COMMERCIAL EXPEDITIONS OF ADVENTURE NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday January 7th

On 29 December, the first of the three non-professional groups attempting the Patriot Hills -> South Pole arrived. Guide Paul Landry and his three clients Andrew Gerber (South Africa), Tom Avery and Patrick Woodhead set off on 12 November from Patriot Hills, and completed the trek in under 7 weeks. The group guided by Landry's companion must have arrived a few days later because the two teams were almost following each other.

The length of the expedition (if we compare it with those that took place two years ago and which took between 55 and 67 days to cover the same journey Patriot Hills -> South Pole) is due to the fact that, until mid-December, Paul and his companions were unable to get out their power kites, due to a lack of favourable winds. On 18 December, the quartet were able to cover 47 km.

Tuesday December 10th

Anan reports that three of the groups currently on their way from Patriot Hills -> South Pole are making good progress, managing an average of about 15 to 20 km a day. On 3rd December, two teams were still 700 km from the pole, while the third was 140 km further to the North.

Last week, the team led by the Canadian, Matty McNair, was approaching latitude 84, while the group led by her husband, Paul Landry (4 people), was some 7 kms further to the South. So the two expeditions are getting closer to one another, making progress at the rate of 20 to 25 km a day.

Thirsday November 28th

Both groups, one under Paul Landry (4 people) and the other led by his wife Matty McNair (6 people), arrived at Patriot Hills aboard an Ilyushin 76 on 10th November from Punta Arenas. They were 5 days late on account of poor weather conditions.
Matty McNair's group was taken the next day by Twin Otter to their departure point at Hercules Inlet. On 13th November, according to the release from Anan, they returned to Patriot Hills aboard a plane that was taking Paul Landry's group out. It appears that they left this time from Patriot Hills. It was reported on 20th November that McNair and her clients had just passed latitude 81.

As for Landry and his men, they began their trek on 14th November from Hercules Inlet. According to the latest news, they too have passed latitude 81. However, the two groups are not travelling together; Landry has been located some fifteen kilometres north north-east from his wife's team.