DISPATCHE 11 : from 26 to 31 January

Wednesday 31 January : The children have asked some questions (pertinent as is always the case) and the climbers have answered...

Alain Hubert and René Robert have just left the South African Sanae base camp on skis, having arrived there by DC3 the day before yesterday. They now have to get to the German base Neumayer, where the Polarstern (Pole Star) should be arriving on about 06 February before taking them to Punta Arenas. There are about 220 km between Sanae and Neumayer. This journey has to be made over an ice shelf that is riddled with crevasses, and as at yesterday (Tuesday 30 January), Alain and René were expecting difficult weather conditions (storm warning).

While waiting for the men to return, here are some of the questions asked by the children whose classes are enrolled in the Educational Project.

Q : Why did the last four metres of the ascent take so long?
R : Because during the ascent, each climber had a task to accomplish, sometimes at different heights on the wall. This took time so that in the end they could all get together and finish the summit together.

Q : What is a portaledge? What is it for?
R : It's a sort of tent than can be attached to the rock face. Composed of a closed canvas bed, it is fixed to the rock by a single suspension point. Mountaineers can sleep in them and shelter from storms. They can be single or double.

Q : What are your protection accessories? Which part of the body do they protect?
R : Climbers have only one real protection accessory, which is a helmet for the head.

Q : We have not understood certain words, like kata, spit and skidoo. Could you please explain them?
R : The kata is a Nepalese or Tibetan scarf, blessed by the Buddhist monks from a monastery. This scarf is thought to ensure "God speed" for the traveller to whom it is given. It should then be left at a place where the wind blows so that the blessing can be dispersed for the benefit of all. This is why Alain left one at the Holtanna summit. A spit is a large screw and an attachment for a rope. On the rock face, every 50 metres or in dangerous places, mountaineers use them to provide powerful insurance that they will not come off. They make a hole in the rock with a hand-powered drill, then insert the spit, which they then block with the bolt. It is very strong, and as they climb they can fix a rope to the attachment point that will hold it perfectly. The skidoo is a motorbike on skis, and is used for travelling over snow. It is very practical, and allows heavy loads to be quickly transported, sometimes over long distances. When it is exceptionally cold, ignition can at times be a bit slow to catch in the morning. There are two skidoos at Blue One. I would also like to explain what a cairn is. This is made up of stones that have been piled on top of each other to make a small monument to show that one has gone this way, whether at the top of a mountain or on a barely trodden path.

Q : What work did NASA entrust to you?
R : NASA entrusted us with the mission of looking for new species of lichen, but above all of installing electronic thermometers for year-long measurement of the temperature of the rock on which it grows This information is of interest to NASA because, during the hottest period of the year on the planet Mars, the climatic condition at times resemble those of the Antarctic winter. So scientists are trying to understand, with the help of lichen, how life could have existed on Mars. The radio and satellite communication technology of the automatic weather stations that we have installed will also perhaps be used one day in a meteorological programme on Mars.

Q : Why do you dig wells? What are you looking for? How deep are they?
R : We have dug wells that are between 1.5 and 2 metres deep to conduct some glaciological studies. Snow accumulates over the years, so we find layers in the wells that are sometimes more than ten years old and study them to learn how they have evolved, what their temperature is, and their density. We carried out this work during the expedition so that scientists could know the characteristics of the snow solely from satellite pictures.

Q : Why were you photographing grains of snow?
R : In the context of the glaciological research, we took photographs to know the size and shape of the grains of snow at various depths of the well, which is a way of transmitting the information to the scientists in the laboratories at a later date.

Q : How do you know that there could be meteorites at the place you spotted from the summit? Did you see a crater? Or a pebble?
R : The regions where we have the best chance of finding meteorites are the fields of blue ice, for in these areas the ice comes up from the bottom of the polar icecap and brings with it all the meteorites that have fallen into the snow over tens of thousands of years It was an interesting area of blue ice that the climbers saw from the summit, unfortunately too far away for quick access on skis.

Q : If you find a meteorite, could you please send us a photograph?
R : Yes, with pleasure, but unfortunately we didn't find one.

Q : What do you do doing your spare time?
R : We sleep, we read, we write, we get together to for a laugh and a joke, and we eat lovely meals.

Q : How do you have the courage to sleep in sleeping bags at altitude? Are you never frightened of sleeping on the rock face?
R : It's like with life, initially you have no experience, it's not reassuring, you are frightened of falling, then you get used to the emptiness, your realise that the assembly where you are sleeping is sound, and you become reassured that everything will be OK.

Q : What do you do to prevent yourself from falling in your sleep?
R : Climbers sleep in their sleeping bags, attached in their harnesses by rope to the rock. So they can't fall.

Q : How was the aeroplane able to land on the ice?
R : The Illyushin pilots are very skilful, and for them landing on ice is much the same as landing on a tarmac or concrete runway.

Q : How to you put the pitons in the rock when you are climbing?
R : Mountaineers can always find a crack, and in it they pick the place where it joins up again and force the piton in with a hammer. A rope can then be attached to it by means of a snap link.

Q : Do you miss your families?
R : Yes, of course, we are impatient to see our families again, and we all hope that the homecoming will live up to our expectations.

Q : Do you communicate with your children?
R : For my part, I don't have any (Ed. Note: It is Alain Bidart who is answering), but the members of the team that do communicate regularly with them by e-mail.

Q : How many time a week do you change your clothes?
R : We don't in fact wash our clothes, so we have several changes that we put on again regularly without their really being clean. In the Antarctic, the weather is cold and often dry, so we sweat less than in other parts of the world and consequently we soil our clothes less. Nevertheless, the first thing we'll be doing when we get to South Africa is having a good shower!

Q : Have you climbed other summits? If so, which ones?
R : After Holtanna, André and Alain "did" all the mountains around us, about ten, nearly all of which had never been climbed before.

Q : Did you do all this for fame or pleasure?
R : Above all, we did all this for love of the Antarctic and its extraordinary environment.

Q : Did you encounter any strange animals?
R : No, but we did encounter some fabulous snow petrels and some impressive skuas.

Q : Did anybody fall during the ascent?
R : Fortunately not.

Q : Have you gone on any other expeditions before this one for physical training?
R : Mountaineers are in fact guides and go on expeditions everywhere in the world throughout the year, so they have all the physical training they need.

Q : Was the South Face of Holtanna as vertical as the North?
R : Yes, the South Face was more vertical than the North Face, at times even overhanging.

Friday 26 January : Some leave, others climb on...

Last Wednesday, Alain, Ronald and René left the base camp at about noon to head for Blue One by sail. They should reach the station this evening or tomorrow. From there, as has already been written, they will be going first to Sanae and then on to the German base Neumayer in order to board the Polarstern. It is envisaged that there will be regular radio contact between this group and the others, then with HQ.

Meanwhile, the others who have stayed at the base camp cannot resist climbing, as the environment is so ideal for such activity. Just before setting off, on Tuesday, Hubert and Georges "did" a final summit, Kintanna, one of the most impressive summits after Holtanna and Ulvetanna.

Indeed, speaking of this last summit, Ulvetanna, the veritable private preserve of the Norwegian climbers and not yet climbed by the climbers of The Wall expedition, André and Fabrizio decided at the last moment to make an assault on it as well. So yesterday, Thursday, everybody accompanied the two climbers as far as the foot of this giant, skiing in deep snow. This delighted Kathelijne, who at last had the chance of extracting herself from the preoccupations of communicating with the outside world and of treating herself to a little outing plumb in the middle of this magnificent scenery. In principle, André and Fabrizio should be taking care of the giant today.

As for the return of the people who have stayed on at the base camp (Kathelijne Van Heukelom, André Georges, Fabrizio Zangrili and Alain Bidart, seen here in the photograph), here is the information as sent by Kathelijne today, Friday, (this message of course being primarily intended for their families).

31 January: Closing (striking) the base camp and setting out with skis and sledges for Blue One. The Illyushin 76 which should be coming to pick them up is scheduled for 09 February, whereas the Cape Town - Brussels flight for its part has been booked for the 13th of the same month.
Despite the ample margins allowed by this programme, it is clear that, given the moods of the Antarctic weather, especially at the end of the summer season, the dates mentioned above may change from one moment to the next. We will try our hardest, however, to keep the families abreast of any future developments.

On Monday, we will provide our visitors with an initial assessment of the Educational Project, which, according to Laurent Dubois, who is co-ordinating all the schools in Switzerland, has enjoyed a right royal success.