Sunday, March 18, 2012

  Antarctica Legacy Crossing: Sebastian Copeland and Eric McNair-Landry set three world records (Video)

Los Angeles, CA, USA--81 days after setting out, Sebastian Copeland and McNair-Landry reached the Antarctica's east coast, having traveled some 2,600 miles on skis and kites, visiting both the South Pole and the Pole of Inaccessibility (the point furthest from the continent's edge), and climbing, then descending, more than 9,000 ft - setting three new world records, according to World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/.

  Photo: Sebastian Copeland and Eric McNair-Landry at the South Pole. Photo: Sebastian Copeland .
 ( enlarge photo )

  The new world records are:
  1) the first team in history to reach the POI from the Eastern Coast of Antarctica, without outside support or motorized transportation;
  2) the first to link the POI to the geographic South Pole effectively opening that.880 km route for the first time without motorized transportation or outside assistance;
   3) a historical crossing opening a never-before traveled course linking the Antarctic coasts east to west via two of its poles.

The Guinness world record for the the largest desert (cold) is Antarctica (14 million km²; 5.4 million miles²), with about 50 mm (2 in) of precipitation per year.

Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the fastest and first ever solo and unsupported crossing of the Antarctic continent, achieved by Børge Ousland (Norway), who completed the 2,690 km (1,675 mile) trek 64 days after setting out.

Among the many challenges they faced was the herculean effort of pulling 400 pounds each up the glacier from sea level to 9500 feet through treacherous hidden crevasse fields; -40C to -30C degree average temperatures outside of wind chill; frostbite; broken ribs; altitude sickness; changing weather patterns that left them virtually windless or pinned down by multi day storms; the bone rattling hard ice and the sastrugi they skied over at high speeds with their kites; and much more.

  "There are few places on Earth that instantly conjure awe and a quiet respect. In 1911-12, Scott and Amundsen etched their names in history by being the first to conquer the South Pole.

 "This Legacy crossing aims to honor their memory by linking, in one continuous trip, an East/West traverse of the most inhospitable environment on Earth, setting tracks where no man has been before."