIRC GPS doesn't work above around 75degrees north and below 65 degrees south because of the orbit the satelites were put in. Check to make sure I'm right on this. It is off the top of my head.

KR


EDIT:
I am trying to check if this is still correct. I'm not having any luck right now. I know that this use to be true. Maybe it is no longer true.
Click to expand...

GPS does work on the North Pole. Or at least it did the last time I tried. Navigation up there without GPS would be... well, let's just say "challenging". I wouldn't want to navigate out there based on only the shadows, wind direction or a compass that goes completely nuts due to magnetism.

About falling into the water and prying yourself out with a tool - don't do that. Falling into the water out there is not fun, I repeat, not fun in the least. Better to not fall in in the first place.

Skis are the preferred method of foot transportation there. It is much easier than walking especially when there's a good, helpful wind from the rear. Skis also distribute your weight more evenly, which is good if you step into something that doesn't want to carry your weight.

And yes, sunglasses. Lots of sunglasses. Generally, tool-wise, bring things that are durable, because you won't be getting replacements quickly out there. I would leave folders home. In sub zero temps everything breaks more easily than normally, and thin blades even more so - and nobody wants to clean tons of snow and ice from your folding knife after every day just to make it even open. Multitools are a good idea, though - just baby them carefully!

About sat phones, yes, in theory they work. I say "in theory", because sometimes they don't work, for some reason that I do not properly understand - possibly something to do with solar flares, geomagnetic something or science things like that which boggle my mind. :D
 
make sure to read the terror by dan simmons before you go. it'll give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
 
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