Serious Survival: How to Poo in the Arctic and Other essential tips for explorers. Bruce Parry
When everyone’s in full Arctic kit, it’s a real problem to figure out who’s who.
IS IT POSSIBLE to stay warm in temperatures as low as minus fifty?
It may seem unlikely, especially when you can go outside back home and feel freezing in temperatures well above zero, but it is certainly achievable. The truth is that most people don’t wear the right clothes to keep them warm in their everyday lives (usually being more concerned about fashion).
In the Arctic it’s rather more crucial to be really clued up. The key is to use lots of layers, trapping air between your clothes for insulation, and to cover up all exposed flesh when the weather gets seriously cold. In extreme low temperatures it’s important not to let yourself even start to get chilled as it’s much harder to get warm again.
HOW DO YOU stop your feet getting cold?
A real worry, as anyone who’s stood around waiting for a bus on an icy winter’s day will know. Whatever footwear you’ve got on, the heat eventually seems to just drain away into the pavement.
But the good news is that special ‘moon’ boots have been developed for use in extreme conditions. With thick rubber insulating soles and separate felt liners, they’ll keep your feet warm down to a reassuringly low –100°C (–148°F), colder even than the Arctic.
COLD COMFORT
The object of the layering system is to keep the heat in and the icy wind out, and to allow your body to ‘breathe’, preventing the build-up of perspiration (damp clothes next to your skin have almost no insulating properties). Fit is crucial. Too tight and clothes won’t allow a layer of air next to the skin, too loose and there will be too much air to warm up effectively.
| Inner layer(s) | Thermals with good wicking properties. This means they actually take moisture away from the skin and transfer it to their outer surface without the thermals themselves getting wet. Avoid cotton, which gets too damp. |
| Middle layer(s) | Fleece to keep you warm (modern fleeces will again continue ‘wicking’ moisture away from your body). |
| Outer layer | Windproofs to keep out the biting polar wind. |
| Extra layer | Extremely warm clothing, for example, thick puffer jacket, usually only for use when stopped outside to prevent getting chilled. |
The Arctic Ocean is one of the wonders of the world, made up of vast, ever-changing masses of ice floating on the sea beneath. As ice sheets shift in the wind and current they collide to form pressure ridges, spectacular areas of ice which may be several metres high – and often extremely difficult for adventurers to cross.
As the ice drifts or breaks up it leaves dangerous cracks or open areas of sea. The ice can vary greatly in thickness, ranging from about 0.5–4m (roughly 2–14ft).
Around half the Arctic Ocean stays frozen all year, with parts nearer the edge of the Arctic Circle melting in spring and refreezing in the autumn.
PACK ICE OR ICE FLOE?
Huge, fairly continuous sheets of sea ice are known as pack ice, while smaller free-floating chunks less than around 8km (5 miles) wide are called ice floes. Huge icebergs that have broken away from glaciers can also be found floating in the Arctic Ocean.
The Serious Arctic training camp on the sea ice in the middle of Frobisher Bay in April.
HOW DO YOU travel about on the frozen ocean?
You might wonder why anyone ventures onto the frozen ocean in the first place. There are in fact a variety of reasons:
In mountainous regions with difficult terrain the frozen ocean is like a ‘motorway’, providing faster, direct routes to other areas
For adventurers it’s often the only way to reach their goal, including of course the North Pole itself
Local people need to head onto the sea ice to fish and hunt for animals like seals and polar bears
The traditional way of travelling across the frozen ocean is by dogsled replaced in recent times in many areas by the snowmobile.
If travelling under your own steam the best way to take your kit is by pulling a small sledge called a pulk behind you. It’s the stuff of real polar exploration and is actually not as hard as it looks – until you hit the nightmare of pressure ridges. Stopping when going downhill back on the frozen land is also quite an art.
WHY DOESN’T the frozen sea crack up when the tide comes in?
To an extent it does. Each day the sea ice may rise or fall by several metres with the tides. At the shoreline the frozen sea is stuck fast to the land (it’s actually known as fast ice for that reason), so something’s got to give. Usually it means long cracks appear in the ice, perhaps about 100m (300ft) from the shore, where the ice ‘hinges’ up or down and eventually breaks. The open water will usually refreeze quickly, but it can be a treacherous area to travel over.
HOW CAN YOU check if the ice is strong enough to walk on?
The short answer is that unless you’re an expert you can’t. Sea ice and frozen lakes are incredibly dangerous, and while there are safety pointers like the colour of the ice (clear blue or green ice is usually stronger), this is definitely one to leave to an experienced local guide. They will know the hazards. For example, snow may be hiding a weak area of sea ice regularly cracked by the tides.
As a general rule, a layer of ice less than 10cm (4in) thick is too thin to walk on, but even ice much thicker may have unseen weak spots and could quickly change depending on the conditions. Getting across successfully is absolutely no guarantee the ice will still be safe an hour or two later.
WHAT HAPPENS IF the ice cracks and you fall in?