North Pole 2014: Dark Ice Project Cancelled

Well that didn't take long.

Just two days ago I wrote a piece about the impending launch of the Dark Ice Project, an ambitious expedition that was set to send four explorers to the North Pole during the winter on a round-trip trek that would take six months. At the time, the team was preparing to set out, possibly as early as this weekend. But today we get the word that the mission has been scrubbed completely.

In a blog post that appeared on the expedition website early today, team leader Alex Hibbert shared the reasoning behind the cancellation – or at least postponement - of their journey. Essentially, a survey of the ice north of Greenland, where he and teammates James Wheeldon, Anastasia Kim and Anders Rasmussen, would be doing the bulk of their traveling caused the change in plans. That ice is not forming quickly or substantially this winter and as a result, the conditions are not right for travel. There are large sections of open water where the ice hasn't formed and parts of the Kennedy Channel, which is along their intended route, are in "exceptionally poor condition."

Last year, Alex and crew traveled across the region setting supply depots that they would use on their journey this year. During that time, they observed the ice to be perfect for travel and were optimistic that the same thing would happen this year. That hasn't proven to be the case and now it appears that it simply isn't safe to make this kind of extended trek this year.


There is another reason for them to cancel the trek as well. The lack of ice has also reduced the size of the habitat for polar bears, which live in large numbers in the region as well. That means that they were more likely to encounter those bears on their travels north, and it was also likely that they would possibly have a violent encounter with the animals. The bears will be competing with one another for food this year and when they are in an environment that is reduced in size, they will be more aggressive and hungry. On top of that, polar bears show little fear of humans and have been known to stalk skiers on their way to the North Pole. The entire situation was ripe for disaster.

Alex noted that he respects the Inuit people who live in and around Qaanaaq, where they are currently stationed. Those hardy indigenous people have also warned him about the dangers of proceeding north this year, and no one knows the dangers better than they do. With that in mind, he feels it is best to pull the plug on the bigger expedition, at least for now.

But, the team is not coming home. They are in good physical condition, getting along great, and they have plenty of supplies at their disposal. They plan to spend the next four months traveling throughout the region, visiting remote Inuit settlements and still exploring the Arctic during the winter. They also say that they have another plan in mind, but they're not ready to reveal details just yet, although it does involve recruiting two large sled dog teams. So, while the epic six month long Dark Ice Project may be on hold, there are other goals in mind.

Sadly, this falls in line with what I wrote about a few days back. Clearly it is becoming more difficult and dangerous to attempt North Pole expeditions. The ice is just too unstable these days, and as I've mentioned in the past, I believe in a few more years it may be impossible to make a full ski journey to the North Pole. Climate change is just having too much of an impact on the region and it may be sometime before that begins to revert back in the other direction.

Stay tuned for more news on the Dark Ice Project and the North Pole in the days ahead.

North Pole 2014: The Dark Ice Project Ready To Launch

While most of the attention for polar exploration is currently focused on the Antarctic, one team is already preparing for what promises to be an epic journey north instead. Typically the North Pole season doesn't start for a couple of months yet, but this particular expedition is going to require more than six months of travel time, much of which will be spent completely without sunlight.

I first told you about Alex Hibbert's Dark Ice Project more than a year ago.  The plan is for Alex, along with teammates James Wheeldon, Anastasia Kim and Anders Rasmussen to trek from the village of Qaanaaq in Greenland up the the Nares Strait to Ellesmere Island, then onto the frozen Arctic Ocean all the way to the North Pole. They'll be traveling the entire way during the Arctic winter, which is the coldest, harshest time of the year in the Arctic. If all goes well, they hope to reach the Pole in March and if conditions permit, they'll make the return journey back to their starting point. If they succeed, it'll be the first time that anyone has completed such an expedition.

The team believes that it will take roughly 210 days to finish the entire trip. That means they expect to reach the finish line sometime in June or July of next year. That is an incredibly long time to be out on the ice, and such a demanding expedition will no doubt take its toll on this team. In preparation for the challenge that await them, Alex and his crew have spent some time over the past year dropping supply depots along their intended route. That will allow them to resupply while en route and keep the weight of their sleds to a minimum. As they are now however, those sleds weigh in the area of 250 kg (550 pounds). That is a lot of weight to be dragging behind you while skiing through one of the most demanding environments on the planet.


Over the past few years we've seen very little success for North Pole skiers. In fact, no one has gone the full distance to the Pole in quite some time. This team will have to overcome some serious obstacles if they hope to break that streak. Climate change has made it more difficult than ever to reach 90ºN, and I've said on more than one occasion that I believe it will soon be nearly impossible to complete this kind of journey. Whether or not the Dark Ice team can be successful remains to be seen, but they certainly have an uphill battle ahead of them.

The entire squad is currently in Qaanaaq, where they are sorting their gear and preparing to get underway soon. There is no clear departure date set just yet, but my guess is that they'll wait until Saturday of this week so that they'll officially begin in winter. After that, it's six months of grueling weather, subzero temperatures, unstable pack ice and potential encounters with hungry polar bears. They'll be packing guns just in case they run into bears along the way, but the fifth member of their team, an Inuit dog named Dave, will help keep them alert to those dangers while also keeping any ursine intruders at bay.

This is a seriously epic expedition. I wish Alex and the team the best of luck on this undertaking. I'll certainly be following their expedition closely as they head North and cheering on their progress from a far. It will be one of the most demanding expeditions in recent memory if they succeed, and that alone is enough to hope they make it.  Follow their progress on the team's website and Twitter feed.