ANTARCTICA: TRAPPED EXPLORERS LATEST

Описание: (21 Feb 2001) English/Nat
NOTE - VISION AS INCOMING
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Two polar explorers who were trapped on an Antarctic ice shelf for two days have finally left Antarctica after a severe weather conditions left them stranded in the region twice.

Ann Bancroft, 45, of Scandia, Minnesota, USA, and Liv Arnesen, 47, of Oslo, Norway, became the first women to ski 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometres) across the Antarctic land mass when they reached the frozen ocean of the Ross Ice Shelf on Sunday, February 11th.

They continued to ski across the shelf but by Thursday, February 15th poor weather conditions convinced them to call for an aeroplane rescue instead.

The two women had hoped to ski and parasail the remaining 470 miles (756 kilometres) to the station.

The plane reached them on Friday, February 16th but the bad weather trapped them on the shelf until very early in the morning on Sunday when they were airlifted to McMurdo Scientific Station.

When the women and their rescue team arrived at McMurdo Station, the site of a U-S National Science Foundation base a severe snowstorm further delayed their departure via helicopter.

The party had just three or four days for conditions to improve before the onset of the Antarctic winter, when the ocean freezes and daylight dwindles to nothing.

Fortunately they were finally able to leave the station late on Monday night (February 19th), just over 36 hours later, bound for a ship waiting to take them to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

During their trek the women braved temperatures of minus 36 degrees Celsius and experienced winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kilometres per hour).

Their sleds weighed about 250 pounds (114 kilograms).

The two women skiied most of the way but when conditions were suitable they used sails to increase their speed.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"A couple, two days ago we felt really blue because we really wanted to ski in here, or sail in here but it has sinked in and reality comes slowly sometimes but it's good to be here."
SUPER CAPTION: Liv Arnesen, explorer

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Finishing is a hard one for me, you know. You spend so many years preparing for this and then you have so many days of doing it, and then suddenly it's over and it's a little hard to let go."
SUPER CAPTION: Ann Bancroft, explorer

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