So what have we been up to?

We had a great 10 days training in Chamonix at the end of last month. We were really lucky with the weather and had perfect blue sky’s for the whole duration of our stay. We were able to get in some great runs as altitude, seriously hard work, but the mountain paths are worlds away from our road running back at home and well worth a little bit of pain! But our main goal over the 10 days was just to spend time going through rope work, crevasse extraction, avalanche safety procedures and just general mountaineering training. As we were there we thought it was worth having ago at standing on the summit of Mt Blanc, Tark’s has summited many times from various routes, but it was to be my first shot at standing on the summit of any large mountain! Well it didn’t go quite as we would have hoped, we had two attempts, the first of which was pathetic. At little over a third of the way up, my Chonophobia (irrational fear of snow) completely got the better of me and i had a huge panic attack and emotionally collapsed, doubting my abilities on the mountain as well as my career choice as an ‘adventurer’! I was in such a state we decided to turn back resound to the fact that despite spending 5 years trying to overcome them, these panic attacks were never going to go and mountaineering and i just weren’t meant to be and that i should stick to ultra endurance expeditions on flatter terrain. Within 24 hours i had given myself a good talking to and was back up the mountain for a second attempt. We were staying in tents as opposed to the mountain refuges like most other climbers, and decided to camp much further down the mountain and do a much longer summit day so that we could do it in the dark. This was  Tarka’s great plan…darkness…if I couldn’t see it, then i couldn’t be frightened of it was the theory! Instead of setting off at 2am from 3817m we set off at 10pm from 3167m, it turned out to be a genius idea of Tarka’s, and i flew up the mountain. Unfortunately at around 4400m Tarks was suffering form altitude sickness and was really struggling to keep his balance…never ideal on mountain ridges! So we had to turn back and make a very slow and careful descent, but by then it was light and i could see exactly what i had come up!! In a way it was quite good that I had to look after Tarks and make sure he got down safely, as it meant I couldn’t have a wobbly walking across (what in my mind are) horrific knife edge passes. Tarks was absolutely fine again once we were back at low altitude , other than feeling rather guilty that he prevented my summit, especially after i had talked myself back into giving it another try. Next year.

Other than that we have just been really busy preparing our new business ‘itzon TV‘ which will be launching in the next couple of months. I cant give you all the details just yet but i can tell you that one morning Tarka sat bolt upright in bed and announced that we should launch a TV channel and further more a TV channel that will be the first of its kind in the world!!! One week later itzon was born…. We will be drip feeding information on the holding page each week www.itzon.tv

The bad news is we are still in Resolute Bay! It’s been 6 weeks since we left the UK and the FSB team have only spent 6 days out on the sea ice…how depressing is that!!

The only good news to come of our continual delays, is that we were able to wave off our new friend, the Italian adventurer Michele Pontrandolfo, on the start of his latest adventure. He is on his way to attempt another solo expedition, this time to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole.

We have spent the past 2 weeks enjoying Michele’s company and helping him with his preparations. He has been here at South Camp Inn completely on his own, no support crew and no project manager, so I think he was grateful for a few friends to mull over kit problems as they arose.

He will now man-haul his 2 sleds 600km from Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island to the Pole on his own and unsupported. He is due to finish near Isachsen in approximately 40 days. If you can read Italian and want to follow his journey visit his site Artiko.

For my part I am heading out to do some training now, I think Tarka has some abseiling planned for me and possibly various techniques of creating snow anchors for belays. Best get walking as I have to get to the top of the cliff before i can learn how to go off it!

Friday has the next plane with our name on!

As we have mentioned on a couple of posts now, Tark’s has been suffering from an allergic reaction from what we believe to be a combination of the chemicals in the water and the detergent used at South Camp. Well on Saturday he reached the point of near insanity, he was literally on fire! There was no way he could head back out on the ice the way he was, so after consultation with the team it was conclude that a short dose of powerful steroids was needed and if that didn’t work he was going to be on his way home to England to get some long term treatment. The next dilemma was getting hold of the steroids, as the closest doctor able to subscribe the drugs, was 2 flights away in Iqualuit. With the added bonus of the first available fight being on Thursday. Thankfully by the afternoon, lovely Mary the nurse in Resolute, had found a doctor in Ottawa who would carry out a consultation via a Skype video conference and allow the Steroids needed (technology saves the day)! Within 24 hours Tark’s was a new man, and was given the all clear to go back on the ice. We were also informed that our last test results from the kerosene heater saga, showed that the smoke inhalation all 3 of endured left our lungs looking like us mild to heavy smokers! Although we have been assured that all will be back to normal in about 8 weeks.

Well there is only 1 twin otter in service currently at Resolute and so we are in a queue behind the re-supply for the ice team and the Polar Continental Ice Shelf. Due to bad weather the ice teams re-supply has been put back two days already which mean we are not going to get on the ice until Wednesday or possibly Thursday at the earliest! let me out, let me out!!!