Bike to the South Pole - can it be done?

[carlhutch]

http://www.thepoles.com/

Every year i get hooked on this website around this time following the different expeditions to the pole.

Maybe next year i get to be on the list :-)

[Pivvay]

The poles is great, i like all the explorers web sites. You planning a trip Carl?

[carlhutch]

Have been for a while Chris but its a pipe dream to think i could afford it independently.Im at pains to go down the sponsorship route but with the rip off airfare`s what choice do you have.Im crap at asking and i wasnt aggressive when the economy was strong but ive just been thrown a glimmer of hope that something might happen with a new contact.Im not bothered about being the first.I imagined that might make securing financial assistance a little easier but its not really been the case.
Before my knees explode i want to bike on that continent.

[Pivvay]

Nice Carl, good luck. With airfare so expensive I can't see a way around financial sponsorship either. Of course I'm years away from considering a trip down there myself.

[sean salach]

$45,000 airfare?? Why not take a cruise ship for less than half the price.... http://www.polarcruises.com/antarctica/ships/icebreakers_1/khlebnikov_1.htm

[Jilleo]

Pretty sure cruise ships aren't equipped to go to the pole yet. But, if you think about it, a nice, three or four-month out-and-back would mitigate the need for a flight out. Those early 20th-century explorers did it.

[jeremy11]

Pretty sure cruise ships aren't equipped to go to the pole yet. But, if you think about it, a nice, three or four-month out-and-back would mitigate the need for a flight out. Those early 20th-century explorers did it.

That would be like alpine climbers getting picked up at the top of their peaks!  Totally cheating.... Ocean->Pole->Ocean, no prearranged support.  Although you could get a team of 20 bikers and place food drops for yourself expedition style, just to get a couple folks to the pole and back....

[Hezz]

The biggest problem in dealing with a south pole assault would be a way to deal with the temperatures.  You can get -70 degrees F with 70-80 mph winds which will kill you if you don't have an insulated shelter that can be staked down.  This is something like a -200 F windchill temperature.  A tent will be inadequate. Two giant expedition down parkas and sleeping bags will be inadequate.  A team of individuals that can together built an ice shelter would be helpful. 

Perhaps it would be possible to build a lightweight sled with an enclosed area for sleeping and hauling extra gear and food.    Four inch thick foam walls and six inch thick floor covered with a thin aluminum cover to protect it, and a thicker aluminum sliding surface. If the bike breaks, you can continue on foot pulling the sled.   Even rubber tires will fail in these extreme conditions. 

[Pivvay]

LOL Hezz. Have you ever read about the people who ski it (every year...)?

[Jilleo]

It's true humans have been shown to survive amazing windchill extremes. Just look at the guys who made the first successful ascent of Denali in the winter. The bivied for several days in a tiny snow cave during temperatures of -50 to -60 with wind speeds of 100 mph, wrapped in little more than half-frozen down sleeping bags and 60s mountaineering gear (their bivy sack, an old parachute, blew away.) They all survived with moderate frostbite on their fingers and toes, but they survived. Art wrote a great book called Minus 148. Definitely worth a read or seven.

[Hezz]

Ya,  I guess after seeing the Shackleton documentary and reading about the other treks I have had the worst images in my mind.  After reading up on the topic I find a few things.  First there is a 460 mile route from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf which makes it a lot more doable compared to a 2000+ mile trek.  Also,  in summer the temperatures usually stay above -45 with lighter winds.  During the hottest days of summer it can stay around -15 at the pole.  But the worst weather is not actually right at the pole.  

So this sounds doable as it makes a journey no more than 30 days.  Since you don't want to get caught in fall or spring weather.  Which you may not survive in a tent.  Assuming you could cover 30 miles a day by bike 75% of the time by going at a slow pace in a very low gear it would make for a 15 day or so trip.  But you would need to plan on enough supplies to survive for 30 days on foot if necessary.  The most challenging thing would be the danger of the crevasses on a bike which you could easily ride over by mistake.  And the wind blown snow dunes are almost impassable with a bike.  You'd have to carry your bike for certain distances.  You could put the bike on the sled for certain sections.  

Since you have to carry a months worth of food the load is heavy and you need high calories so eating butter and bacon type stuff is in order.  The question to ask is if it can be efficient enough to succeed with a bike.  Or if you can built a bike that can hold up for a month and continue to function.

[Hezz]

It's true humans have been shown to survive amazing windchill extremes. Just look at the guys who made the first successful ascent of Denali in the winter. The bivied for several days in a tiny snow cave during temperatures of -50 to -60 with wind speeds of 100 mph, wrapped in little more than half-frozen down sleeping bags and 60s mountaineering gear (their bivy sack, an old parachute, blew away.) They all survived with moderate frostbite on their fingers and toes, but they survived. Art wrote a great book called Minus 148. Definitely worth a read or seven.

That's the thing.  They were able to build a snow cave.  If you get caught in a bad storm in Anarctica and you can't build a shelter you may not survive in a tent.  But even though the weather is extreme in Anarctica it is I believe predictable.

[Pivvay]

Look at MC's setup. Look at Pole skiers setup for the std trip ~1000 miles one way done every year. Use imagination and some basic math.

Now add snow experience.

One *big* question revolves around the snow surface itself being rideable. If it is, I think it's definitely doable though you are right, the crevasses will be an added danger on a bike without the load spreading of skis. If it's not all bets are off.

Other fun fact...it's all uphill to the pole

[Eric]

Read Borge Ousland's book "Alone Across Antartica".
It might end this thread, but is good background.

[P Nome]

A friend of mine was the photographer on the Belgica Antarctic expedition and has some great shots to drool over.  It's coastal Antarctica not south pole but gives an idea of the fun that could be had! Some people have the best jobs...  http://www.polar-photo.com/index-slides.html?gallery=Antarctica%20-%20Adventure

[SpencerSalmon]

While I was in Antarctica, I was working in the Dry Valleys about 100 miles from McMurdo, the British and the Norwegians were having a Cross Country ski race to the South Pole. Talking to the locals they said that they didn't use the ice road. After flying over the Polar Plateau I noticed that it is totally bikeable, and all you would need is some studded tires. I would only worry about crevasses but it is totally doable. I got the chance to do some cross-country skiing on part of the ice road to the south pole and it wouldn't be to bad to ride it. Also in the summer the sun never sets so you don't need any lights!

[sean salach]

Maybe we should make the ice road the first official Bikepacking.net group field trip??

[wild_bike]

Likely best to fly to the pole first and get a sweet tailwind out. A headwind on the Ice would be nasty.

Next somebody betters that first "ride across Antarctica" with the harder coast to the pole.

Then, the out and back with a food drop at the pole.

Finally the out and back unsupported.

Now if somebody would just please let me know how much the snow bike wheels cost I can start my planning

[timhMN]

I ran across this video a few weeks ago by Minnesota adventurer Eric Larsen, from his Antarctica ski trek last winter. Check out the snow surface they're skiiing on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP1G9a8Jsnk

I think this kind of answers whether or not the surface is "ridable"

[Pivvay]

only sort of