We have finally launched our new expedition.

‘Rivers of Ice’ will depart on the 16^th of August in an attempt to traverse the complete length of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap with out the aid of sail kites or pre-placed food caches.

The fully unsupported journey will see us kayak, ski and climb 554km across the world’s third largest ice cap in as little as 37 days. Traditionally expeditions across the ice cap have been undertaken with the aid of pulks (sledges) ensuring the ability to carry sufficient supplies for long crossings. However, this makes for an arduous and laborious task having to shuttle loads across the heavily crevassed sections. In contrast we have taken an ultra light and fast approach, undertaking the journey with only backpacks and 1kg micro sleds that attach to the packs. Having reduced the equipment from over 120kg (traditional amount taken on previous attempts of this journey) to 45kg each, we are mobile enough to move fast over the difficult terrain. However, with only 37 days of food rations, we cannot afford any mistakes or delays!

The new ‘Rivers of Ice’ expedition website is finally up and running. I would describe it as innovative and interactive, jam-packed with technical information about the journey and the ultra-light equipment being used to make it happen. Once the expedition gets underway we will send daily updates back to the site as podcasts, allowing for the facts and emotions – be they despair or elation – of the day’s events, to be shared. Between now and departure we will regularly be updating the new website with short videos of our physical preparation, as well as the kit, food and logistical preparations, giving an insight into the pre-expedition work load.

So until mid October it is good buy from the Primal Journey news page but we hope to see you over at www.rivers-of-ice.com

and 1kg micro sleds that attach to the packs.

In a very respectable third place comes the weather. I don’t know about you but there is something spectacular about the weather in the Mountains at this time of year (spring that is). Not only is it the perfect temperature but the snow is just great for touring and the air is half filled with the smell of summer coming up from the valleys below.

In second place is Katie’s face as she learnt to abseil without a harness. Slightly harsh I know, but it was one of the funniest things I’ve seen for a while. It’s an incredibly important skill to know in climbing and mountaineering expeditions in case something should happen to your harness and you need to get down a vertical cliff. As a general rule I use a technique called ‘South African abseiling’, quite why it has that name I don’t know. What I do know is how painful it is! Katie managed to get to a point where it hurt so much that you start laughing at the ridiculous amount of pain and you are torn between been afraid of going any further and knowing that down is the only way for the agony to end. Sadly I didn’t have a camera to hand and so you will simply have to imagine it.

And in first place was the acquisition of the most ridiculously large printer ever. My Dad owns a print house in the Alps and he very kindly donated an old printer to us so we could print out proposals and promotional material for our expeditions. It is a truly fantastic toy! And with typical disregard for the cost of the inks I set about printing the largest pictures I could to test out our new gadget. I have since discovered that it will print 36 inches wide and a fairly respectable 300ft long. We now have hundreds of huge maps and prints all around the flat and not enough wall space to put them up. The only down side of it is that Katie isn’t overly impressed about the fact that it occupies a huge portion of the house now!

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty, well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!”

I’m obviously hoping that the grave is still many many years away, but if I can arrive in this style I will feel accomplished.

This week our small home (The Chicken Shed) has been turned upside down, and every bit of floor space has been covered in kit ready for Africa. We have been busily working out what we have, what we need, and what we can make … we like homemade gear … it makes Tarka’s time at university studying engineering seem slightly worth while, and strangely he is a whiz with a sewing machine!

The kit list for the two of us (have a look below), is considerably shorter than that of anybody else’s we can find (e.g. World Biking). There are three main reasons why we have opted for one set of clothes and little else other than our camera gear. Firstly, as we are not taking our own bikes, we are unable to predict what we will need for repairs and maintenance. There is no point taking out spare inner tubes if you don’t know what size wheel your bike has! Secondly, in light of the fact that we will have no gears, we are going to be struggling up hill as it is, so light is good! And thirdly… because we like it that way, it adds to the adventure.

I’m taking ‘two’ luxury items with me, (supposed to be limited to one as is decreed by the Primal Journey ‘golden handbook’!!!) although one of them I would consider a necessity. It’s only Tark’s that harps on about it being a luxury, and that is my face cream. I’m taking with me a never ending supply of natural skincare, handmade by my good friend at Pink Leaf, no chemicals just pure goodness. My second luxury item is a miniature pack of playing cards, I have taken them to every country I have ever visited, and they have been a godsend on many occasions. Whether whiling down the hours waiting for a flight or sitting on a desert road in a remote part of Namibia hoping for a car to pass and give us a lift! As for Tarka I’m not sure he has a luxury item yet, I think he’s to excited about getting away from this endless rain!!

Bikes
• See what we can find when we get there!

Bike Accessories and Repair Kit
• 2 x Rear Carriers
• 2 x 10L handle bar bags
• 2 x Homemade triangle bags for bike frame
• Multi-purpose bicycle tool, with spoke key, chain breaker and levers
• Pump
• Inner tube repair kit – glue and patches
• 4 x cycle water bottles
• 4 x water bottle cages
• 1 x cycle computer to measure distance

Kit
• 1 x Mountain Equipment Tunnel tent
• 2 x Mountain Equipment Xero sleeping bags
• 2 x Mountain Equipment sleeping mats
• 2 x head torches
• First aid kit
• Assorted toiletries
• Mountain Equipment Dry bags
• Repair kit containing, Leatherman, cable ties, duck tape, super glue etc
• 2 x Diaries and pen

Clothing
• 2 x trainers
• 4 x Mountain Equipment t-shirts (2 each)
• 2 x waterproof/windproof cycling jackets
• 2 x cycling shorts
• 2 x Mountain Equipment trousers
• 4 x socks and pants (2 sets each)
• 2 x cycling helmets
• 2 x sunglasses
• 2 x cycling gloves
• 2 x swimmers

Electronics and Camera equipment
• Sony A1 HDV video camera
• Sennheiser radio mic
• 2 x Canon 350D SLR’s (lenses: EF 70 – 200mm F/4.0L USM & EFS17-85mm F/4.0-5.6 USM)
• IPAQ PDA
• GPS
• E-Sun 12W solar panel
• Mobile phone
• Gorilla pod
• Spare AA batteries