Decision made - the north pole expedition is on!

It's been a few years in the making but Linda Beilharz has finally taken the big step of committing to a north pole expedition. Linda said " The expedition has been put off a couple of times so it's a great feeling to be able to focus on getting fully expedition fit and getting the gear sorted for what will be the hardest and most dangerous icecap expedition of all."

The expedition will start in the last week in February, 2010 after the team of three have done several weeks training together in northern Canada. We will be flown to the Northern tip of Canada as soon as the arctic winter lifts enough for a plane to land. Temperatures are expected to be between -30 and -50 degrees. We will then haul sleds for 60 days over about 800 kms of sea ice. Days will lengthen and temperatures will rise slowly but we need to get to the North Pole before the ice thins too much. It will be a race against time as we negotiate ice ridges, leads of water and challenging weather and snow conditions to reach the North Pole while helicopters can still land on the ice.

If successful Linda will become the first Australian woman to have skied from the edge of the land to the North Pole, and the first to have done the same trip to the north and south poles.

Before the trip gets started the biggest challenge is always financial - and in a time of financial downturn there is less available to fund trips like this. Because she is so passionate about going Linda is taking the step of raising the money herself. "It means I'll have to keep working till I'm 80 to pay off the loan - but it will be worth it" Linda said. "I will be inviting the Bendigo community to support my efforts, by holding a fundraising event in early December to take a bit of the pressure off."

The expedition will raise awareness of environmental issues and will encourage people to learn about climate change, resilience and team work. These themes have formed the basis of what Linda talks about in schools in relation to previous expeditions across the Antarctic, Greenland and Patagonia.

for further information: http://www.antonyjinman.com/news/the-science-behind-antony-s-north-pole-2010-expedition