Over the next few weeks I will be advertising for a team of determined lads and lasses to join me on a cross Europe venture by pedal and crampon! We will be cycling from Calais to the French Alps where we will attempt a summit of Western Europe’s highest peak- Mt Blanc. This is a unique adventure but open for all who can dedicate time to training and teamwork. Please be in touch if you or friends want to be included in a mail shot of further details.
We would like to say a massive thanks to Richard Spink from Carbon Neutral Expeditions, to Bristol Beer Factory, and to all of you who attended Friday night’s Wee Do. We had an amazing time, and reckon that the turn-out we had was the best yet!
Not only was Richard’s talk engaging and informative, but he also managed to create an almost-continuous hum of laughter from his audience – a rare talent indeed.
We learnt about the educational aims of CNE, their rigorous training schedule, the planned trip to Greenland, and finally the catastrophic storm that forced them to quit their expedition and almost cost them their lives. The audience was even treated to some previously unseen footage of their rescue by a passing oil-tanker.
All this excitement was washed down with plenty of Bristol Beer Factory’s Sunrise Pale Ale. It was the ideal antidote to the sticky evening heat that pervaded the air in Bristol after a day of freaky hail storms and glorious sunshine. August’s Wee Do will see Chris from BBF telling us how they make their beer so yummy – more on that in the coming weeks.
This will finance the pulks which are on order. It continues to be a testing time as we search for any outstanding equipment. Boots are proving to be the main difficulty. This is something we are not scrimping on, and certainly won’t be recycled. An essential part of the kit, an expedition can easily fail due to foot problems.
Due to the exceptionally good winter (good if you like the cold!) Boots have been selling like hot cakes. So we are scratching around to find a couple of pairs of suitable Baffins.
Training and schools work continues. We are excited to announce a visit to St Mary Redcliffe School in Bristol. This trip is due to be filmed by the BBC, there may even be some more tire pulling!
Raoul and Rich had a very busy week in Jersey last week with back to back meetings and three school visits. Le Rocquier school were amazing and organised a tyre drag around the schools grounds to raise cash for our expedition and other causes. They covered an awesome 96 km in teams of 3 hauling all day. We could use some of these guys on the ice cap!
We had a very interesting meeting with Eco-Active and Jersey Education and look as though we will be rolling the expedition out to Schools island wide, over 30 in total. This is fantastic news and we are looking forward to getting involved with more students.
We would like to say a BIG thankyou to Godolphin and Latymer school for all their hard work in raising cash for us. They have managed to raise £800 plus to help fund vital comms kit to stay in touch when we are on the ice. Their Green Team is an inspiration and we look forward to visiting again post expedition.
A few more of the questions asked by pupils of St Mary Magdalene Academy.
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Benjamine Anaedozie 8H10
Q. How long does it take to prepare for your journey?
A. The team have been working on this expedition for over a year now with 6 months to go before we set off. Training for an expedition like this can be very hard. Harder still is raising the funds through sponsorship to actually fund the expedition.
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Talia
Q.Does it hurt getting frost bite?
A. We have both experienced minor frost bite in the past on previous expeditions. When the blood vessels in your fingers begin to freeze it is very painfull.
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B. O’Neill
Q. do you get hungry a lot as you are walking all day?
A. Generally we are hungry most of the time as we are burning so many calories on our journey. Our food is very good but we can not carry extra to really satisfy our hunger because it simply weighs too much.
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Max Macauley
Q. How do you communicate with each other if you get in trouble?
A. We have two way radios (walkie talkies) to talk to each other when on the ice. Also a Satellite phone to communicate with.
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Q Do you save money with Carbon Neutral travel.
A. Yes we do. our expedition is much cheaper than conventional expeditions using air travel. However our progres by sail is a lot slower.
Thanks to the Students of the Academy who have forwarded us some questions to be answered regarding the expedition. CNE gave two days of talks at St Mary Magdalene earlier in the year.
Jenna C.
Q. Is it as dangerous as you say it is (greenland)
A. Yes It can be very dangerous if you are not experienced . There are crevasses and strong winds that can knock you off your feet and rip your tent . There is also the danger of frostbite in extreme cold.
Junior
Q How long does it take to get to Greenland?
A. It will take us approximately 2 weeks to sail there depending on the wind.
Q. How heavy is your equipment?
A This is a good question. We will each be hauling about 80 - 100 kgs of provisions in our sleds. Including food, tents, clothing, radios, and ropes.
Scott Swinton
Q What do you do with all the waste you make?
A We bring everything home with us including toilet paper! Nothing must be left to spoil the environment.
Jermaine
Q How many layers of clothing to you wear for the trip?
A. When we are skiing and pulling the sleds we get warm so may only have a base layer mid layer and a windproof jacket. When we stop however and are in the tent we have another two layers on top including a large down (feathers) filled jacket.
Rosie Watts (and team)
Q. How do you know how much food you need?
A. We carry a meal per person for every day we think we will be on the ice. We then carry half as much again incase we overrun the expedition, get lost or food gets damaged or contaminated. This is known as contingency.
Kiah Joseph
Q. Will you use anything with a motor to get to Greenland?
A. We hope not to have to start the engine of the boat if possible. This is the whole point of the trip, to remain carbon neutral. However if we encounter icebergs near Greenland we may have to use the engine to avoid them.
Aston Stephenson
Q. How do you contact your loved ones from the ice?
A. We will be using a sat Phone. A large phone like your mobiles that uses satellites to contact other phones. this is however much more powerful that the average mobile and much more expensive.
Q. What do you eat and how do you make it?
A. We eat freeze dried food in packets. We have to melt snow to make water and heat the water. Adding the water to the packet makes a meal for one person
Tuesday 30th Sept Richard and Raoul gave their first talk in Godolphin and Latymer school in Hammersmith. It was wonderful to talk to such attentive students. The “Green Team” of the upper 6th asked some great questions and are actively involved in reducing their own carbon footprints. We met with the green team and other students after the talk and discussed options for CNE and the school to link up during the expedition. We are now forwarding students regular updates.
Carbon Neutral Expeditions would like to thank teachers and pupils for their hospitality and warm welcome on Tuesday.
We would like to say a massive thanks to Richard Spink from 
