NORTH POLE

THE LAST DEGREE TO THE GEOGRAPHIC NORTH POLE

[2 WEEKS]

SOUTH POLE
GO EX T R E M E !
The pole grabs you, once you have been there and keeps drawing you back; a draw to the vastness of the landscape, to the purity of nature

THE LAST DEGREE TO THE GEOGRAPHIC SOUTH POLE

[3 WEEKS]

The above quotation by an Asteria Expeditions polar explorer perfectly sums up the unique polar experience. Thus first of all there is the special and impressive splendour of nature. Anyone who has ever travelled to the Arctic or the Antarctic waxes lyrical in describing the breathtaking polar landscape. In addition to the dazzling stimulus of the scenery, a journey to the polar regions also and above all brings about reflection and awareness. Much more than just a trip, it is a unique life experience, the like of which cannot be summed up in words: there is an absolute need to experience it for yourself.

EXPEDITIONS OUR GLOBE TO BOTH ENDS OF

CIRCLES
DISTANT FRONTIERS ; INNER DISCOVERY

In the course of these exhilarating journeys you will discover the unspoilt splendour of nature as well as making your own journey of self-discovery. An experience that will inspire you permanently, throughout your life.

An exclusive polar expedition led by polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer with 90 north as the final destination. This journey will require physical strength and endurance as well as mental fitness and is to be interpreted as an expedition in its purest form. You will fly with Dixie to the drift ice station of Barneo, a floating airfield in the middle of the unpredictable Arctic Ocean at a position located close to 89 north. From there a helicopter will take you and the rest of the team together with the sledges and equipment to the exact departure point for The Last Degree North. 111 kilometres further on you will have earned the right to claim with appropriate pride that you have actually stood on the north pole. A physically and mentally challenging journey, the unique experience of which you will carry with you for a lifetime.

V.U. Annick Desmet Sint Amandsstraat 5 8000 Bruges [Belgium] Lic A1095

To our great satisfaction we experience this ongoing involvement and our express commitment ourselves. An infectious fascination and enthusiasm which we will be happy to share with you. Perhaps you too will become a privileged ambassador for experiencing these unique locations on our planet.
ASTERIA E X PEDITIONS

Organising a polar expedition shows surprising parallels with running a business, as Dixie Dansercoer and Julie Brown have found time and again in the long run-up to one of their sensational journeys to the south or north pole. Together they have developed business support motivation concepts, giving keynote speeches and propagating the utilisation of unprecedented human potential.
CIRCLES

ASTERIA EXPEDITIONS
REIZEN BUITEN HET GEWONE

in partnership with:

An exclusive polar expedition led by polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer with 90 south as the final destination. This journey will require physical strength and endurance as well as mental fitness and is to be interpreted as an expedition in its purest form. You will fly with Dixie from Cape Town to Novo, a Russian base to the north of Antarctica. From there a Bassler aircraft will take you and the rest of the team together with the sledges and equipment to the exact departure point for The Last Degree South. 111 kilometres further on you will have earned the right to say with appropriate pride that you have actually stood on the south pole. A physically and mentally challenging journey, the unique experience of which you will carry with you for a lifetime.

Asteria Expeditions and Circles are joining hands and intend to share their passion with you for the special places on the globe which are the two polar regions. We invite you to take part in an exhilarating adventure to the far-flung polar regions.

Een samenwerking tussen Dixie en Asteria Expeditions

LAST DEGREE
TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH POLES
Asteria Expeditions Annick Desmet info@rvr.be WWW.ASTERIAEXPEDITIONS.BE

North

Circles Dixie Dansercoer & Julie Brown circles@telenet.be WWW.CIRCLES.CC

WITH DIXIE DANSERCOER

EXPEDITIONS OUR GLOBE TO BOTH ENDS OF

South

THE LAST DEGREE TO THE GEOGRAPHIC NORTH POLE

RECOMMENDATION BY A FELLOW TRAVELLER Boudewijn Aerts The Last Degree to the north pole is probably the most extreme trip I have ever undertaken. Thanks to our guides, who combined practical intuition with a great deal of calm even in highly precarious situations we were able to set off with mental and physical strength. It was truly a unique experience for us all. Easy as walking across ice may seem, it does need strong commitment. I felt hugely inspired during the preparatory period as well as on the ice! RECOMMENDATION BY A FELLOW TRAVELLER Raf Van Brempt It was a real honour and a privilege to be able to immerse myself in this harsh but unbelievably beautiful world of ice and snow. I have learned that discipline and thorough preparation are the keys to bringing a successful undertaking to a satisfactory conclusion. Moreover I was profoundly impressed by this experience and even now I still get fleeting images of the expedition in my retina. It has given me greater depth in assessing and solving minor day-to-day problems which appear overwhelming. The bonds of deep friendship will also be with me for the rest of my life.

NORTH POLE

THE LAST DEGREE TO THE GEOGRAPHIC SOUTH POLE

SOUTH POLE

The geographic south pole is marked by a symbolic ball at the US Amundsen-Scott scientific base. The geographic north pole is a virtual point where there is no-one and nothing and which you constantly drift away from.

A TYPICAL DAY ON THE ICE: In the morning, melting snow and ice in order to have hot water for breakfast, followed by filling thermos flasks for the rest of the day. Analysing weather conditions before setting off and selecting suitable clothing which is right for the conditions on the day. Clearing up the tent, loading everything onto the sledges and start of the skiing day. We need to allow for progress from 6 to 8 hours with breaks every hour and a half. In the evening, pitching the tents, tidying up all the equipment and changing clothes. After that: evening meal, communications with HQ, relaxing to a spot of music or reading, followed by a normal nights rest of around 8 hours.

FRAGILE
NORTH POLE The north pole is a drifting icepack on the ever-moving Arctic ocean and offers variety to the dynamic habitat for animal life such as polar bears, walruses, arctic foxes, seals, etc. The scenery is that of very broken terrain in which areas of open water alternate with pack ice zones up to as much as 4 metres high. Temperatures feel extra cold due to their saline and damp nature. The presence of open water requires a specific choice of equipment and due care. The geographic north pole is a virtual point where there is no-one and nothing and which you constantly drift away from.
North

FAUNA

F ANTASTIC

DESERT

W ILDERNESS

WIND
SOUTH POLE Antarctica is a vast icecap, up to 4km in thickness, lying on rocky soil that makes up the Antarctic continent. Due to the absence of fertile soil there is no life once one leaves the coastal areas. Away from the areas of activity the terrain is evenly covered with sastrugi, natural ridges formed by the wind. Temperatures are given additional intensity by the strong winds that blow there. The desert-like nature imposes a feeling of desolation once the mountain chains in the vicinity of the coast have been crossed. The geographic South Pole is marked by a symbolic ball at the US Amundsen-Scott scientific base. Antarctica is the continent of absolute superlatives, it is the coldest, highest, driest and windiest continent: The coldest because the average temperature on the central plateau is -50C to 60C with the record for the coldest temperature ever of -89.2C. The highest because it is an average of 2,250 metres above sea level with Mount Vinson (4,897m) as its highest point. The driest because inland it is the driest desert in the world. The atmosphere is drier than in the Sahara since there is little precipitation and the water vapour in the atmosphere freezes. The windiest, with the absolute record for a wind speed of 327km/h measured at Dumont d'Uville in July 1972. 98% of Antarctica is covered with ice. This amounts to 30million km which accounts for 90% of all the ice on our planet. 70% of all fresh water (even though in frozen form) on Earth is to be found in this frozen desert.

The geographic north pole is a point indicated by the Earths axis of rotation. The geographic north pole is the northernmost point on Earth, where all meridians intersect and all directions point south. Located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, the geographic north pole is approximately 800km away from the nearest land. The sun shines uninterruptedly on the ice fields for 6 months (from March to September) and goes on never to appear on the horizon for the next 6 months.

The thin layer of pack ice (1 to 4 metres thick) is moving continuously. Vast ice floes collide with one another and crack with an intense cracking noise in the background going on subsequently to create new ice formations. Such high pressures give rise to ridges up to 10 metres high. Whenever two such ice floes are split asunder, a channel of water appears between them that sometimes stretches out like a river for hundreds of kilometres. Climate conditions at the north pole in April: clear and dry with temperatures varying from 30C (-22F) to -20C (-4F). Wind speeds of 10-20 m/s with snowstorms now and then but of course the unsurpassed midnight sun at the north pole.

WWW.ASTERIAEXPEDITIONS.BE

WWW.ASTERIAEXPEDITIONS.BE

WWW.ASTERIAEXPEDITIONS.BE

WWW.ASTERIAEXPEDITIONS.BE
South