A massive endeavour to traverse the Arctic Ocean from Canada to the Geographic North Pole and then onto the “unconquered Everest” of the Polar Regions, the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility ; otherwise known as the Arctic Pole. This is an incredible feat of endurance lasting 75 days and 750 miles.
For the first leg of the journey Jim will lead a team of trained novices to reach the Geographic North Pole, leaving the last landfall of Canada in February 2010. Having reached this he will continue alone and without re-supply to the Arctic Pole a further 269 miles into the very centre of the Arctic Ocean.
Although the Arctic Pole has never been reached before and represents a true World First, Jim’s real motivation is to convey the reality of global climate change with unprecedented reporting direct from the Arctic Ocean. As he and his team gather crucial climate change data for the scientific community he will be telling the tale warts-an-all with all the trials and tribulations, peaks and troughs that occur when pushing the limits of human endurance and facing the harshest adversities Mother Nature can deliver.
Throughout the journey, Jim will be measuring the thickness, density and roughness of the sea ice, providing crucial datasets to validate the measurements taken by NASA’s Icesat satellite. He’ll also be counting polar bears for the Norwegian Polar Institute.
This will be Jim’s 3rd attempt at reaching the pole. This first was quashed in base camp in 2003 when he contracted flesh eating disease in his left ankle, 24 hours before departure. The second he was thwarted by the disintegrating sea ice 130 miles north of the last landfall, finally falling into the frigid waters whilst he was reporting for ITN and BBC Online (both on board for the 3rd attempt).
It will also be Jim’s 50th birthday in the same year having (hopefully) survived 26 years of polar exploration – all digits accounted for!
If you are interested in sponsoring this World First please contact Jim McNeill on +441344 883861
