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Living in Antarctica
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Recommended: Living in Antarctica
During my one year assignment on Antarctica the three things that I would bring with me would be: a computer
equipped with internet access and teleconferencing capabilities; my ski
equipment including my climbing gear; and a snowmobile that is run by
electricity because of a lack of Mobil stations at the South Pole. The computer,
ski equipment, and snowmobile would allow me to endure and make the best of a
year long period that would be pure Hell without these three things.
The sub zero climate of the Antarctic winter would make it unbearable to
venture outside of my quarters. The computer that I would bring would allow me
to keep in contact with the world outside of Antarctica, and with my family and
friends via the internet and teleconferencing. The computer would also serve as
a way for me to keep a journal of the events that occurred through out my year
long solitary confinement at the life deficient South Pole. My computer would
also provide a source of entertainment with games and programs I could use to
pass the time.
I would bring my alpine ski equipment along with my rock climbing gear
to the earth's frozen basement. The two passions of my life are snow skiing and
rock climbing. On the Antarctic continent lie many mountain ranges that have
the world's driest and most plentiful powder, and the most magnificent rock and
ice faces and cliffs. These conditions are a skier's and rock climber's heaven.
The mountains could provide me with a sense of extreme pleasure and make my stay
in the earth's freezer well worth it. There is one problem with skiing in
Antarctica, there are no ski lifts. This would pose a problem to me if I didn't
have my climbing gear. However, I was intelligent enough to realize that I
would have to climb the mountains in order to ski them, which is why I brought
my climbing gear.
To provide transportation around the continent and to the mountains I
would bring an electric snowmobile to Antarctica. The snowmobile would have to
run on stored electricity and be rechargeable. I would cruise the frozen plains
of Antarctica on the snowmobile, observing one of the last uncharted frontiers
Swimming to Antarctica, by Lynne Cox, is about Lynne’s adventure to become a great long distance swimmer. Lynne started as a slow swimmer. During practice, she never rested for each instruction the coach gives. She later found out that she wanted to be a long distance swimmer. Her coach told her to join a race on a lake. She went and she loved to swim in the open waters. She then went to a different program that trained her to swim in the open waters.
In Endurance Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing recounts the tale of one of the greatest successes of the Twentieth Century. Ironically, Lansing's detailed account of the 1915 Trans-Antarctic Expedition illuminates the stark reality that Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition did not fulfill its goal. In fact, the expedition never even set foot upon the continent that they had intended to cross. The outstanding success of that motley crew of adventurers was in their ability to endure the harsh Antarctic climate. Despite having their ship crushed by an ice cap, spending the dark Antarctic winter hopelessly alone, suffering through a stormy voyage in an open dingy, and stumbling blindly across an uncharted island, Shackleton and his men persisted in their quest to survive. Truly, Shackleton set an outstanding example of never giving up.
and faces the challenging experience of walking through the snowy, frozen earth to get to
When taking a quick look at the two expeditions, one led by Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica and the other led by Arlene Blum to climb Annapurna, a quick summation can be made that Blum succeeded in her expedition and Shackleton failed. But this is a shallow view, not considering the nuances and actual experiences of the trips. Ernest Shackleton set out with his crew in 1915 to be the first expedition to cross Antarctica, but in fact, he never set foot on the continent. While failing at his initial goal, he was a highly successful leader and kept his 28 men safe for close to two years, while they were trapped on the ice floe and then, after the ice gave way, when they were paddling hundreds of miles across open seas in small, wooden lifeboats. He then completed the treacherous journey across South Georgia Island to reach a town and resources necessary to rescue his other men. All of his men were rescued alive and safe and all were able to return home to their families. In comparison, Arlene Blum set out from the United States in 1978 with 9 of her teammates as the American Women's Himalayan Expedition – the first all-woman group to attempt to climb Annapurna. Though their expedition was too often hazardous, it didn’t have the same level of urgency, because at any point during their climb, the group was at liberty to descend. Blum struggled with her role as the leader of this group of highly independent women. She too often hesitated and showed her lack of confidence, which in turn led to many problems within the group and with the hired Sherpas. On October 15th, 1978, two members of the expedition, along with two Sherpas, reached the summit of Annapurna, fulfilling the goal of the group. However, two days later, on Octobe...
After a great night of sleep we headed out to the world renown mountain of Jackson Hole. It is known for being the steepest mountain on which a ski resort is set up. It is also know for having a great view of Grand Teton, one of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains. We could not have asked for a better day of riding. there was a fresh 14” of snow under our boards and after a little bit of exploring we found some great out of bounds and woods riding.
With all the advantages that a snow machine could bring to Northern Arizona, there are some people who do not want to see the Arizona SnowBowl join the ninety-one percent of ski areas who make their own snow on National Forest land (Murray, p.3). These people have raised great controversy in Northern Arizona because they would like to see the mountain stay as pristine as possible. The only problem with their point of view is that there are more advantages than disadvantages to installing snow machines.
I am now a professional snowboarder with my friends at Mammoth Mountain, the local resort, anxiously preparing for the X- Games slopestyle competition that is a few days away. The slopestyle competition that I am competing in is a snowboarding course that consists of rails and jumps that are
Next, take a few steps up a slight incline with your front foot in the snowboard binding and your back foot out. Make sure that the snowboard is perpendicular to the incline. Take one step with your foot that is not attached to the snowboard, then lift your foot with the snowboard attached to it and take a step with the entire snowboard. Keep taking baby steps until you are up an incline. The process can become tiring after a while, but for beginners the ski-lift is not quite recommended at this point. You should be looking for beginner slopes with a very small incline.
tools to survive. There are many factors that contribute to staying alive in this environment such as natural ones that
A few winters ago, some friends invited my family and me to go snow skiing at Paoli Peaks, Indiana. I did not know how to snow ski, and I leaped at the thought of trying this new sport. On the first morning we entered the pro shop to rent all the gear and make decisions about whether or not to take lessons or go it alone. We decided to be adventurous and go it alone—no lessons. Kent and Celeste, the friends who invited us, knew how to ski and snowboard. He assured us that he could show us the basics, and we would be on our way down the slopes. All of us, after a few minutes learning how to wedge our skis started down the family trail. Although the family trail had smaller hills and appeared safe, to me it seemed way
Thin air encompasses me as I commence the final day of skiing at Vail, Colorado. Seven days of skiing elapse rather painlessly; I fall occasionally but an evening in the Jacuzzi soothes my minor aches. Closing time approaches on the final day of our trip as I prepare myself for the final run of the vacation. Fresh off the ski lift, I coast toward the junction of trails on the unoccupied expert face of the mountain. After a moment of thought, I confidently select a narrow trail so steep that only the entrance can be seen from my viewpoint.
During winter vacation, I usually take a skiing trip to a cabin in the Washington State Wilderness. Loaded with everything from Monopoly to a waffle iron, my backpack shields me from snow dripped by evergreens. It never actually skis, but my backpack wouldn't dare miss a downhill ski trip in the Rockies of Idaho. I leav...
Skiing, as a sport has existed since the early 1800’s, although depictions of skis have been discovered throughout Europe dating back thousands of years. Skiing as a recreational activity became popularized in the mid 1800’s however it did not arrive in the United States until around 1841. Once the concept of skiing reached the states, it took off. The United States continued to power advances in skiing for decades, with the introduction of rope tows, then actual ski lifts. By the 1950’s several ski areas had begun snowmaking and trail grooming, two American born inovatio9ns which ensured better skiing conditions and launched the US far ahead of Europe in ski technology (Fry 38). Skiing continued to evolve throughout the 1900’s, constantly changing and adapting to improve athlete performance and recreational experiences. Skis and equipment changed quickly and frequently, ski bindings, which...
Most importantly, I hope to visit every continent. I have always had the dream of traveling all over the world and finding the place where I want to live for the rest of my life. I imagine myself studying abroad somewhere in Europe for a year in college. I think that studying abroad allows a person to have a meaningful experience since he or she will learn everyday while also living in a completely different place that give you more experience in the real world. Along with this, I want to do more than just traveling; I want to do everything that a person is able to do on each continent. I want to see the wonders of the world, climb Mt. Everest, etc. Traveling is the most important thing I want to accomplish, because aside from my absolute love of travel and adventure, I want to experience culture and worlds that I have never been exposed to before. By visiting each continent, I know I will be fulfilling my ultimate goal of finding a place where I want to spend the rest of my l...
Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...