Follow the Finnish South Pole Solo Expedition preparations and expedition to South Pole http://www.southpole.fi/indexeng.html Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:01:01 +0300 en teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:15:00 +0300 10 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html <p>A lot of people are again starting their expeditions to South Pole this season and are at the moment counting days to get on skiis and start the arduous journey through the icy wastelands. Some of them might be team expeditions and some solo.</p> <p>As the Explorersweb defines assistance: "Assist refers to the outside help received by an expedition." (www.adventurestats.com). I think the definition mostly means that you should not be in direct contact to other expeditions or other persons or to pick up any extra gear, food, fuel or other things after you've started your expedition... Yet everyone who started their expedition to South Pole from Hercules Inlet knows that 95% (a fair guess) of the expeditions take the same route up through the Nunataks before heading to south.</p> <p>During the 2008-2009 season 5-7 expeditions, of which some were solo expeditions, were flown to Hecrules Inlet during 24 hour time period and mostly everyone started their expedition going up though the Nunataks. Those who left first left clear tracks to where ever there was soft snow and those who came behind followed them. As the visibility was good on that particular day you could see the expedition ahead of you and behind you quite clearly. Now the first question is how close to other expeditions do you have to be to lose the unassisted status after passing 80th parallel? Can you be within speaking distance or do you have to maintain a hundred yards between you and the other expeditions? Or perhaps even a mile...</p> <p>As some expeditions go by different day and night cycles you might pass someones tent a few times during the long days before the difference in travel speed finally breaks the cycle of you going past someones tent while they sleep and then they going past yours as you sleep. When you wake up and start going again you might find a glove or a hat, lost by an expedition that went by you while you slept, and pick it up to return it to it's rightful owner. By picking up a lost hat do you lose the unassisted or unsupported status? Or do you lose your unassisted status by returning it to it's owner next time you go pass his tent? Everyone knows that these acts are acts of kindness as losing a glove or a hat might prove to be enoung to stop your expedition and to have severe frostbites at later parts of your expedition. Would you not do this to help the next person...? What if you yourself had lost a glove or a hat and found a replacement that again someone else had lost ahead of you. Would you then lose you status as an unassisted or unsupported expedition? If you told anyone that is...</p> <p>In practice, again a fair guess, 95% of the expeditions starting from Hercules Inlet take the same path and even see other expedition and their tents on their way. Sometimes closer and sometimes farther. Sometimes you're in speaking distance and sometimes you even stop at someones tent to say a word or two. Does it mean that you're giving or recieving assistance? Strictly saying the answer is yes but by saying that do you make the possibility to have an unassisted expedition impossible?</p> <p>Well, I don't know... I'm just wondering...</p> teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20091101 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I arrived to Finland around 3 pm as the plane from Madrid to Helsinki was suprisingly early. I will update my diary after a few days of relaxing and I'll write a summary of the whole trip. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20090101 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally after 12 hour flight from Santiago I arrived to Madrid to wait for the last flight to get home. If my flight from Madrid to Helsinki is on time I will today arrive around 4 pm to Helsinki. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081231 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I arrived to Santiago just after midnight and now I got a 12 hour lay-over to kill... Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081230 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today is my flight day to Santiago. The plane leaves in the evening from Punta Arenas to Santiago and tomorrow I continue from Santiago to Helsinki via Madrid. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081229 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Sleeping in a proper bed was a luxury. After a few shower I started to feel civilized again. I think I slept almost half a day and the rest of the time I tried to get my equipment sorted out so I could start my return trip to Finland tomorrow. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081228 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Late last night there was a weather window for the Ilyushin to fly in to bring new climbers and trekers to Antarctica and to take all the people waiting to get home back to Punta Arenas. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081227 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Last night just before Xmas dinner we had a gift exchange and I got partnered up with Dave Hahn. I gave Dave a small Finnish flag and I wrote to him in Finnish Merry Xmas and so on. After a few minutes Dave came back to me and brought one of his carabiners. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081226 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html The Xmas evening went quietly. We're having the main party today and we're all invited to the Xmas dinner. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081225 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Merry Xmas to everyone! The storm still goes around here and will do so atleast a couple more days. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081224 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Todays is one of the seasons windiest days. The expected wind are around 50-70 knots so it was recommended to set the tent properly wind direction. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081223 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html It seems that I will not make it to Finland by Xmas. The snowstorm has already continued for three days and it doesn't seem to go down. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081222 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I finally made it back to Patriot Hills. A TwinOtter plane was able to find a weather windo to fly to the pole and I was back at Patriots late afternoon. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081221 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Teemu has finally been flown to Patriot Hills from the South Pole. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081220 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Teemu is still at the South Pole waiting for the transportation flight to Patriot Hills and further to Chile. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081216 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Teemu has reached THE POLE today at 15:30 Chilean time. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081215 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today's weather was sunny but at the same time very windy and cold. I managed to ski about 15.5 kilometers. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081213 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Qouting Douglas Adams: "'The clouds hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.' Some days it seems that the clouds stay still forever and do not change their shape at all. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081212 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today the weather was slightly warmer than yesterday. Temperature was propably the same, but the wind had calmed down some. I got a little frostbite to my cheek yesterday and had to take extra cautions today. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081211 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Now you can set aside all the previous complaints about weather being cold here. The term has a whole new meaning now. Today has propably been the coldest day yet on this continent. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081210 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today's kilometers are dedicated to Timo Karjalainen, Tommi ja Harri Salo, Jyrki Seivo and Timo Aro. Thank you for all your support and encouragement. I hope to see you and work with you again next summer. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081209 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today's kilometers are dedicated to Oulu fencing team as you can see from the picture. Keep up the good work. I'll see you next year at tournaments. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081208 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally the weather cleared so I'm on the move again! Unfortunately few days of flights delayed caused me to start closer to the Pole, because the flight schedule became strained and I have to be on particular return flight to the Patriot Hills. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081207 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Independence Day salutation to Finland from Antarctica! In honor of the Independence Day I wanted to be active, so in the morning I decided to climb to Patriot Hills to enjoy the view from the top. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081206 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html According the meteorologist it was gusting over 40 knots last night and it definetely sounded like that. Luckily I have earplugs with me so I that I can get sleep even inside a jet turbine. Although in the morning I woke up to complete silence. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081205 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html So... Now the waiting game has started. A snowstorm started yesterday evening and seems to continue today so all flights are cancelled. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081204 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Around nine o'clock yesterday evening I went to climb on top of Patriot Hills with Shawn and Asti. We drove to Windy Pass with Skidoos and started climbing from there. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081203 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today was an empty day. I planned to go skiing today but ended up organising my equipment. I walked around Patriot Hills camp for awhile but eventually ended up sitting and drinking tea at the dining tent. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081202 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today was again a sunny day eventhough there were some clouds on the sky. The temparature here is summerlike and it's about -15 degrees celcius when the sun shines. A lot of suncreme is been used and eventhough the spf is 36 it still doesn't seem to be enough at times. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081201 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Weather was serene and the sun was shining in the morning so I was tempted to go for another skiing tour to test my leg and side. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081130 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html A few days ago ALE co-owner Mike Sharp found a suspicious blue egg shaped object sticking out of snow near the Patriot Hills Base. After few days of carefull digging the whole egg shaped object has been revealed and I am confident that the science world will be excited to see the long lost Antactic dinosaur egg. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081129 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today I made a 20 kilometers skiing tour to see how my leg and side reacts to the stress. I feel positive to see that my leg is starting to feel ok, but my side still hurts if I push hard with the ski pole. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081128 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally it seems that the expedition continues after all. Unfortunately the continuation isn't possible from the coordinates I was previously picked up because all the inner flights are fully booked here in Antarctica. ALE has been very kind to me and Mr. Steve Jones has really gone to great lenghts trying to arrange me a possibility to ski the last degree to the Pole. I will get to ski the last degree in December. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081127 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html It's a new day at Patriot Hills and waiting is the keyword today. At the moment I'm not completely sure if it's possible for me to continue my expedition, because the pick up flight seems difficult to arrange. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081126 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html This time, the original plan has come to its end, which is not very flattering. My tibia (shinbone) is badly bruised and my costa is broken so I had to turn back to the Basecamp to heal my wounds, so to speek. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081125 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I managed to email a picture of my leg to ALE's doctor and he strongly suggested that it would be wise if they took a look at my leg before I continue trekking any further. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081124 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today Teemu has managed to ski 5 kilometers despite his sore leg. Teemu's leg is still swollen and sore so he is having negotiations with ALE's doctor about continuation possibilities... Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081122 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today the weather was ideal for skiing. Sun was shining and wind was very mild. Temperature was around -15 degrees so that didn't feel bad either. The flu is pretty much history now so everything seemed to be going well and I was happy to be back on track and determined to gain more kilometers. A lot of kilometers. Amazingly, my bad luck continues as after lunch, I keeled over and hit my leg to the ski pretty hard. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081121 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html My ski slipped and the result was that my teeth clanked together and my tongue got in the way. Nobody to blame but myself. I had a bloodtaste in my mouth for the next hour. Excluding that incident skiing was very routine. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081120 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today's camp and kilometers are dedicated to University Student Fencers! YM RULES! Keep the gymnasium in order and I will come there some day in the near future to show you some fencing... Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081119 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I suffered from fever last night so I decided not to change position today. I talked to ALE's doctor again and he recommended resting so that the flu doesn't cut my expedition completely this early on. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081118 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html It seems that I didn't get over the flu I had in Chile. Yesterday's rest didn't cure it either so today I had no choice but to set up my tent after two hours of skiing. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081117 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today has been a rest day. The wind blew so hard that I decided to stay put and spend the day in my tent. I wasn't sure that I would have been able to set up my tent in the evening considering the wind. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081116 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today the weather was quite windy. At it's worst the wind blew 15m/s and average wind speed was 12m/s. Temperature stayed around -15 degrees and eventhough the day was actually sunny it didn't feel like it because of the hard wind. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081115 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html This day felt a whole lot better than yesterday. I woke up at 08.30 am and was surprised not to hear wind blowing at all. Outside the tent weather was very serene so I tried to get skiing as quickly as possible. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081114 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Morning was pretty windy today and temperature was around -17 degrees. I learned that I didn't set up my tent exactly straight in view of the wind last night. Considering the wind was difficult, since yesterday evening the wind was pretty mild. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081113 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I crossed the 80. parallel of latitude this morning at 09.15 am and started my official expedition to the pole. Right from the start I have a tough ascent ahead that presumably takes couple of days with the heavy sleigh. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081112 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today was the day that I'd been waiting for a long time. Morning was as calm and sunny as it was yesterday. In the afternoon we flew to Hercules Inlet and I finally got to ski a bit. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081111 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html A moment ago it came clear that the flight will take of this evening at the earliest. The most likely moment is still Monday morning. It has been quite windy today here in Punta Arenas and the weather has altered between heavy rain and sunshine all day. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081109 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today it became certain that the flight will be delayed due to harsh winds in Antarctica. The flight might be possible tomorrow, but Monday seems more likely at the moment. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081108 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html This morning we had an official ALE briefing concerning the details of arriving to Patriot Hills, as well as dealing with the already known areas of crevasses and reaching the South Pole. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081107 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Today I went shopping for food and some other stuff, but since everything's already packed up and ready to go, this day has been pretty relaxed and quiet. I'm taking some extra food with me to keep the safety margin. Now I have full food packages for 52 days and some extra food for 10 days on top of that. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081106 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html While packing the food in my hotel room, I suddenly saw snow falling from the sky here in Punta Arenas. Unfortunately I was unable to reach my camera in time and the snowfall disappeared as quickly as it came. So now the weather's almost uncloudy and shiny again. I dropped by at the ALE office today to discuss the details of my expedition. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081105 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I have spent the whole day re-arranging my food supply. All of the food needs to be repacked, so that I won't need to carry the cardboard boxes with me to the pole. By repacking the food, the size can be compressed to half of its current size. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081104 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html The flight from Santiago de Chile went safely and I arrived to Punta Arenas late at night. I checked in to my Hotel at 01.00 am. My taxidrive from the airport was quite an experience, the wind was blowing really hard. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081103 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html The flight from Madrid to Santiago took over 13 hours and I have to admit, it felt pretty numbing. Luckily I managed to doze off most of the night. I also have to give some credit to Iberia Airlines for their spacious legspace in the economy class. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081102 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally the day I've been waiting for! Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081101 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally I had time to see last weeks fitness test results. The results were not a big suprise eventhough MaxVO was average. The reason for not so great results is the 15 kilos I've managed to fatten myself. The testing revealed that my fat percentage is 25 which is fairly good. I was hoping a bit higher fat percentage but I'm quite happy with that too. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081029 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I recieved the YellowBrick location beacon which I'm going to use during the expediton. The transmitter only has one switch and to turn it on I just need to remove one small magnet from the box. It seems to work perfectly and it's extremely simple to use. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:22:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081026 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Less than two weeks to go... During the last weeks there's still a lot of things to do. Next thursday I'm going to a physical fitness test and the locator beacon test's are scheduled on Friday. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081020 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Equipment are finally sent to Punta Arenas and hopefully they will be waiting me there when I arrive to Chile. Somehow it seemed that it's impossible to get all the equipment and food fitted into the sledge (pulk) but I'm confident that when everything is repacked they will fit in perfectly. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081013 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html The pulka is finally finnished. Pekka Tyllil&auml; carved the pulka out of carbon-fiber and it came out light and durable. The weight of the pulka is about 7 kilos in total. Now I just need to see that all my equiment actually fit into the pulka and then the pulka is off to Chile. The pulka will be sent to Chile in the end of next week or in the beginning of the week after that so that it's ready when I arrive to Punta Arenas. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20081003 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html It seems that Argos transmitters have battery problems and they have been recalled. I will be taking a similar kind of locator beacon with me as a safety device. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080930 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally the tent issue has been settled. Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT with double poles and snowflaps will be the shelter used on the expedition. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080912 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html The two month limit is approaching and I still have tons to do before departure. The sledge is on production and should arrive next week. Luckily I have the top man on the job. If Pekka Tyllilas hand-made sledge is not tough enough for the job then nothing is. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080821 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Training exceeds 3 hours per day. Physical training has become a big part of my daily routines. Training is mostly endurance training and 1.5 years of training seems to be paying off as time is the factor that limits daily training rather that physical endurance. Ability to recover from each days physical (and mental) exersion is one of the most important factors in long expedition as everyday on the ice is a struggle against long distances, extremely cold weather and strong head winds. Most of the equipment is already tested and modified to fit the needs of the Antarctic expedition. Electronic equipment, solar panel and batteries are tested to provide a top of the line communication link between Antarctica and home base. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080719 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Brandit secured their seat from the South Pole expedition and marks new territory. Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi tue, 3 Jun 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080603 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally insurances were sorted out and everything looks good. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi tue, 27 May 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080527 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Last week was spent trying to find Search and Rescue insurance. It seems that Finnish insurance companies do not offer such insurances or at least are very reluctant offering them. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 16 May 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080516 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html The FTSA athletes registered kilometres to help achieving the South Pole. Kilometres from 0 to 9 are now registered to FTSA athletes thanks to Tarja and Mervi! At the moment there are a hundred kilometres registered. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080427 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html I had new tents to test but unfortunately the winter is already over. It seems that I have to test the Wolfskin tents in summer conditions but the lack of snow has been no news this winter. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080421 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Mostly all that was left from my trip to Lapland was wet technology. I managed to get a fair amount of kilometres to my skiis as weather was fine most of the days. The first days were absolutely perfect but The last days were rainy and temperature varied from +5 to freezing. Laptop, camera and mobile phone had enough moisture to stop working so communications died out. Luckily Antarctica has a lot dryier air and temperature should stay on the freezing side. Read more from expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Tue, 1 Apr 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080401 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Finally heading towards Lapland and snow. I have a couple of tents and a pair skiis with me. The aim is to gain experience about the tents as I have not yet decided which tent to take. Hopefully I have time to get more kilometres to my skiis... Read more from the expedition diary... teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080315 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html The last quarter of the year 2007 saw a hundred hours of extra physical training compared to normal. The year 2008 will see even more training as the expeditions comes closer. In addition to hard physical training also bodyfat has to be increased to survive the extreme energy expenditure. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20080110 http://www.etelanapa.fi/diary.html Hard training week got the end it deserved! Teemu won silver in foil fencing in the Finnish National Championships today. The competition took place in T&ouml;&ouml;l&ouml; Kisahalli, Helsinki. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20071117 http://www.etelanapa.fi/equipment.html First equipment list is released. The list will evolve throughout the testing and preparation period. Food and fuel quantities will become more accurate as testing the cookers fuel consumption proceeds. Check the complete list and visit EQUIPMENT -page. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 22 oct 2007 12:00:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20071022 http://www.etelanapa.fi/lahja.html Lahja Elamalle is a Finnish organ donation programme. Read more about the programme and the Antarctic Solo Expedition from www.southpole.fi. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:55:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20070927 http://www.southpole.fi/indexeng.html Take part in reaching the South Pole! If you're interested in sponsoring the Antarctic Solo Expedition or you wish to be seen as one of the partners helping me to reach South Pole contact teemu.lakkasuo (at) etelanapa.fi. teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:55:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20070910 http://www.southpole.fi/indexeng.html By subscribing the Antarctic Solo Expedition RSS-feed you can stay up-to-date with the expedition preparations teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:55:31 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20070810 http://www.southpole.fi/indexeng.html Southpole.fi is open! Visit Southpole.fi for more information! teemu.lakkasuo@etelanapa.fi Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:52:14 +0300 http://www.etelanapa.fi/20070809