1998 Magnetic North Pole
- Start date: 1998
- End date: 1998
- Start / end point: Resolute Bay (Canada) – Magnetic North Pole
- Total km: 200 kms.
- Expedition duration: 16 days
- Challenges achieved: First Spanish expedition to Magnetic North Pole
THE ROUTE BEGINS
The route begins in Canadian Resolute Bay, the further north inhabited point of the Arctic Circle, an Inuit community. There they are picked up by a plane that deposits them 200 km from the Magnetic North Pole. There begins the journey through a sea of ​​ice to attain their goal. Good weather accompanies them during the route, but it’s a great effort pulling the pulkas in which they carry all the equipment. Each night, after setting up camp, they communicate by emergency position-indicating radio beacon with Resolute to provide the coordinates of their position.
ON THE SEA OF ICE
As it is spring, the cold is tolerable. The ice crevasses are the great barriers which they encounter, as well as authentic ice walls that must be overcome, although the sleds they carry are not as heavy as those in previous expeditions. For the first time, the TVE program tries to transmit in real time internet images of the adventure, marking a milestone for Spanish television. However, weather conditions weren’t permitting.
To orient themselves they use the Inuit system: the ice needles left by the wind during the storms (perfect indicators) that illustrate the direction of the north route when visibility is practically null. After more than 15 days of crossing, they managed to reach the Magnetic North Pole, an unmarked place, in the middle of that sea, where they are picked up again by plane.
