SPIDER AND POLAR TRAVEL.

As news of the value of MODULUS spread we demonstrated the system to the British Army and supplied test equipment for a trans - Greenland expedition in the summer of 1995. Which provided valuable experience and feedback. Meanwhile as Roger sought sponsorship he experimented with the use of wheels on his sledge.

The mathematics of the 2736km (1700 mile) Polar crossing meant starting the journey with a sledge weighing over 206kg (450lb) - three times his own body weight - for 100 days averaging 27km (17 miles) a day. Calorific requirements were estimated at 6,500 k,cal a day. However his daily intake would be only 5300 cal. It was therefore likely that he'd lose as much as a third of his body weight. He hoped that with the use of the parafoil and wheels crossing the plateau would be quicker and less physically demanding.

Manhauling - a traditional means of sledge towing had seen a return to favour with the "Footsteps of Scott" expedition of 1984, in which Robert Swan, Roger Mear and Gareth Wood travelled 1421km (883 miles) following Scott’s route to the South Pole. They averaged 22km (13 miles) a day. Even manhauling with a sledge of the same weight (for twice the distance), on this basis it would take Roger over 130 days to complete the journey - an impossible task since he would have insufficient food, and the Polar "summer" would very nearly be over. A heavier sledge would mean even slower progress. So it could only be contemplated with wind assistance of some kind.

On November 3rd 1995 Roger Mear set off from the Weddell Sea coast of Berkner Island. Following the arduous 1800ft ascent from the coast, Rogers milage's steadily improved with him travelling 312km (194 miles) in 2 weeks. One day he recorded in his diary -

"I missed yesterday with good reason, for I was travelling for 15 hours. I began the day manhauling, but a nagging wind in my ear eventually convinced me that it might just be sufficient to use the kite. A day followed of superb flying. Though the snow is still deep and the going heavy, I did 46 miles (74km). It was possible to move - sometimes walking, occasionally being towed - by racing the kite from side to side across the sky. Sometimes, a wonderful rhythmical sequence is possible, skis, body and kite in unison."

Sadly Roger’s attempt was to run into problems 28 days and 549km (341 miles) into the crossing when the titanium tracers (connecting him to the sledge) broke. In spite of these difficulties he continued until after 42 days and 753km (468 miles), they forced him to abandon the attempt. This was a bitter blow, after such a promising start. He'd hauled the heaviest sledge the furthest across the Antarctic continent, including the ascent of Frost Spur, arriving at the ice plateau, just the point where it was anticipated that his MODULUS would see him ski sail to the Pole and beyond.

However his "magnificent" MODULUS had assisted in over 50% of his mileage. Over a 3 day period it powered him more than 209km (130 miles) - in one day clocking up an amazing 93km (58 miles) ACROSS WIND! His light wind performances were especially impressive. Noting that if there was sufficient wind to raise the strap of a ski pole he would be able to gain useful traction from the parafoil.

With SPIDER’s profile raised higher by Roger’s impressive mileages, 1996 looked promising with a team lead by Robert Swan proposing a journey from the South Pole to the edge of the ice shelf - the "Tandem One Step Beyond Expedition". Robert made it clear that ONE STEP was as far as he wanted to walk! Meanwhile Roger was looking to make a second attempt on the solo crossing.

While there had been no material or design failures on any of the SPIDER equipment previously used in Antarctica, refinements and feedback had allowed us to improve the deployment and handling systems of the parafoils. With the use of "inliners", we are able to train Paraskiers on Pembrey's vast wind blown beach. The value of training has been continually stressed to the Explorers by us and re-iterated by them on their return!

Good handling techniques minimize danger at crisis points often avoiding them altogether. Understanding the principles of sailing, and having experience with the parafoils, makes for better and safer performance. We have yet to really see MODULUS used to its fullest potential in Antarctica, believing that over 322km (200 miles) in a day is possible.

Lessons learnt by Roger were translated into an improved sledge design that showed great promise in testing on Mont Blanc. Sadly conditions did not allow new innovated rigging systems to be fully assessed. However on a wet and sticky beach "Spiderman" Mick Parsons was able to successfully demonstrate UPWIND sledge towing.

Crispin Day, one of the 3 members of the "One Step" team, was then able to repeat the feat while skating alongside the sledge! The One Step Expedition intent on promoting technological advances, planned to use SPIDER MODULUS as the key to a record breaking exit from the Pole.

SPIDER's acknowledged Polar experience resulted in being contacted by Sir Ran Fiennes - "the world’s greatest living explorer". Despite being 53, he had begun to secretly organize his own solo unsupported trans antarctic crossing. In 1993 he narrowly failed to make an unsupported crossing - barely escaping with his life. He and companion Mike Stroud were rescued 300 miles short of their goal, the edge of the ice shelf.

Sadly Roger Mear’s attempts to secure sufficient sponsorship became considerably more difficult after the announcement of Ran’s expedition, ultimately leading to his cancellation of the journey. Ran was unlucky too, when with over half the distance to the Pole covered, medical problems forced him to retire from the attempt after achieving some remarkable mileages. The best of which was 188km (117 miles) in one day - WITH A FULLY LADEN 227kg (500lb) SLEDGE!! On his return to the UK Ran very kindly sent us a thank you note saying -

"Just back. Sadly just when everything was going beautifully, I got a kidney stones attack. Not nice. Very frustrating but there's no point crying over spilled milk. The SPIDERS were ace"

The One Step Expedition, having taken the decision to only travel by kite power, completed their journey a week ahead of schedule. Starting out from the Pole on 11th December 1996 they travelled 1657km (1030 miles) in 38 days which included nine days when they didn't travel because of a complete lack of wind and a day waiting for an airplane. The ability of MODULUS to match power to individual requirements means that the problem of different rates of travel can be confined to a safe degree. This is important in team use where it's the speed of the slowest that defines the progress of the group. Relatively small differences in performances can result in big distances between Pilots. (Waiting for people to catch up causes problems as the faster Pilot's temperature drops.)

The team found that they went through an average of 5 rig changes (sizes) a day, as they modulated their parafoils to maximize the conditions. With the "dough nuts" attached to the top of the sledge - the kites could be deployed/modulated/packed away quickly and simply.

The starting sledge weights were 150kg (330lb) - 50kg (112lb) more than we had anticipated! Shown left a packed MODULUS dwarfed by the load, a full sledge and an Explorer! That's 2.5kg hauling more than 230kg over 1657km (1030 miles) - an exceptional power to weight ratio. The kites worked so successfully for them that they found their calorific requirement dropped to such an extent that they were unable to eat all their food, diminishing the need for the re-supply. On completion of the journey they showed no signs of weight loss and were in excellent health. The custom sailing/manhauling harnesses had worked very well, with no sores, pressure points or even chaffing.

They also found that they could use the kites in sastrugi fields (areas of wind chiselled ice waves) - something Geoff Somers with all his Polar experience had thought impossible. The control with which they were able to "pump" and work their MODULUS meant they could make very good progress with relative ease.

The "deadmans" system that we provide, and very strongly recommend, proved itself time and again allowing the Explorers to recover from falls unscathed. It works by collapsing the canopy when the handles are released. However control and connection with the parafoil is not lost, it can then be easily recovered.

The safest and steadiest progress comes from intelligent rig selection and speed control. In fact with the high traction speeds possible its sometimes hard for the Pilots to avoid being seduced into going too fast. Crispin Day found that a steady 7-12km pace was the least stress full and most reliable, (but least exciting!) He reported that he very rarely rolled the sledge over, in comparison to his dashing companions.

The team used custom built SPIDER harnesses. These were developed specially for both para towing and manhauling. The design criteria meant that these harnesses had to fit the Explorers when they were stripped down to the minimum - for manhauling, and wearing their full outer clothing - for kite sailing. They therefore needed a very wide fitting range.

Because of the great heat generated by manhauling the Explorers often strip down to their underclothing, in order to avoid perspiration freezing on the inside surfaces, where it would bind their skin to the cloth. Since kite sailing requires less exertion and there is a wind induced by the Pilot's movement, greater thicknesses of clothing are needed. Some of our original concerns about circulation to the fingers proved to be groundless, since the hands are relatively active and not held above heart level.

December 97 Marek Kami?ski (Poland) Using his Modulus to good effect in Antarctica.

March 98: What started as a training trip, ended up as a dash to the magnetic North Pole. Graeme Joy (Australia) stopped over on his way to Canada to pick up his Modulus and get some training. He was a natural pilot and had it in the bag over the weekend. The next we heard was a excited "E" mail from his wife, telling us of his solo unsupported crossing. His journey took 29 days with a best day of 109 kilometers which is very good going for such bad surface conditions.

Graeme Joy at King Christian Island in the North West Passage, sailing in 20 knots of wind. This would be classed as "flat" as far as the Arctic goes!

"Scary Bears" - mum & the kids crossed my ski tracks & turned south along them walking into Paul Landry's camp. We were less than a kilometer apart. I could see Paul & Mike standing by the tent but not the bears. If they had turned north, wow, I hate to think! I was sitting on my sled eating dinner when I heard Paul fire the warning shots to scare them away as they were walking right into his camp. The bears left, no injury to them.

"Graeme Joy First Solo Unsupported Magnetic North Pole.. ALMOST!" For safey reasons Graeme travelled the last day and half with Paul Landry of Canada who was dogsledding to the Magnetic North Pole, because his Sat Nav phone was out of range and solar flare activity made the HF radio useless for the last two weeks of the expedition.

Don't forget the sponsors! All Graeme's photos were by Paul Landry.

A Spider getting to the North Pole was a great buzz, what was even better was the great feedback Graeme gave us on his return. He set out to try several towing techniques and was open minded enough to give then all a fair crack. His report on "ofline" towing was positive which opens the door to further development.

Expeditions have led the way and have proved kite traction beyond doubt. We have several expeditions planned for 99 and a whole "gaggle" of Modulus's heading North and South for the millenium. We also have commercial exploration companies coming on board this year offering Kite traction crossings of Greenland for the first time, so if you want to go places? check out: SNOWSLED JOURNEYS and TANGENT EXPEDITIONS INTERNATIONAL

PARASKI TRAINERS

Having been involved in Polar Expeditions and Paraskiing for over five years now, the shortfalls in training have slowly been overcome. We can now simulate snow skiing very well with the new inliners. What's nice about this design over normal wheels is the fact that the pilot is not having to balance. The centre of gravity is also the same as skis. They have proved to be safe, and easy to use. On the performance side they edge very well, so upwind gain is very good. They also gybe well, full blasting carve gybes are easy, and with a little practice the exit is as fast as the entry. On the down side, they are still a bit heavy and the rolling resistance on wet sand is still somewhat high. But with the latest models we are getting close to viability. "Cross Country Inliners" will open up new areas for kite traction, they are very portable and packable. Who knows? they might become a class in their own right.

Spider has benefitted from the cross fertilization of ideas and experiences gained over the last five years of Polar traction. We have upgraded many of our standard designs, fittings and the range of MODULUS systems we offer.

Now available is the "BIG BOY" MODULUS specifically for heavy sledge towing.

For light winds and yet still having the advantage of a modular system and a wide wind range the "ULTRALIGHT BIG BOY",

For training and expeditions, we have introduced the tough and user friendly "58 SKI".

For recreational Paraskiing which demands a "one kite solution" we have introduced the "LITTLE BIG BOY"

SPIDER are very pleased to be working in co-operation with SNOWSLED LTD on the development of a new generation of sledges/pulks. SNOWSLED are a world respected company in this specialized field. They have a long history of providing sledges, pulks and equipment for Polar travel. While upwind performance has been shown to be possible the next step is to design sledges to take full advantage of what MODULUS has to offer.

1. Paraskiing - full traction for both Pilot and sledge requiring consistent surfaces, good winds and at least moderate visibility.

2. Kite walking - the pull of the parafoil is harnessed to reduce the workload of the Pilot. Less exhilarating than full traction but valuable nevertheless, with the parafoil still making a contribution to the sledge's progress. A safer option in circumstances of rough surfaces and reduced visibility.

3. Hauling - here the parafoil is called on to provide the occasional added impetus to move the sledge over obstacles. The kite is positioned overhead where "drive" is at it's minimum. When additional pull is needed it can be swooped, pumped and worked through the eye of the wind to develop the necessary power.

Contact us for customized rigs, harnesses, training and advice.