St Mary's Calne
On Tuesday evening, we had Arctic Explorer, Alex Hibbert, join us for a Sixth form Lecture full of inspirational tales of his accomplished adventures in the polar and cold regions. He described the extreme temperatures he and his teams faced (-45) and the difficulty of navigating in the dark during the winter season where the sun does not rise and not being able to see submerged ice.
Alex has broken quite a few records on his adventures including spending over 150 days unsupported in the Arctic and having crossed the second largest ice cap on Earth three times. In 2008, he led the record-breaking Tiso Trans Greenland expedition which, at 1374 miles, is the longest fully unsupported polar journey in history!
A highlight was seeing some of the kit that Alex used to complete his journey as it was specially designed to keep them warm and not retain moisture that could freeze into ice. Some of the girls tried on his immersion suit which went over all his outer clothing which protected him and his kit when he had to swim in places where the ice had melted and enabling him to continue his expedition.
After months of preparation of Alex’s ‘Dark Ice Project’, an obstacle appeared the night before when they looked at an infrared photo of the thickness of the ice where they needed to cross. Unfortunately, there had been a recent storm which had melted the ice further up their route creating a dilemma the team had to solve. Sadly, due to the possible danger the team would face if they set out on their expedition, Alex and his team had to come to the hard decision to not set out due to the risks and the possibility of having to be rescued by American Air Force. This would have cost in the region of $6.6 million which would jeopardise any future sponsorship and expedition insurance, meaning he could never lead another adventure.
However, instead of heading home the team decided to make the most of their situation. They decided to live among the indigenous people and try a new skill. They bought 20 dogs from the locals in Greenland, where they were based, and they trained themselves and the dogs to pull sledges and navigate the tricky terrain. They even survived falling into the sea when crossing very thin ice that was covered with snow. The team had no regrets despite not being able to complete the original mission but came back with an unexpected and rewarding experience.
Eloise, UVI