Reached the North Pole on 28th April at 0159. Although we (Polar Slugs) were first over the line and completed the 350 miles 17 hours quicker than any others, it seems we may have been given wrong check point info and gone to the wrong place and therefore come in at 2nd place! Been incredible experience. From - 45, 50 kt winds, storm bound, frost nipped nose and fingers, wind burnt face, NO blisters, 34 days and nights in a tent - no washing a 3 pairs pants! Rock and roll. Has it changed me? No idea - you tell me!
Have a look at this and more to follow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwZxC8Qtxs
Sent from Elgin Hotel, Ottowa on long and delayed way home to UK.
Monday 2 May 2011
Saturday 30 April 2011
At The Pole!
They've made it! Rob and the rest of the team reached the Pole in the early hours of yesterday. Statistics/times are being worked out to determine the winners.
The next hurdle is getting home! The weather has made it difficult for them to be picked up (please see polarrace.com for all the details)
We await the return of the explorer.......
The next hurdle is getting home! The weather has made it difficult for them to be picked up (please see polarrace.com for all the details)
We await the return of the explorer.......
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Check Point Three!
And they are still in the lead! Rob and the 'Slugs' have reached check point three ahead of the others.
I have received an email from Rob, which seems to have taken a week to get to me. He describes the race as tough but fun, with real highs and lows.
They are on the move for 10/11 hours per day through beautiful scenery and he has frost nip on his nose and fingers.
Hopefully he will reach the Pole in the next couple of days....
I have received an email from Rob, which seems to have taken a week to get to me. He describes the race as tough but fun, with real highs and lows.
They are on the move for 10/11 hours per day through beautiful scenery and he has frost nip on his nose and fingers.
Hopefully he will reach the Pole in the next couple of days....
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Check Point Two!
There has been no news directly from Rob and his team since my last blog, so maybe communications are down.
However, I have gathered from the Polar Race website that the last week has seen temperatures of -44 and winds of up to 40 knots, meaning the teams had to 'hunker down' for a few days.
They set off for Check Point Two on Saturday and arrived there in the early hours of this morning (our time) with Rob's team getting there first!
However, I have gathered from the Polar Race website that the last week has seen temperatures of -44 and winds of up to 40 knots, meaning the teams had to 'hunker down' for a few days.
They set off for Check Point Two on Saturday and arrived there in the early hours of this morning (our time) with Rob's team getting there first!
Sunday 10 April 2011
Check Point One!
Well, as Rob mentioned in an earlier blog, the reins have been passed to me!
After the initial training week, emails from Rob have been infrequent and short. However, today I received much more news from him, so am passing it on:
'Its going well. We got to the checkpoint today after 5 days of slogging in temperatures of -45. Averaged about -30 most days and at night it is - 24! Lovely!
Starting on Tuesday we have kept a good pattern of getting up at 6am, getting going at 9am (after taking down the tent, packing the pulks and also boiling 6 flasks of water for the day - and of course having breakfast (rehydrated sausage and eggs - mmm) and lots of hot drinks. We ski for two hours and then have a 5 min break to eat from our day bags which are biscuits, nuts, pepparami, sweets and chocolate - all tooth breakingly hard. We only stop for 5 mins as it gets so cold you are in danger of frost bite or nip. I have frost nipped my fingers alot! We do this until 6pm when we stop and it takes an hour to get the tent up and all gear packed away and everyone in the tent. 30 mins later and it might be above freezing until we turn the stoves off to sleep. At night your breath freezes in the sleeping bag, on the tent and everywhere so in the morning it is like being in a fridge with a little man throwing ice down your neck.
We have done 70 miles so far and averaged about 14 nautical miles per day. Our pulks weigh 50kg so I am doing a good workout. It is beautiful up here, nothing for miles. We saw a polar bear yesterday and kept well away for obvious reasons. We also saw bear and cub prints, which would make it even more
dangerous. We have a 24 hour break at this camp (in a tent - same as normal) and then off again.'
Thats it for now - will post any more news as I hear it.
Saturday 2 April 2011
Ho Ho Ho
Hello - We have been slowly building up to the race day which is now Tuesday morning. Yesterday we took the pulks and ski'd to a campsite where we made camp, cooked, slept, cooked breakfast and were due back to the lodge at 9.00am. All good training for setting a regime and getting the making and brreaking camp like clockwork. Although it was a lovely morning the weather came in during the afternoon and it got a little chilly, windy and was a complete white out e.g. you could not see the difference between sky and ground, and cannot see any hils, lumps or bumps. Very hardgoing and time to dig deep. The camp was only an hour away but that was an hour of hard graft as the skiing is still alien to us. The training has paid off though as it been manageable.
During the morning we had a satellite phone and comms workshop and covered off a refresher on navigating by the sun at different times of the day (e.g. at 2pm your shadow will be 30 dgrees off North etc). Following that we went shooting with the pump action shotguns. We have 3 types of cartridge. Slugs (one big shot in the cartridge - will stop an elephant), plastic bullets (you know what they are - think riots), and bangers which go BANG about 50 metres away. The idea of the banger is to scare away any bears so dont shoot it past them as they will be running towards you!
We then had a very serious session on polar bears and how to understand their behaviour. Certain movements and positions mean different moods. To summarise, dont piss them off and if you do try and make them feel better or take v quick evasive action!
This afternoon we have a 2 night expedition on the sea ice. We come back on Monday and get a cooked lunch, supper and get to stay in the lodge (on the floor in our bags) because Tuesday is RACE day and I go off the radar, in communicado for 4 weeks!
Will update this on Monday night!
During the morning we had a satellite phone and comms workshop and covered off a refresher on navigating by the sun at different times of the day (e.g. at 2pm your shadow will be 30 dgrees off North etc). Following that we went shooting with the pump action shotguns. We have 3 types of cartridge. Slugs (one big shot in the cartridge - will stop an elephant), plastic bullets (you know what they are - think riots), and bangers which go BANG about 50 metres away. The idea of the banger is to scare away any bears so dont shoot it past them as they will be running towards you!
We then had a very serious session on polar bears and how to understand their behaviour. Certain movements and positions mean different moods. To summarise, dont piss them off and if you do try and make them feel better or take v quick evasive action!
This afternoon we have a 2 night expedition on the sea ice. We come back on Monday and get a cooked lunch, supper and get to stay in the lodge (on the floor in our bags) because Tuesday is RACE day and I go off the radar, in communicado for 4 weeks!
Friday 1 April 2011
Welcome to the Arctic Rob. Are you comfortable?
I am catching up so this is a couple of days out of date - last night we cooked and ate in the tent before sleeping in it! Brrrr
I eventually arrived in Resolute Bay after almost 3 days travelling. This sort of delay is to be expected up here in Northern Canada where nothing is taken by chance. We took the flight to Ottawa and stayed there overnight and the following day (28th) had a flight to Iqaluit here we were to change to get in a plane to Resolute. At Iqaluit we were told that the flight to Resolute was also stopping at Arctic Bay to drop some passengers and some cargo. When in the air we were told that before Arctic Bay we were stopping at Hall Bay for 15 minutes to refuel. After 2 hours at Hall Bay (and 8 hours since Ottawa) we were told the plane was broken and that another was coming to pick us up and take us back to Iqaluit! Once there at 11.30 pm we were back in a hotel and to the airport the following morning. The flight on the 29th also stopped at Hall Bay and then Arctic Bay - but then went on to Resolute.
Resolute is the second most northern town / village. There are about 200 people who live here. It is in a beautiful location and when the weather is as good as the 29th was (sunny, no clouds, - 25 C) it is amazing. This is where we are training for the week. We have spent one night in a lodge, met our skis and took them for a 2 hour walk, put tents up inside and outside in the snow and covered a lot more theory and classroom based activity. My Baffin boots are about 1 metre long and 50 cm wide which makes skiing on skis 15 cm wide interesting. I spent a few minutes with my face in the snow. Although it could have been worse as later in the day a scientist from a research group fell through the ice 50 meteres from where we are camping! Putting up the tents wearing gloves, goggles, romper suit and with rubber dinghys on your feet is a lot harder than doing it in South Wales. We are sleeping in them tonight - its only - 35 C so not a problem (apparently).
The classroom stuff has bought this to life in a rather galling fashion. We had a session on frostbite and saw a lot of photos of amputation of the nose, fingers, toes and even worse (boys). Its a serious business out here! We then covered Polar Bears and missed out on a photo of a Inuit Guide who had the top of his head removed when a bear attacked through his tent. The reason we missed it is the laptop ran out of juice. But I ask you, how scared are they trying to make us! Tomorrow we are having some more time with the shot guns and it cant come quicker.
Race proper starts on Tuesday now (delayed because of errr, our delay). Temperature later this week are due to drop to - 40 C. But do you know what? I just want to get out there and get started. Jo, Lucy and I are working well together as a team and after 18 months of preperation and training we are finding ourselves to be pretty experienced. We seem to know our stuff - which in the end is a good thing - especially for my sponsors!
Until next time. Next one will be a frozen beard, perhaps."
I eventually arrived in Resolute Bay after almost 3 days travelling. This sort of delay is to be expected up here in Northern Canada where nothing is taken by chance. We took the flight to Ottawa and stayed there overnight and the following day (28th) had a flight to Iqaluit here we were to change to get in a plane to Resolute. At Iqaluit we were told that the flight to Resolute was also stopping at Arctic Bay to drop some passengers and some cargo. When in the air we were told that before Arctic Bay we were stopping at Hall Bay for 15 minutes to refuel. After 2 hours at Hall Bay (and 8 hours since Ottawa) we were told the plane was broken and that another was coming to pick us up and take us back to Iqaluit! Once there at 11.30 pm we were back in a hotel and to the airport the following morning. The flight on the 29th also stopped at Hall Bay and then Arctic Bay - but then went on to Resolute.
Resolute is the second most northern town / village. There are about 200 people who live here. It is in a beautiful location and when the weather is as good as the 29th was (sunny, no clouds, - 25 C) it is amazing. This is where we are training for the week. We have spent one night in a lodge, met our skis and took them for a 2 hour walk, put tents up inside and outside in the snow and covered a lot more theory and classroom based activity. My Baffin boots are about 1 metre long and 50 cm wide which makes skiing on skis 15 cm wide interesting. I spent a few minutes with my face in the snow. Although it could have been worse as later in the day a scientist from a research group fell through the ice 50 meteres from where we are camping! Putting up the tents wearing gloves, goggles, romper suit and with rubber dinghys on your feet is a lot harder than doing it in South Wales. We are sleeping in them tonight - its only - 35 C so not a problem (apparently).
The classroom stuff has bought this to life in a rather galling fashion. We had a session on frostbite and saw a lot of photos of amputation of the nose, fingers, toes and even worse (boys). Its a serious business out here! We then covered Polar Bears and missed out on a photo of a Inuit Guide who had the top of his head removed when a bear attacked through his tent. The reason we missed it is the laptop ran out of juice. But I ask you, how scared are they trying to make us! Tomorrow we are having some more time with the shot guns and it cant come quicker.
Race proper starts on Tuesday now (delayed because of errr, our delay). Temperature later this week are due to drop to - 40 C. But do you know what? I just want to get out there and get started. Jo, Lucy and I are working well together as a team and after 18 months of preperation and training we are finding ourselves to be pretty experienced. We seem to know our stuff - which in the end is a good thing - especially for my sponsors!
Until next time. Next one will be a frozen beard, perhaps."
Monday 28 March 2011
In Canada
Hi - its 6am in Ottawa. We have 2 more flights today, the first to Baffin Island and then in a twin prop plane to Resolute Bay where it is -35 c. We will be wearing the baffin boots, big fleeces and down jackets with hats gloves and the all important sunglasses to prevent snow blindness. Its very real now!
Heart felt thanks to all my supporters and for all the donations. Means a lot to me and to Macmillan.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-MacAlister
Have fun!
Heart felt thanks to all my supporters and for all the donations. Means a lot to me and to Macmillan.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-MacAlister
Have fun!
Saturday 26 March 2011
Brrr - its going to be chilly
Whilst browsing about Resolute Bay, which is where we start from, I found this and thought I would share it! Crikey!
Although it was 55 years ago, it was still -51.7 degrees C, and the average was - 30! Am I getting cold feet??? (ho ho)
Off tomorrow. Handing over to my wife!
Friday 25 March 2011
A New Sponsor
Hi - I am delighted to announce that I have been sponsored by Close Asset Management. Close have been a great help in supporting me to get to the North Pole and have shown great interest in the endeavour. Many thanks to all at Close for all your assistance!
About Close Asset Management Limited
Close Asset Management Limited is a successful and reputable manager which has looked after client portfolios for the past 40 years, providing core investment solutions.
We employ over 60 investment managers, analysts and dealers. Our investment managers have an average of 17 years experience of portfolio management.
We currently look after 22,000 clients with £7.6 billion of assets under management*.
Winner of the 2008 and 2009 What Investment Readership Award for 'Best Discretionary Wealth Manager'. Shortlisted for the 2010 Investor Chronicle/FT Awards for 'Best Wealth Manager for Investments' and 'Best Wealth Manager for Alternative Investments'.
Friday 18 March 2011
Back on line - updates a plenty
As if training and final preparations for the North Pole is not enough, we have also just moved house! After a huge delay we are back in the present era of electronic communication and have BROADBAND WORKING!
I have just over one week to go. After this date I will be handing over the reigns of blog updates to my wife! Technology has been sorted out by my team mate Jo, and her fantastic sponsors, Pure Technology. We will be able to send updates and photos on a daily basis and my wife is acting as PR hub from the UK HQ and will update as well as send out all of the updates to sponsors. You can expect all the updates to be more regular and much more amusing than mine! Her sense of humour is legendary - it has to be to be married to me!
A couple of weeks ago we all met in a warehouse near Bristol to do the final packing and to ensure the baggage will come in less than the airline allowance. It did, just. I also received my Baffin boots which are well insulated and waterproof and are absolutely HUGE! I have a size 11 foot but with all the padding and insulation - they are half a metre long! I also got my hands on the MSR stoves which are the most important piece of kit that we will have (along with the tent). The stoves are used for about 4 hours in every 24 hour period to melt snow and ice into water to make hot drinks and to rehydrate the dried food. I have to become an expert at using and maintaining them. It is a bit of an art as the flames can go up to about 2 feet if you are not careful!
I have plenty more updates including - NEW SPONSOR, Charity Quiz, final training etc etc and will be online again this evening!
I have just over one week to go. After this date I will be handing over the reigns of blog updates to my wife! Technology has been sorted out by my team mate Jo, and her fantastic sponsors, Pure Technology. We will be able to send updates and photos on a daily basis and my wife is acting as PR hub from the UK HQ and will update as well as send out all of the updates to sponsors. You can expect all the updates to be more regular and much more amusing than mine! Her sense of humour is legendary - it has to be to be married to me!
A couple of weeks ago we all met in a warehouse near Bristol to do the final packing and to ensure the baggage will come in less than the airline allowance. It did, just. I also received my Baffin boots which are well insulated and waterproof and are absolutely HUGE! I have a size 11 foot but with all the padding and insulation - they are half a metre long! I also got my hands on the MSR stoves which are the most important piece of kit that we will have (along with the tent). The stoves are used for about 4 hours in every 24 hour period to melt snow and ice into water to make hot drinks and to rehydrate the dried food. I have to become an expert at using and maintaining them. It is a bit of an art as the flames can go up to about 2 feet if you are not careful!
Thursday 10 February 2011
Thursday 27 January 2011
My walk to work!
Its taken days to get this on the blog. This is my walk to work which I do twice a week. Starting at about 5.00am it takes almost 4 hours to do the 12.6 miles to the office. Twickenham to Blackfriars in London. Most exciting!
Monday 17 January 2011
Tense lats and a steady head!
I have now enlisted the help of a personal trainer - Stu. With 12 weeks to go, I want to concentrate on the main areas that I need help on. The problem was that without the input of an expert, I had no idea where I was lacking! We have had one session so far which was more of a fitness test (although I have no idea if I passed!) and will be having two sessions per week until the off. I have been introduced to kettle bells, superman and parts of my own body that I swear have been hibernating for the last 37 years. My lats are tense apparently but the good news is my head does not flop about when running. I am no biologist but surely that is because it is attached to my neck?
This is in addition to my normal regime of excercise, so to my surprise, Stu was standing in the reception of my gym (Pools in the Park) when I arrived this moring at 6.30 after running from home with my work clobber on my back. I had already done my cardio for the day (the run) so I am still surprised that he managed to pursuade me to join the spinning class he was hosting - and even more surprised that I then did a twenty minute session of "Abs" afterwards. I now feel it, but also feel pretty good.
This week will also see the start of me walking to work. This may sound simple but work is 12 miles away so I will be leaving home at 5.00am twice a week. Why on earth did I sign up for this thing!!!! I will update you with further progress as and when. I have recently bought a digital video camera so you may even get some action shots.
Stu has kindly donated a proportion of my sessions as sponsorship - so welcome to the list of Sponsors Stu and see you tomorrow at 6.30am again!
Sunday 16 January 2011
A NEW SPONSOR
Welcome on board Hamilton Rentals and thank you very much!
I am still looking for sponsors and in return I will wear logo's during the race, create targeted press releases, talk at corporate events and do what ever it takes!
The GET ME OUT OF HERE weekend....
Ogmore by Sea is on the Heritage Coast in South Wales and is where we spent 36 hours being put through our paces by Jock and the rest of the race organisers. Once we got to a half flooded car park on the banks of the river, right next to Ogmore castle, we were given 30 minutes to get our tents up and then it was time to leave for a walk to "the dunes". The tents we were using are the actual bits of kit we are taking to the Pole. Jo, in charge of the tent, has taken it home with her for careful storage! Everything seems very real!
The opening challenge was shuttle runs up and down a huge sand dune. We were all wearing our pulk pulling harnesses and had been clipped on to a rope in teams of four. Therefore you were only as fast as the slowest. The run up was a lung busting cardio workout as the sand was pretty soft and it was half a step down to each one up. The way down was more a case of trying to stay upright and go as fast as possible. We did five shuttles each which got the legs aching - but as we mixed up the groups they were all done at different speeds.
The afternoon involved a 4 hour walk navigating to various way points that we had been given - all good practice with the GPS. The weather was fantastic for this time of the year, so it did not really feel like a "get me out of here" weekend. I was very pleased with my fitness and found the whole day to be more fun than strenuous. Still, we will be pulling pulks in very cold conditions for 12 + hours per day whilst fuelled by dehydrated ration packs - so any physical training will be helping my end goal.
That night we ate in the local pub - The Pelican. Food was great and very much needed, and of course there were a few obligitory beers to be consumed, I realise that this was not exactly roughing it, but the team building and bonding elements are very important as well. After a wet and windy night in the tents, we woke to find ice all over the tent. The temperature had dropped a lot, to the extent that passers by on the following day who had seen where we were camping, all thought we were nuts!
The next day we were back in our teams so Jo, Lucy and I were handed a set of coordinates that we had to get to in a set order. This time however, we were pulling our pulks that had kindly been leaden with big bags of sand! We had a thoroughly good day and got used to the posture differences involved in pulling a heavy weight (you automatically try to lean forward which puts extra stress on the lower back.... something I am working on in the gym!). We had some gear breakages that we managed to mend easlily enough, and we even managed to meet up with another team to have a packed lunch next to the beach!
All in all it was a great weekend, and now I have my harness, I will be getting some used tyres and hitting the gallops in Richmond Park! A couple more blogs to follow shortly. Until then!
Friday 14 January 2011
The Team
Its time to introduce the team - and the team name. Jo, Lucy and I make up the POLAR SLUGS! Slugs because we strike an alarming similarity when all in our sleeping bags! Also, its to lull the competition into a false sense of security as after all, slugs are not know for their speed over the ground! You may also have noticed that I have started to grow my beard! It is fiercely Ginger at the moment - and strangely having one has given me the appetite to flail my arms around on public transport whilst grunting loudly!
We have divided responsibilities amongst ourselves. One person is responsible for a task with someone else to support if needed. I am in charge of many things, the most important being the food and the cooking duties (which also includes gathering and melting the snow/ice for water). We are eating dehydrated food (casseroles, chille, soups etc) which will not try my culinary skills too much, but I am proposing to take some enhancements to reduce the monotony. Ideas so for are Tabasco sauce, veggie bouillon, packs of jelly, herbs, garlic granules... If you have any ideas please leave a comment!
Jo is in charge of shooting, the gun and the ammunition and Lucy is in charge of medical areas - which is very handy that she is a doctor.
We have a Facebook page - please like or follow or what ever you do - and leave messages of support!
We have recently spent our first night together in the tent which was great. It was cold but we were all fine in our remarkably warm RAB sleeping bags. Another update will follow on that later but it was our first taste of waking up to a tent with ice on the outside.
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