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POLAR
RING / ROAD TO THE THIRD MILLENIUM Press
Dossier : Introduction / The two steps
of Expedition /
Many generations of explorers tried to reach high latitudes. The magical strength of polar attraction did not leave the mind of these fearless men. The desire to reach the North Pole, to walk along the limits of the continents an beyond, to find new ways to link the new an the old world did not leave alone entire generations of travellers. Norwegians and Danes, Russians and Americans, English and Italians, and many more, through incredible difficulties, risking their lives, were walking into the unknown, in order to lay on maps new uncharted territories, in order to open new roads, linking continents and seas, in order to maybe as well meet new civilisations.
The contribution of Russia to the discovery of new northern grounds, their study and exploitation is invaluable. The names of the first travellers and explorers are known to the whole world. They have entered history and are present on every geographical map.Their presence brings pride about our national heroes. The
best of humanity's sons have given to reaching these goals many years
of their lives. The
Expedition is conducted under the United Nation's flag, and is the
practical contribution of the organisers, of the participants and
of all those who have supported it, to the program "Dialog Between
Civilisations" accomplished by the initiative and under the supervision
of the United Nations. Having taken part in several polar expeditions, twice, and in some cases, three times, the participants have crossed from the continent to the North Pole on skis, for the first time in the world they have autonomously crossed from Russia to Canada on a transpolar route , through the North Pole geographical point. They have a very significant experience in accomplishing autonomous crossing on skis in conditions of drifting arctic ice, and Antarctic, the members of the expedition team of the Expedition Centre "Arctic" (Russia), have set this challenging goal.
The expedition project polar ring will be implemented in two stages : First
stage - March / June 2002.
This way the travellers will close their route around the borders of the Arctic Ocean, along the whole of Russian shores, along the shores of Alaska, along the Islands of the Canadian Archipelago, along the Glacier shield of Greenland, and having crossed the point of the North Pole.
The
movement on the route will be performed on pneumatic all terrain vehicles
"POLARCAB" invented and constructed by ourselves. Prototypes
of which have been successfully tested in 1999 and 2000 on the South
Pole, on a route ending on the point of the South Pole.
The
expedition project "POLAR RING" is set as part of the international
complex program "Road to the Third Millennium" by the Public
fund of support for expedition activities "ARCTIC". The
honorary President of the organisation committee has been appointed
the Vice-Spiker of the Russian Federation Parlament, Hero of the Soviet
Union, President of the Association of Polar Explorers of Russia,
Arthur N.Chilingarov. The Expedition program is directed by the President of the Expedition Centre "ARCTIC", current member of the Russian Geographic society, President of the Russian chapter of the Explorers Club (USA), Honoured Master of sports, Vladimir Chukov; and by the Vice-President of the Expedition Centre "ARCTIC", master of sports, several time world champion in skydiving, Eugene Bakalov. The work on the project is being conducted by such Governmental and private organisations and entities as:
To achieve, for the first time in the history of polar exploration,
a round the world route, along the northern polar circle, along the
shores of the Arctic Ocean, using original pneumatic all terrain vehicles
of our own conception. The route has to pass through the toughest and
most isolated regions of the Russian far north, cross the Bering's straight,
along the shores of Alaska, along the Canadian Archipelago and Greenland,
and then reach the Russian shores again passing through the point of
the geographic North Pole
To conduct a big information and advertisement campaign to the benefit
of the sponsors of the expedition program "POLAR RING".Ø
To conduct research and logging tasks in order to create a comprehensive
record of all historical and natural monuments of the Russian North
To conduct full scale testing of the pneumatic all terrain vehicles;
necessary to be able to give fact based conclusions on the exploitation
of the all terrain in the extreme conditions of the Arctic. Allowing
their modification to the benefit of their characteristics, or to the
extension of their range of use, as an alternative, ecologically not
dangerous, mean of transport for far Northern regions.
To conduct scientific fact finding observations and surveys in route
according to the scientific program " Ecology of the Planet",
created by the specialists of the Moscow State University and the Institute
of Earth Geography.
To create a video serial, edit a high quality photo album, and write
a book, telling the story of one the biggest Polar expedition undertaken
in the beginning of the XXI century, about the history and present reality
of the Arctic, about the people living along the shores of the most
forbidding Ocean on Earth, about the organisers and the participants,
of this polar around the world trip and also the companies and men who
have supported the expedition and have assisted in its realisation.
To conduct a complete array of medico-psychological analysis in order
to create a theoretical and practical base to protect life, health and
professional work capacity of man under extreme conditions (according
to the programs of the Institute of survival of Man and of the governmental
Scientific Research and Testing Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine
of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation).
To conduct public and humanitarian actions according to the program
"A Drug Free Planet" and "Dialog Between Civilisations",
accomplished under the supervision of the United Nation On
the 23rd of April 2002, on the day of the tenth anniversary of the presence
of the Russian flag on the North Pole to hoist it again
on the top of the planet. Expedition
Center "ARCTIC" (E.C.A.) was found in 1992 on the basis of
eponymous science-sport expedition, which have arranged and conducted
expeditions to most remote and difficult regions of the planet to Far
East of Russia, including Arctic Ocean area and Antarctic south hemisphere
high latitudes. During these years E.C.A. route groups skied through more than 30 000 kilometers across Arctic coast, islands, archipelagos and Arctic Ocean drift ice. In only "Arctic" ski expedition more than 250 people took part. 24 of them reached the North Pole on skies, some of them - twice. On
the 23 of April 1992, in terms of First Parachute-Ski Expedition "Rainbow
above the Pole", for the first time in the history of North Pole,
Russian flag was raised. Since 1997, A.C.A. were developing new means of transport - 6 wheel-drive cross-country vehicles with extra-low-pressure tires "POLARCADB". Those vehicles received deserved approval on the results of examination in Arctic, 1996-98 and from that time on were widely used during Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. Since 1999, Center expanded the field of their activities. Famous sportsmen - skydivers, balloters, divers, admirers of non-traditional sport activities as well became its members. All these people have rich experience in arranging huge, complex expeditions. They conducted three parachute expeditions to the North Pole in 1997, 1998, 1999, first in the North Pole history balloons and para-motors flying, they arranged underwater diving of skin-divers and other large-scale public-sport actions. In
December 1999 - January 2000 the Center arranged and conducted the
first large-scale non-governmental Antarctic expedition, called "Meeting
XXI Century". As a result, during the expedition row of world records
were made: such as mass parachute landing in Antarctic near Patriot
Hills, first in the history of Antarctic balloon flying, speed 10 day
cross country vehicle transition on the route from Patriot Hills to
South Pole and back to Patriot Hills, first flying on balloon over the
South Pole mark, installation of orthodox cross at the South Pole spot,
honoring 2000 Christianity Anniversary, etc. Results
of "Meeting XXI century" Antarctic expedition were highly
marked by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Center's
activities received blessing from Russian Patriarch Alexie-II, were
also supported by famous Russian travelers, polar explorers and scientists:
Arthur Chilingarov, Yuri Senkevitch, Vitally Volovitch, Igor Zotikov,
Valerie Lukin and others.
This
document has been signed by the Vice-President
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The
participants to the expedition have the intention to cross a distance
of 6000 km, of which more than 2500 km on drifting ice of the Arctic
Ocean.
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