Arctic explorer Dixie Dancercore dies EOS Science

He made several expeditions to the North and South Poles. In 1998 he founded with Alan Hubert by crossing Antarctica without external supplies. They covered at least 3,924 kilometers in less than a hundred days. Also in 2002, they attempted a stunt, this time on the other side of Earth, attempting the longest independent crossing of the Arctic Ocean ever. Unfortunately, they had to halt their expedition about halfway through, in part due to poor ice conditions, a direct result of global warming.

eosEditor Els Verweire spoke to him in 2007 Dixie Dansercoer en Alan Hubert. Here are some excerpts from that interview.

In February 2002 I tried to cross the North Pole. At the time, it was supposed to be the longest expedition ever explored independently, extending 2,400 kilometers from the New Siberian Islands to the Ward Hunt on Ellesmere Island. The trip was supposed to take 100 days, but after 68 days you had to give up. What exactly went wrong?

DD: “We love to be pioneers and believe that adventure should always remain some kind of adventure. So we set off from an unknown area, not from a standard starting point where you already know how the ice reacts. As a result, we lost a lot of time at the beginning of the expedition. In addition, the winter of 2002 was exceptionally mild and the ice on the edges of the ice sheet, where our starting point was, is already beginning to melt, making the terrain even more difficult. To make matters worse, we imposed the strict rule of the game on ourselves to undertake the expedition in complete independence. In other words, we left with everything we needed along the way in our sleigh. Thus we each carried 185 kilograms of food and materials, a supply for the hundred days of our journey by our calculations. This extra heavy load with unnaturally thin ice for this time of year has cost our necks.

Are the problems in the Arctic similar to those in Antarctica?

DD: “Yes to some extent, but life at the North Pole is different, and more difficult. Because unlike the Antarctic, where you walk over land, the North Pole is just a plain of ice, a frozen ocean. In other words, you are on a surface that is not Stable.In addition, the humidity level is much higher, which means additional inconvenience Cares about.

Is this scientific research the main reason to embark on such an adventure or are you still taking on the mathematical challenge?

DD: “We do this primarily for personal re-enrichment.”