|
skibabeage
Deleted
Mar 15, 2004, 2:33 AM
Post #1 of 4
(2954 views)
Shortcut
Registered:
Posts:
|
|
|
|
|
|
dontfall
Mar 18, 2004, 1:59 PM
Post #2 of 4
(2954 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 31, 2003
Posts: 2798
|
In reply to: Less than a week after setting out for the North Pole from Cape Arkticheskiy, on the northern coast of Siberia, French-Finnish female expeditioner Dominick Arduin is missing. After a five-mile ski on the first day of her journey, the 43-year-old found herself faced with 33 miles of open water. Three separate expeditions en route to the North Pole opted for a helicopter ride across the gap, while Arduin and another expeditioner, Frederic Chamard-Boudet, sought to cross the obstacle under their own power, in order to complete their journeys in true solo style. Arduin planned to kayak across the open water, estimating that the crossing would take her two days. Conditions in the water were sub-optimal: Temperatures hovered around minus-40 degrees, with 30-to-50 knot winds and heavy tides caused by the full moon. According to updates posted on her website, www.arctic-dominick.com, she wore a drysuit, and brought 20 pounds of snow with her, to melt as drinking water. She also had with her 180 pounds of skiing and trekking gear, including two satellite phones, a GPS unit, and an emergency transmitter that broadcast her position every 90 seconds. She had planned to call her support team and the Finnish Broadcasting Company daily with updates, but nobody has heard from Arduin since Friday. Fellow traveler Charmard-Boudet, who tried to ski around the water, broke through thin ice on his third day, and after four minutes in the freezing Arctic water, sustained severe frostbite to his hands and feet. He managed to crawl into his bivy to warm up a bit, and set off a distress signal. He was resuced by a Russian helicopter Tuesday afternoon, according to Thepoles.com. The rescuers also searched for Arduin, but were unable to locate her, even after a return mission to the area today. Arduin, who has lived in northern Finland since 1988, has proven her ability to endure harsh conditions. In 1987 she won the Paris to Dakar Mountain Bike Rally, and has also competed in the Eco-Challenge and the Raid Gauloise. Last year, she attempted to become the first woman to ski solo to the North Pole . On that unsuccessful expedition, she fell into the water, sustained severe frostbite, and eventually had several of her toes partially amputated. Compiled by Outside Online at www.outsideonline.com
any word about how this has been ruled out? or is search and rescue still in effect?
|
|
|
|
|
dontfall
Mar 18, 2004, 3:46 PM
Post #3 of 4
(2954 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 31, 2003
Posts: 2798
|
it's sad when something like this happens to a person who is so gifted with courage and everything to attempt what she was trying. But then again, that one of the hair raising risks involed.
God's Speed...
|
|
|
|
|
xkyczar
Mar 19, 2004, 5:27 PM
Post #4 of 4
(2954 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 9, 2003
Posts: 106
|
From thepoles.com
North Pole Dominick: Search over for today
11:46 a.m. EST Mar 19, 2004
The search is over and they found nothing.
Following is a news report we ran on this site last year, this exact week: "Dominick Arduin North Pole - The French Finn has been picked up by a helicopter and deposited 90 kilometers closer to the Pole. Domi had been stranded on an ice floe and needed some help. There has been no recent dispatch because poor weather has stymied her efforts to charge the satellite phone with the solar panels."
The report shows two things; last year, Dominick had problems to charge her communication gear and she was faced with open water. That's why she brought a canoe this year.
As the search for Dom ended today, the polar community are calling in to ExWeb with questions. "What can we do to help, where are they searching, will a thermal camera help at all, why did it take so long to go out and search for her, why can't they find the sled?"
Two years ago, a Japanese North pole trekker was lost on the Canadian side of the Arctic ocean. Kohno went the other way; he was dropped at the North Pole and skied toward land. He had almost made it when, close to land late in the season, he hit lots of open water leads and thin ice.
Kohno fell in the water and couldn't get up. ExplorersWeb talked to a bush pilot in Arctic Canada today: "We found him close to his last known position, frozen over in to water and still tied to his sled. He was supposed to call in certain intervals. When he didn't, after a pre-determined time, we went out to look for him (24 hours)."
The Pilot didn't know if Kohno's Argos still transmitted his positions after the accident. As for the thermal camera and the fact that there are no signs of Dominick's sled, he says: "The thermal camera won't help if she is dead. As for the sled, it should show. However, if there was a low tide, there could be air pockets under the ice. In a strong tide, the whole lot could have been sucked under the ice.
Dominick made 4,5 NM (8 km) in her first day (but she only traveled half that day). We know she was fast. She was ahead of Frederic, and he did an excellent 18 km in three days before his accident, reaching latitude 81'18 after 2 days and a half. This is fast as Frederic was unsupported and heavily loaded.
As we saw this past season at Antarctica, solo expeditions are often faster than multiple member expeditions. That fact could have put Dominick even ahead of Bettina and Jean Gabriel in terms of speed. If the ice conditions are right, the distance covered by a solo, light trekker can be astonishing.
Frederic was unsupported, whilst Dom was very light (2 resupplies).
If we estimate that Dom traveled 15 km/day, she would have covered 108 nm until yesterday. Her starting point was at 81'10 NM, that would put her position at 83'00 today. Yet, Frederic's progress told of good ice, if Dom was even faster, say, 20 km/day (not unusual for fast supported expeditions traveling smooth ice) - she is now close to 83.30.
The open water lead Dominick intended to cross was at it's narrowest to the east. To take the shortest cut, and aim for the thick ice section on the other shore, she would have in fact gone pretty far east. That would put her position today ahead off and far more East of Bettina and Jean Gabriel.
As we have no exact positions for her, to find Dom is like finding a needle in a haystack. But already last year she had problems to charge her satellite phone, and this year she was more experienced with the ice (she even brought the canoe). Her Argos is dead but that doesn't have to mean anything as there have been issues with the system for all expeditions this year.
We haven't received any signs of life, but neither found definite signs of death - as we did with Kohno. Dom could well still be alive, but her supplies will be gone in around a week from now if we don't find her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
