COINS Foundation Blog

After work on Friday evening I made my way to a deserted camp site close to the Brecon town centre to set up camp and wait for Shaun & Steve D to turn up. Shaun turned up to assist in erecting the tent which made life a lot easier than putting up a 6 man tent on your own. That evening Shaun and myself went for a few drink and awaited the arrival of Steve D. Morning came and despite the frosty start a very frosty start -2C! – it was a beautifully clear day as we set off from our campsite for a 25km walk taking in 3 peaks, finishing on Pen Y Fan.

Pen Y Fan is the highest mountain in South Wales at 2,907 feet, and the highest in Britain south of Snowdonia.

We camped out on the Saturday night, cooking on an MSR stove similar to those we’ll be using on our Magnetic North Pole Expedition.  On Sunday with long drives ahead of us, we did a shorter 11km walk up the back of Pen Y Fan to Corn Du, following the gentle southerly ridge down towards Merthyr Tydfil.

When time allows, long walks in the mountains carrying weight, is some of the best training we can do.  Camping in cold weather – albeit a lot warmer than the temperatures we’ll be experiencing – is also a good help and experience in using essential kit like the MSR stove will be invaluable.

In all though, a beautiful weekend in the Welsh Mountains!

On Saturday 5th September 2009 I met the full team of 12 together for the first time, when we set in stone the date of Sunday 28th March 2010, when we would depart the UK from Heathrow Airport, bound for Ottawa, onto Resolute on Cornwallis Island, and by foot the 360 nautical miles – unsupported – to the Magnetic North Pole.

The specific destination is the 1996 surveyed position of the Magnetic North Pole – its actual position is constantly moving slowly further North and West – which has become the officially recognised position for the Polar Challenge, Polar Race, and other Expeditions.

We are an all-British team of 12 with 10 men and two women. The Expedition will take around 25 days of walking, skiing and camping on ice, in temperatures down to minus 50C and below, pulling sledges weighing up to 140Kg, avoiding frost bite and 80% of the World’s Polar Bears which live in these regions.

I need to do more research at the RGS, but if we succeed we believe we’ll be the first all-British mixed-sex team to reach the Magnetic North Pole unsupported. Most attempts are supported through the Polar Race, or Polar Challenge, and only have to carry enough supplies for one week at a time.
We have an experienced guide in Richard Bull, who has led numerous Expeditions to the Magnetic North Pole and across Baffin Island, also supporting and advising on many other Expeditions to this hostile region.

The team comprises four members of a team who walked across Baffin Island in 2008, Roddy, Tracey, Steve D & Nick. We also have two ex-Army soldiers in Rob & Steve R. Steve K is a keen marathon runner and is also raising money for the COINS Foundation, while the rest, Shaun, Mina & Ben – are new to Arctic Expeditions, however bring with them diverse and extensive experiences in the outdoors.

More training dates have been put in the diary to teach us the skills we’ll need to survive for up to 4 weeks in the Arctic, particularly the basics of pulling our sledges through large fields of ice-rubble, safely using and maintaining the MSR fuel stove – our only source of heating and water for the duration – and erecting and dismantling our tents – our essential and only form of proper shelter – often in high winds.

Kier Partnership Homes safety manager Mark Starling is one of twelve stalwarts preparing to embark on a gruelling walk to the North Pole to raise cash for the COINS Foundation. This will be the first completely unsupported attempt by an all-British team.
On 28 March next year the team will leave Canada’s Resolute Bay and begin their journey to the top of the world. The expedition will cover 350 nautical miles, averaging 15 miles per day across ice, pulling all their own supplies by sledge. At least 25 days and nights will be spent on the ice in sub-zero temperatures often falling as low as -50°C. The team will need a daily intake of over 48,000 calories and 80 litres of melted snow to sustain and hydrate them as they face such conditions as Arctic shock, snow blindness, frostbite, crevasses and polar bear attack.
Mark has been granted leave of absence to train for and complete the expedition. COINS and Kier hope to raise a minimum of £50,000 to go directly to COINS Foundation projects.

Mark commented: “Very few people have ever walked to the North Pole unsupported. The challenge is unique and will test me physically and mentally. Please give generously. It is a worthy cause that will spur me on to the pole.”